Which players are set to explode for the Timberwolves this year?
Jaden McDaniels
After a season filled with career-highs across the stat sheet and being the sixth most-voted forward in the NBA All-Defense Tea, Timberwolves small forward Jaden McDaniels exhibited a lack of maturity and judgment that proved to be quite a blow to the TImberwolves’ postseason chances. You see, he punched a wall out of frustration in the final regular season game, breaking his hand and leaving him out of the NBA Play-In Tournament and the NBA Playoffs
However, this incident doesn’t define Jaden McDaniels and his future with the Timberwolves. He boasts incredible talent for the game, a consensus top 6 defender for his position who will only get better over time. But if you ask the real NBA basketball fans, players, and coaches who are far more attuned to McDaniels’ play, they will probably rank him at a far higher level.
Veteran forward Paul George, one of the stars of the Los Angeles Clippers, claimed in his podcast that Jaden McDaniels was one of the toughest players he ever had to go against in the NBA. Let’s qualify that with the realization that McDaniels is only 22 years old.
McDaniels has NBA All-Star upside
The ceiling for Jaden McDaniels goes through the roof. Having already been placed as a top defender in the league, the only thing left to do is improve his overall offensive game. If you have been taking notes, that is exactly what he has been doing.
Jumping from nine to twelve points per game on way better efficiency is not something easy to do, especially if all you had to do the season prior was stand in the corner and shoot when the ball reached you. This season, we saw a lot more attacks to the rim, better looks when shooting from the corner, and an improvement in his on-ball handling.
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All of these reasons should be great indicators for this upcoming season. You can expect McDaniels to remain one of the toughest defenders in the league while improving to be a very good offensive player. Opposing teams could be in huge trouble if he reaches that untapped offensive potential and becomes a 15+ points-per-game scorer this season.