There has always been an immense amount of intrigue surrounding Jaden McDaniels' game. Minnesota Timberwolves fans have had high hopes for him ever since he was drafted alongside Anthony Edwards in 2020, and the hope has always been that he would blossom into just the kind of superstar that would serve to perfectly complement Edwards' game. Essentially, fans wanted him to become the Scottie Pippen to Ant's Michael Jordan.
A few seasons ago, it was looking like he was getting closer to being on that path. But his progression was not perfectly linear, and a bit of a plateau in his performance led many to question what his final form would really look like. Plenty were ready to call him a finished product over multiple points in the last couple years, but McDaniels is showing us that he still has more growing to do, and that growth is happening right in front of our eyes.
Over the course of the second half of the current season, McDaniels has been able to reach a new level when it comes to his offensive repertoire. We have seen him expand his bag in the past, but he is now reaching a higher level than he has ever climbed to in the past. Monday night's win over the Thunder was the latest evidence of this, as Jaden put up 27 points on 56% efficiency, along with 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
It’s legitimately wild that the guy who wasn’t scoring 10 points a game earlier in the year is *the* one on the team with “spots” on the floor (outside of the top of the arc 3) that he can repeatedly get to and score from
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) February 25, 2025
Jaden McDaniels' offense is finally coming consistently
To put it simply, McDaniels has been an absolute game-changer on the offensive end for Minnesota. Consistency has plagued him in the past, but we are now seeing him habitually get to his spots and score night in and night out. As Jace Frederick points out, this is of particular note given the slump Jaden was in to begin the season. After averaging 9.3 points from October through December, McDaniels has been putting up literally twice that number in February, with an 18.6 scoring average.
This is the level Wolves fans have always envisioned him reaching from an offensive standpoint, and some had certainly given up hope on him ever achieving this kind of consistency. But now, McDaniels is showing us that his play is far from just a stretch of hot shooting or something of the like.
Gone are the days of McDaniels just sitting in the corner and waiting to be found for a wide open three-point attempt. He has built himself into a legitimate secondary offensive option, largely as a result of the team needing him to step up with others injured. The result of him growing in this way will likely be the Timberwolves' offensive approach becoming that much more complete once Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle are back.