Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 things we learned on media day

Minnesota Timberwolves Media Day Takeaway No. 3: Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards are literally growing

The growth of young players is clearly a major part of any team’s plan to pile up wins and claw their way out of last place.

When it comes to the 2021-22 Timberwolves, however, we may be able to point at the literal growth of two of their youngest players.

Two of the Wolves’ three 2020 first-round draft picks have reportedly grown this offseason. The Edwards news was reported a few weeks ago, but everyone learned together on Monday that McDaniels has grown as well.

Don’t believe it? Check out this video put out by the Timberwolves Twitter account, and note McDaniels and Towns’ comparative height.

Couple that with the report that McDaniels was working with the wings/guards group at the first training camp practice on Tuesday, and all of a sudden the Brandon Ingram/Kevin Durant comparisons are back in play…

Okay, so that’s an obvious exaggeration, but Ingram was one of the players McDaniels mentioned on Monday’s media day as someone who he watched a lot of film on this offseason and is working to emulate.

McDaniels will still have a distinctly low-usage role with the Wolves at the start of the season. Remember, the Wolves have Towns, Edwards, Beasley, and Russell who all need their shots.

It’s one of the reasons why Jarred Vanderbilt could very well end up as the starting 4 with McDaniels coming off the bench. Such a division of minutes could allow McDaniels to spend more time with the ball in his hands, both as a scorer and a creator, with some of the lower-usage bench players and shooters like Patrick Beverley, Jaylen Nowell, and Naz Reid spotted up around him.

At any rate, it will be fascinating to see what the total impact of the growth of Edwards and McDaniels will be on the Wolves this season — in more ways than one.