The secret is out about Minnesota Timberwolves Jaden McDaniels

The Minnesota Timberwolves believe that young small forward Jaden McDaniels has the potential to be something very special in the NBA. So much so that the team opted to send the Utah Jazz an additional first-round draft for center Rudy Gobert rather than part ways with such a promising future star.

But the interest of the Utah Jazz in adding Jaden McDaniels was no random coincidence. You see, the word is out over the upside of Jaden McDaniels throughout NBA circles. Now, the Timberwolves’ small forward simply has to deliver.

That may not be as difficult as you think.

We know that the Timberwolves were hard-pressed to get bigger in their rotations in the 2021-22 season. That meant that power forwards would move up to center, forcing Jaden McDaniels to the power forward spot. McDaniels, at 6-foot-9 and 185-pounds, is a bit of a stretch at the power forward position.

But that won’t be an issue for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022-23 season. With the team re-signing Taurean Prince, signing veteran Kyle Anderson, and moving veteran Karl-Anthony Towns from the center to power forward role, the team has plenty of options to staff the 4 this year.

That will bode well for McDaniels, who will be starting on what is arguable the best starting lineup of All-Time for the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise. He and shooting guard Anthony Edwards are two projected starters who are still relatively inexperienced as compared to their starting teammates.

While he will be playing his natural small forward position almost exclusively this year, he has already been called out by head coach Chris Finch as a player who needs to take a huge step forward this year. The Timberwolves believe he is capable of doing so, as he is slotted in as the team’s projected starting small forward.

And now, it seems, other NBA teams and NBA analysts believe that he is ready for a larger role as well.