Minnesota Timberwolves: Exploring Jaden McDaniels’ potential

Jaden McDaniels is a 20-year-old rookie who only spent one year playing college ball, but he is already providing a major impact for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The next obvious question is, will McDaniels blossom into a star? Or is his future as a solid role player for the Wolves?

Minnesota Timberwolves: Exploring Jaden McDaniels’ potential

While Anthony Edwards has stolen the national headlines, another Minnesota Timberwolves rookie has quickly captured the hearts of fans. Jaden McDaniels, the No. 28 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, has solidified himself as a starter and an important piece of the franchise’s future.

The general consensus surrounding McDaniels was that of a raw prospect who would need a few years to develop. He was, after all, a one-and-done college player who had a disappointing run in PAC-12 conference play in his lone season with the Washington Huskies.

Instead, he has shown poise and basketball intelligence beyond his years, making him one of the most consistent two-way players on the roster.

Let’s look at just great of an impact McDaniels has had this season and consider what this season might imply about the young Wolf’s future.

Jaden McDaniels is already a defensive force for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Every conversation about McDaniels has to start on the defensive side of the ball.

At just 20 years of age, he has arguably been the team’s best defender. His immediate impact has come as a surprise to everyone, including head coach Chris Finch, who played McDaniels sparingly in his first few games after the coaching change. However, Finch, along with the rest of the Timberwolves organization, have quickly come to understand that McDaniels is a player who needs to see significant minutes based on his defensive ability alone.

Among the team’s starters, McDaniels has given up the fewest points off turnovers, the fewest second-chance points, the fewest fast break points, and the fewest points in the paint. Look up defensive versatility in the dictionary and a picture of Jaden McDaniels is bound to appear.

McDaniels’ unique combination of size and athleticism has allowed him to guard quick guards on the perimeter as well as strong forwards in the paint. He has been a disruptor on the court no matter the assignment, despite defending Luka Doncic one game and Julius Randle the next. As a result of his defensive prowess, McDaniels ranks second on the team in overall net rating at -4.3, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns.

Unfortunately, one trend has prevented McDaniels from taking the jump into the upper echelon of NBA defenders this season.

To this point, he has struggled this season to get a hand up when closing out on perimeter jump shots, a tendency that has allowed opponents to shoot 41.4 percent from 24+ feet. Fortunately, the raw analytics likely look worse due to the fact that McDaniels is often guarding the opponent’s primary scorer. Fans have every reason to believe that this flaw can be fixed through repetition once he has a full offseason of practice with the team.

He is a few small steps away from becoming truly elite on defense. The biggest question surrounding McDaniels this offseason will come on the offensive side of the ball.