Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels was a better pick than Obi Toppin because of his complementary offensive skillset.
Jaden McDaniels has the perfect offensive skill set that teams want from a complementary, two-way forward.
He can hit the open 3-point shot, as well as score inside. He’s a low-volume-high-efficiency player – someone that can play alongside stars such as Towns, Russell, and Edwards but still find a way to stand out – impacting winning from a variety of aspects.
Obi Toppin came into the NBA as someone that could act almost as a hub offensively. He had the whole package – shooting, interior scoring, as well as some playmaking ability. This year, however, a lot of that has gone away. McDaniels is averaging four points, two rebounds, and 0.4 assists. His playmaking hasn’t really shined in any stretch of games – and his shooting, to be frank, has not been good.
Toppin’s shooting, currently at 29.3-percent on the year, has actually gotten worse as the year has progressed. In the past 25 games, Toppin is scoring at a clip of 28-percent from three, with 19 of those games without a made 3-pointer.
McDaniels, by contrast, is shooting 37-percent from the 3-point line, albeit his free throw shooting is worse than Toppin’s.
McDaniels also has much, much more room for development offensively, as he is two years younger than Toppin, with a frame that could still improve. He also brings more versatility, finding more minutes per game – although again – take this with a grain of salt as the Knicks are far, far better team than the Timberwolves.
McDaniels splits his time 80-20 at power forward and small forward, whereas Toppin spends 99-percent of his minutes at power forward, according to Basketball Reference.