Much has been made about how LaMelo Ball gives Anthony Edwards an established second option. However, Jaden McDaniels' continued offensive growth makes him an elite third option, which gives the Minnesota Timberwolves another clear advantage.
Those who watched the Wolves closely always knew that McDaniels had this level to reach. Last year, McDaniels moved into this high-end third option tier, averaging 14.8 points, and leveled up in the playoffs by averaging 16.3 points. I'd argue that this firmly put McDaniels in the top five for best third options in the league, but still it was clear that this wasn't his ceiling.
And if the preseason is any indication, McDaniels is about to make another leap. Through three games, McDaniels is averaging 15.7 points on 66.7/75/100 shooting splits, while mainly just playing in the first half—in the past two games, he has averaged 22 points.
Having a highly efficient tertiary creator with elite positional size is an under-the-radar reason to expect that the Wolves' offense will be awesome.
The Timberwolves' Jaden McDaniels advantage is about to grow
Last season, we saw McDaniels level up while still not being involved enough in the offense. There were far too many times when he was relegated to the corner, and it was a rare occasion that McDaniels had plays drawn up for him.
While McDaniels was clearly one of the Wolves' three most talented creators, he ranked fourth in field goal attempts and sixth in usage rate. Even in this role, he gave the Timberwolves a clear advantage.
Ball's superb playmaking can ensure that McDaniels is fed easy shots and has a more consistent role in the offense.
In fact, according to Jon Krawczynski, unlocking McDaniels was a crucial motivation behind the Ball trade. Finch has started to draw up plays for McDaniels in the preseason, which further bodes well for his outlook.
In addition to the impressive preseason counting stats, McDaniels is second on the team in field goal attempts and has a 23.7 usage rate. All signs point to him being fully unleashed.
The big picture is that title teams can't just rely on two creators, and McDaniels' growth into a consistent third option who is a featured part of the offense gives Minnesota this element.
Look at the New York Knicks: yes, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were great, but OG Anunoby's offensive game was a huge part of their success. The 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder had Chet Holmgren. Between Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics had two high-end tertiary creators. My point is that a third option is a vital element of championship teams.
For as much scoring as Ball and Edwards offer, they can't be the Wolves' entire offense. They need someone else who can create for himself, and McDaniels has proven he can do exactly that.
Given how well McDaniels can score at all three levels and his elite size, he is a true matchup nightmare.
With Edwards and Ball drawing a ton of attention, McDaniels can take advantage of these open shots and punish mismatches when creating for himself. Time and again, McDaniels has shown that he can be hyper-efficient when he scales up. In 16 of 20 games where McDaniels scored 20-plus points last season, he shot 50 percent or higher from the field. Playing alongside an elite playmaker and being prioritized more as a focal point in the offense should ensure this trend continues.
Ultimately, amid all of the excitement about the Timberwolves' new-look offense, McDaniels leveling up again can't be overlooked, and he could be a key reason why their offense is a true juggernaut.
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