It’s Time To Give Wolves Forward Jaden McDaniels More Attention

Due to the Rudy Gobert trade of last summer, much of the Minnesota Timberwolves discourse has centered around trade ideas, and overall roster construction.

The remaining discourse has – accurately – focused on Anthony Edwards, and how he should be prioritized as the new face of the organization, even ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns.

While there is indeed merit in discussing how to best build a team around Edwards, the constant trade chatter has left out another story, which has flown under the radar outside of Minnesota.

Jaden McDaniels has turned himself into an absolute keeper.

While most Timberwolves fans, and probably the organization itself, were deeply in on the 22-year-old a year ago already, the lanky 6’9 wing big opened eyes across the league, but not enough to where he seems to factor much into people’s vision of the future Timberwolves.

As such, let’s drive the point home right off the bat: McDaniels has truly elite defensive upside, and his offense is coming along nicely, netting a little over 12 points, on almost 40% from downtown. For someone that young, McDaniels’ outlook is extremely encouraging.

It’s a shame that Towns and Gobert occupy the headlines, as it would seem on the surface that they automatically represent the best co-stars to Edwards long-term. They might – Towns especially – but McDaniels cracked that door open just enough with his play last year, that he needs to become a more ingrained name to remember when discussing the Wolves.

At 22, McDaniels still has some growing up to do. He needs to get more comfortable creating his own shot, and become more assertive with the ball in his hands. 75.4% of his total shots were assisted, despite his athleticism which allows him to utilize gaps in the defense, and get to the basket.

When near the rim, McDaniels is extremely efficient, hitting 75.2% of his shots within three feet of the basket. His in-between game is coming along, but it’s yet as polished as his interior scoring.

The above efficiency number becomes even more impressive when you consider how often McDaniels had to navigate a paint area often occupied by Gobert, due to the latter’s lack of jump-shooting capabilities.

Generally speaking, the Wolves have a co-star ready for Edwards, even if that co-star requires a specific playstyle to be effective, and will be much better when flanked by shooters to open up the inside.

But make no mistake. The talent level in McDaniels warrants attention. He can guard multiple positions, and anything from smaller centers to quick guards. His defensive – and positional – flexibility is a major asset for the Wolves.

Needless to say, the Wolves still need more than just Edwards and McDaniels, if it comes down to that. While fans might be ready to see Towns go elsewhere, it’s worth remembering that the spacing element of Towns will not just have a ripple effect on Edwards, but McDaniels too.

With the Wolves as short on assets as they are due to the Gobert trade, empowering McDaniels to take another leap, and clearing a path for him to actually become the second guy in charge, is of vital importance.

Fortunately for the Wolves, McDaniels seems to follow a path of improvement every single season. Here’s hoping that trend continues.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.