Amid the Minnesota Timberwolves' hot 3-0 start and their offseason additions of LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga fitting in seamlessly, Jaden McDaniels has flown under the radar a bit. However, this shouldn't be the case because he's been awesome on both sides of the ball.
So far, McDaniels is averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.7 stocks, with 57.1/36.4/100 shooting splits.
McDaniels hasn't taken the massive scoring leap that I and many others anticipated this season. Nevertheless, his points and shot attempts are slightly up. Furthermore, McDaniels has been scoring in multiple ways, and that scoring leap could be on the way soon.
Jaden McDaniels is making a strong two-way impact
McDaniels has punished mismatches and provided some tertiary creation when needed. Whether it's shooting over smaller players in the mid-range or attacking the rim, McDaniels is a fantastic complementary creator.
This skill set particularly benefited the Timberwolves during last Friday's game against the Orlando Magic. Ball and Anthony Edwards struggled, shooting just 5-for-36 from the field. Thankfully, McDaniels (and others) helped pick up the slack, scoring 15 points. He and Ayo Dosunmu were the Wolves' most dependable sources of offense on Friday.
All the same, McDaniels has done a great job playing off the Wolves' stars. He's shooting 42.9 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and has done a great job of moving without the ball. McDaniels is the Timberwolves' third option, and he's perfect in this role because he can thrive both on and off the ball.
Of course, McDaniels' bread and butter is his elite defense. Unsurprisingly, this trend has continued throughout the season. In fairness, the Timberwolves haven't played any team with a true perimeter star. Regardless, McDaniels' on-ball defense has been stellar as always. Thus far, he has held opposing players to 36.6 percent shooting from the field. Yes, it's a small sample size, but wow, that's an impressive number.
While he hasn't played against the top-tier stars, we know he can limit them. And it's not like the Wolves' early matchups have been a walk in the park for McDaniels. He guarded Andrew Wiggins, Franz Wagner, and RJ Barrett. Wiggins and Wagner highlight his ability to guard small forwards if needed, while Barrett is more of a traditional matchup for McDaniels. He played especially well against RJ, holding him to 2-for-7 shooting.
We are also seeing more of McDaniels' secondary rim protection and defensive playmaking abilities, as evidenced by his 1.7 blocks per game. With Kuminga playing stout defense, McDaniels has had slightly more off-ball defense opportunities, and this trend could continue when the Wolves play more perimeter-centric teams.
McDaniels is the ultimate defensive chess piece, and this could very well be his most impactful all-around defensive season yet. Simply put, he's a fantastic complementary wing, and his value is shining early in this season.
Ultimately, McDaniels' two-way versatility is uplifting the Timberwolves, and he shouldn't be overlooked when discussing their strong start.
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