Jaden McDaniels must play well for the Minnesota Timberwolves to reach their full offensive potential. When he can score effectively, life is much easier for Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, whose high ceiling drives Minnesota’s offensive ceiling. Jaden’s shot creation and shot-making are inconsistent. Chris Finch knows that McDaniels has the tools. However, with how tight offensive margins are, Jaden does not always have the platform to succeed.
He may not get the ball in his hands to create, but McDaniels can always affect the game with his three-point shot and catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Jaden gets plenty of three-point shots from the corners because that’s where he is spaced in most of Minnesota’s offensive sets. He moves around the perimeter on the three-point arc as the ball moves and each possession develops. That’s where McDaniels tends to vary more as a shooter, which is normal for a league-average shooter. The corners will be much easier shots because they are closer to the rim than above-the-break shots. Therefore, Jaden’s inconsistencies aren’t out of the norm, but they are evident when diving into his splits.
Jaden’s lack of a tight handle and his size perfectly suit him for a corner role offensively, and he produces numbers there. He’s a career 38.7% (189/488) shooter from the corners. McDaniels is also succeeding at a massive volume that has ranked in the top 15 of the NBA over the past two seasons.
But McDaniels is a career shooter 32.5% (147/452) from above the break. He has been inconsistent there throughout his entire career. Despite constantly shooting from above the break, there is no year-to-year correlation with his percentages.
As a prospect, Jaden was shaky above the break in his one season at Washington. However, he sought out more dribble pull-up jumpers in college because he had more offensive freedom. But Jaden still shot 35% (34/97) on above-the-break threes with the shortened college three-point line.
McDaniels is in his fourth season. But we still don’t know how much his flashes of offensive excellence translate into more consistent play, and that’s been the case with his above-the-break three-point shooting. He shot a career-high 37.8% from above the break last season, which is a driving reason why it was his best three-point shooting season.
It’s also evident how much this affects McDaniels’ game because he likely will only take above-the-break threes when he’s wide open. Shot confidence and overall rhythm have greatly influenced Jaden’s success. Therefore, if he cannot convert on momentum-shifting open looks, it will only affect other areas of his game.
The Wolves are going to slot McDaniels into the corner for the immediate future, with Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, and Karl-Anthony Towns operating at the top of the arc in most of their offensive sets. Jaden’s growth will depend on how much he can affect the opponent’s defense by getting away from his typical spot on the court. Fortunately, it will always be much easier for him to create when he strays away from the corner because there is more space.
It’s important that McDaniels has built so much of his game on top of his other skills and successes. Throughout his Wolves tenure, we have seen him get off to a quick start offensively, and it has affected the rest of his night positively. But on the latter end, if he is not involved offensively and picks up a couple of fouls on defense, it will be an uphill battle.
If Jaden can become a more consistent shooting threat from across the arc, it’ll only give the Wolves more options and grow his confidence. His shooting potential, his 7-foot wingspan, and his high release will only give McDaniels more opportunities to trust his shot, making Minnesota’s offense that much more dynamic moving forward.
We’ve seen McDaniels knock down clutch three-point shots in big games. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and becoming a more consistent shooter.
