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Minnesota Timberwolves: What each 2020 draft night addition brings to the Wolves

By Kayne Rob

Ricky Rubio is one of the newest members of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
Ricky Rubio is one of the newest members of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels
Jaden McDaniels of the Washington Huskies was a late first-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Timberwolves 2020 NBA Draft Addition: Jaden McDaniels

Drafting Jaden McDaniels

Jaden McDaniels was selected with the No. 28 pick of the draft. This pick was obtained from the Thunder in the same trade that acquired Rubio.

McDaniels was a five-star recruit to the University of Washington in 2020 but had a disappointing freshman season, dropping his draft range from the lottery into the late first round. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward with a huge wingspan and should be able to guard multiple positions.

2020 Per-Game Stats

  • Games Played: 31
  • Points: 13.0
  • Field goal percentage: 40.5
  • 3-point percentage: 33.9
  • Rebounds:  5.8
  • Assists:  2.1

Short-Term Outlook

It’s fair to expect a slow start for McDaniels with the shortened offseason. Minutes will be sparse and if he can put together a strong training camp and play well when he has a chance, perhaps he can crack the fringes of the rotation, depending on what the roster looks like when the dust settles following free agency.

The key for McDaniels early is going to be getting stronger. Don’t be surprised if McDaniels gets time with the G League’s Iowa Wolves as well.

One of McDaniels’ major calling cards is his versatility. He can hit from beyond the arc, has the ability to handle the ball on the perimeter, and showed flashes of rim-protecting in college with Washington. He’s simply raw, and he isn’t likely to get much run right away with the Timberwolves.

Long-Term Outlook

McDaniels’ ceiling is probably that of a high-level starter, but there’s a decent chance that he could develop into a solid bench player who could start when needed.

The key to finding long term success will be carving out a role and playing it to the best of his ability. He will not be looked towards to be a main contributing scorer — at least not any time soon. Yet if he can bring some rim protection while being a threat to score from anywhere on the floor, then his minutes will continue to increase over time.

2021 Expectations

To start the year, McDaniels probably won’t see the floor often at all. Yet due to the current lack of depth in the Wolves frontcourt, McDaniels could see a lower amount of minutes early in January.

It’s a safer bet to assume that McDaniels’ heaviest minutes will be coming in Des Moines and not in Minneapolis.