It's become clear in recent years that Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has another level to reach. This is true even though McDaniels averaged a career-best 14.8 points per game on stellar 51.5/41.2/83.5 shooting splits last season. He's proven to be a hyper-efficient three-level scorer with impressive creation chops for his size.
Another thing that's clear: Anthony Edwards is a staunch supporter of McDaniels. Edwards has frequently noted that McDaniels is his favorite player in the league. Ant has also mentioned that McDaniels deserves a bigger role.
Well, luckily for Edwards (and everyone connected to the Timberwolves), McDaniels could be fully unleashed this season.
Anthony Edwards would love seeing Jaden McDaniels reach another level
LaMelo Ball's elite playmaking could help McDaniels level up. No longer playing alongside the isolation-centric and non-floor-spacing Julius Randle should also help. And McDaniels is entering his age-26 season, meaning that growth is possible from a pure age perspective.
LaMelo's arrival should help Edwards (and the whole team) immensely, and the possibility of a McDaniels leap is yet another clear benefit. Regarding Edwards specifically, he and McDaniels entered the league together in 2020. They've grown up together; Edwards is already proud of the player McDaniels has become.
McDaniels has transformed from a defensive specialist to an impactful two-way player. As noted, though, McDaniels can clearly still level up, and Edwards has been eagerly awaiting his partner in crime getting a bigger role.
McDaniels reaching another level would make just about everyone happy. Regardless, it's hard to find a teammate this would delight more than Edwards, who, as we established, has long been in McDaniels' corner.
Why McDaniels should level up this upcoming season
At the surface level, adding another high-usage player could make the possibility of a McDaniels leap more challenging. And maybe this proves to be true. However, LaMelo will primarily be used as a facilitator.
Last season with the Hornets, Ball showed he can thrive with scaled-down scoring responsibilities. Notably, he averaged 17.3 field goal attempts (a decrease from 21.3 the year before) and 20.1 points (a decrease from 25.2 the year before). This helped open up opportunities for Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
Ball will now be playing alongside a true superstar in Ant, so this trend will have to continue. Furthermore, the Wolves need to empower other creators, McDaniels in particular. LaMelo can create open shots for McDaniels beyond the arc, in transition, and simply due to his gravity as a shooter. Without a doubt, McDaniels will benefit from playing next to an elite playmaker and spacer.
There's plenty of evidence that McDaniels can scale up. Most relevantly, he averaged 16.3 points in last year's playoffs. McDaniels' efficiency can't be ignored when discussing his ability to make another jump. In 16 of his 17 games scoring 20-plus points this past season, he made at least 50 percent of his shot attempts, including nine games where he made at least 70 percent of his shot attempts.
All that McDaniels needs to fully establish himself as an elite third option is more opportunities. He ranked fourth on the team in shot attempts last season and posted an 18.2 usage rate (which was just above Terrence Shannon Jr. and was lower than Ayo Dosunmu). Having a true point guard should unlock more of McDaniels.
I'd estimate that McDaniels will average somewhere between 17 and 18 points per game, and wouldn't rule out him averaging within the 20 ppg range. And if McDaniels reaches this level, best believe that Edwards will be grinning from ear to ear.
Edwards has a lot of things to be excited about this year, and his best friend possibly reaching another level is certainly one of them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google