Heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, Jaden McDaniels is easily one of the Minnesota Timberwolves' most intriguing players. The 6-foot-9 forward has long been one of the league's most impactful defenders both on and off the ball. However, McDaniels is coming off a career year on the offensive end, averaging 12.2 points and 2 assists. He also upped his scoring average to 14.7 in the playoffs.
Entering his age-25 season, there's reason to believe McDaniels will continue to improve. With the loss of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Wolves will be looking for some more wing scoring. While most of the conversation has been around young players stepping up, McDaniels will be counted on as well. Luckily, McDaniels showed that he is capable of providing high-level offensive production.
Jaden McDaniels feels primed to reach another level on offense
As mentioned earlier, McDaniels had a stellar playoffs. However, this offensive leap can also be seen in how he finished last season. Notably, McDaniels averaged 14.1 points from February 1st to the end of last season. It's not a coincidence that a more assertive McDaniels led to the Wolves closing out the season with a 17-4 record and two dominant playoff series wins.
McDaniels took on more responsibilities as a shot creator during the second half of the season and playoffs. He paired this with more aggression when attacking the rim. Notably, 30.4 percent of McDaniels' made baskets were unassisted, and he posted a total of 282 shots at the rim, both numbers were career highs.
Jaden McDaniels ‘24-‘25 dunk reel pic.twitter.com/johzxHV1dL
— dbeezy (@dl0burna) August 5, 2025
McDaniels also shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs. Shooting will certainly be a swing skill for McDaniels. However, he showed enough flashes as a creator that he could still make a leap without adding a consistent jumper.
25 is the age at which we see most players enter their true prime. This, paired with the improvements McDaniels has already shown as a scorer, makes another scoring jump for the Washington product likely. Averaging around 15 ppg doesn't feel far-fetched. Furthermore, McDaniels flashed strides as a playmaker last season, averaging a career 2 assists with a career low 9.6 turnover rate. With Alexander-Walker leaving and the Wolves' shaky point guard depth, McDaniels could be empowered more as a playmaker.
Undoubtedly, McDaniels providing the Wolves with consistent third-level scoring production and further improving as a playmaker would change the team's outlook. For the Wolves to reach their title hopes, it will likely be paired with McDaniels taking another leap on offense. The good news is that the writing is on the wall for McDaniels to do just that.