Jaden McDaniels boosted his public perception massively in the playoffs, and he showed that his offensive game is underrated. As a reminder, he averaged 17.8 points in the first-round against the Denver Nuggets, including a 32-point outburst in a closeout Game 6.
Minnesota Timberwolves fans already knew how valuable McDaniels is on both ends of the floor, particularly after he enjoyed a career-best regular season. Still, it's been nice to see McDaniels getting more mainstream recognition after a stellar playoff run. Something that highlights McDaniels' improved public perception is that he now ranks 56th on ESPN's top 100 list.
This notably puts him above recent All-Stars, including Brandon Ingram, Tyler Herro, Darius Garland, and Domantas Sabonis. That's high praise, but it's well-deserved. Interestingly, though, McDaniels was two spots lower than his former teammate Julius Randle and one spot behind Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Last year, he ranked just 75th on this list (which was far too low even if he only averaged 12.2 points the season prior). As the CEO of the McDaniels fan club (trademark pending), I'd even have him ranked higher than 56. Regardless, it's nice to see that McDaniels is finally getting his flowers, especially considering some of the big names he's above.
Jaden McDaniels impacts winning at an elite level
What these lists should largely come down to is influence on winning. Thankfully, ESPN shows it understands this by ranking him above players like Ingram, Herro, Garland, and Sabonis. All four of those players are more accomplished than McDaniels, and from a counting-stats standpoint, they appear to be much better.
But they all have glaring flaws. For Herro, Garland, and Sabonis, it's their awful defense. Ingram has routinely underperformed in the playoffs, including this season, where he averaged 12 points on 32.8 percent shooting from the field. His style of play and shot diet make him struggle in a complementary role. Yet he's not good enough to be a No. 1 option. Likewise, Sabonis forces a team to run everything through him, but he's not effective enough to be an offensive hub, and his poor shooting is problematic.
So while these players might put up big numbers and earn All-Star selections, it's hard to see how they fit on title teams. If given the opportunity, I believe McDaniels could scale up to be a 20 PPG scorer. And it's clear that he impacts winning basketball.
McDaniels is one of the defenders who can truly take opposing stars out of games or even playoff series. Just look at what he did to Jamal Murray. He also offers a ton of defensive versatility with the ability to wreak havoc as a defensive playmaker off the ball.
Simply put, he is one of the league's most impactful defenders. Which, paired with his secondary creation, makes him a highly valuable complementary option. And I'll take that over someone who I can't see fitting in cleanly on a title team.
OG Anunoby is the perfect example of why players like McDaniels are valuable to title teams.
Even before his offensive leap, Timberwolves fans understood McDaniels' immense value, and most would have ranked him much higher than 75. Thankfully, the NBA world is starting to understand his value, and next year I predict McDaniels will make another jump up this list.
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