Jaden McDaniels has been a crucial part of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ success over the past several seasons. He has long been one of the league’s most impactful on-ball stoppers. However, this past season was a career year for McDaniels offensively. On a recent episode of the Numbers on the Board podcast, NBA analyst Darrick Miller predicted that McDaniels’ offensive growth will continue this upcoming season.
“Based on the season that we just saw from Jaden McDaniels, I think that we should expect another jump from him offensively, Miller said. I thought he did a really good job showing some aggression, putting the ball on the floor.”
At 24 (25 before the season starts), McDaniels making another jump offensively is certainly reasonable. McDaniels averaged a career high 12.2 points this past season, which includes 13.8 points per game post All-Star break and 14.7 points in the playoffs. As Miller notes, McDaniels showed a ton in terms of his on-ball creation and aggression.
Miller's co-host Kenny Beecham also noted that Mike Conley getting older could open up more opportunities for McDaniels and others as on-ball creators. Given these factors, Miller's prediction of an offensive jump for McDaniels could be in the cards.
An offensive jump from McDaniels would change the Wolves' outlook
Undoubtedly, McDaniels' improving offensively would change the Wolves' championship outlook. Over the past few seasons, the Wolves haven't had a clear-cut third option as McDaniels and Naz Reid have rotated between third option production. If McDaniels develops further on offense, he would be the Wolves' clear third option, which would increase the team's overall stability.
To Miller's original point about McDaniels' aggression, he shot a career high 282 total shots at the rim while shooting an impressive 68.4 percent on these shots. Additionally, 30.4 percent of McDaniels' points were unassisted, which was also a career high. This indicates that McDaniels' growth could continue, and he has another level to reach.
Jaden McDaniels 30 points on 13/22 pic.twitter.com/qcXMQeDewN
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) April 26, 2025
In the playoffs, McDaniels shot 38.2 percent from beyond the arc. If he can shoot close to this average, McDaniels, who is a career 34.8 percent shooter, would become a more well-rounded scorer. Paired with his improved shot creation abilities, McDaniels can make a sizable scoring leap.
McDaniels also showed massive strides as a decision maker, which has been a weakness throughout his career. This improvement as a decision maker, paired with McDaniels' growth as a scorer and age, could set him up for an offensive leap as he enters his true prime. If McDaniels' offensive production is above (or around) his playoff level, the Wolves would certainly achieve their goal of winning the title.
McDaniels' improvement could come in the form of a noticeable statistical leap, or it could be more subtle growth as a decision maker and shot creator. Ultimately, Wolves fans should be highly optimistic about the upcoming season, and McDaniels is a key reason for this optimism.