Despite their extraordinary efforts to keep the band together, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost an invaluable player during the 2025 offseason. Nickeil Alexander-Walker departed to sign with the Atlanta Hawks, thus depriving Minnesota of 25.3 high-level two-way minutes per game.
Several players will be tasked with stepping up to fill the void Alexander-Walker has left behind, but it's Jaden McDaniels who will need to take the most significant step forward.
McDaniels has spent the past five seasons solidifying his status as one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He earned All-Defensive Second Team recognition in 2023-24 and was an arguable snub in 2024-25 after turning in a career year in several facets of the game.
As the Timberwolves prepare to make a run at an elusive championship, however, it's McDaniels' offense that's become a talking point.
McDaniels is no slouch on offense. In 2024-25, he averaged a career-best 12.2 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and an 81.3 percent mark at the charity stripe. Unfortunately, he's now shot 33.7 percent or worse from beyond the arc in consecutive seasons—and the time for patience is running out.
With Alexander-Walker out of the equation and uncertainty surrounding what Terrence Shannon Jr. can realistically provide in his second season, McDaniels needs to step up on offense.
Timberwolves need Jaden McDaniels to improve offensively
McDaniels has looked like a reliable shooter in the past, which makes his recent woes rather confusing. He shot 36.4 percent on 3.1 three-point field goal attempts per game as a rookie and buried 39.8 percent of his 3.4 attempts per contest in 2022-23.
Unfortunately, he shot just 31.7 percent in 2021-22, 33.7 percent in 2023-24, and 33.0 percent in 2024-25—thus creating inevitable confusion over what a fair expectation truly is.
There is reason for optimism in regard to McDaniels' ability to right the ship and become a more complete offensive player. He set new career-best marks in points, rebounds, offensive boards, assists, blocks, and steals per game in 2024-25, thus showing a clear determination to improve.
McDaniels also shot a career-best 81.3 percent from the free-throw line in 2024-25 after making just 72.2 percent of his attempts in 2023-24.
For as intriguing as McDaniels' other areas of growth may be, Alexander-Walker simply won't be the type of player Minnesota can lose and patiently wait to replace. He averaged 12.9 points and 2.6 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes over the past two seasons, shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc along the way.
If McDaniels can return to the level he displayed as a shooter in 2022-23, then the Timberwolves may be able to offset at least one element of what Alexander-Walker brought to the table.
The Timberwolves' runs to the 2024 and 2025 Western Conference Finals epitomize how significant an impact an efficient McDaniels can have on winning. He shot 40.0 percent on catch-and-shoot threes during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and 43.4 percent in 2024—compared to 33.2 and 34.8 percent during the respective regular seasons.
If McDaniels can discover the level of consistency that Minnesota needs from him, it's fair to believe the Timberwolves can avoid the early-season woes that plagued them in 2024-25.
Moreover, they may be able to mitigate the loss of Alexander-Walker.