After the addition of LaMelo Ball, paired with the departures of Naz Reid and Julius Randle, many fans (including myself) assumed that Jaden McDaniels would slide up to the power forward position. However, that assumption changed in a major way earlier this week.
During an interview with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, Chris Finch said, “In my mind’s eye, I don’t see that as a starting lineup with him (McDaniels) there (at the power forward).” Later, in an interview with Dan Barreiro of KFAN, Tim Connelly said they have some internal power forward options they are confident in that might be "left-fieldish" to some.
These two comments indicate that McDaniels will remain as a small forward and a jumbo-sized point-of-attack defender. Regardless, it is not an easy call. Is it best to keep McDaniels in a role he's known to excel in while banking on someone else to guard opposing power forwards? Or is it best to bank on the 185-pound forward to guard more physical forwards and utilize his abilities as an off-ball roamer?
Yes, McDaniels is a tried-and-true elite perimeter defender, but can the likes of Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Josh Green guard forwards? Conversely, it's worth wondering if there would be growing pains with McDaniels guarding forwards (he's 185 pounds, and it's a new role for him) and if the duo of Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu can hold up against high-end guards.
The point is that he's their best option to defend forwards and guards (even if he's never been tasked with guarding forwards), yet both options are risky. Barring any sizable roster changes, the debate over where to play McDaniels will loom over the Wolves throughout the offseason, even if Minnesota's stance is starting to become clear.
Where to deploy Jaden McDaniels defensively is a tough call
As noted, I had long penciled McDaniels in as the starting power forward before the comments from Finch and Connelly. Despite his slim frame and POA excellence, I was never overly concerned with him guarding up.
McDaniels is one of the very best defenders in the league with impressive versatility. Likewise, he is a fantastic secondary rim protector who ranked in the 95th percentile for blocks per 100 possessions according to Databallr.
Banking on Dosunmu or Edwards to transform into a legitimate on-ball stopper seemed like a reasonable proposition to me. However, it's fair to have concerns about the drop-off between them and McDaniels. And why mess with success? McDaniels is arguably the best point-of-attack stopper in the league.
Can McDaniels guard up despite his slim frame? I think so, but we know he is a world-class perimeter defender, and there's a chance this adjustment would have some hiccups along the way.
Out of necessity, I think we'll see McDaniels guard opposing forwards more often, but it sounds like he'll mainly stick to defending opposing guards.
The Timberwolves will make at least one more roster addition. Nevertheless, unless they surprisingly sign LeBron James or pull off a late offseason trade, it's unlikely that they'll have someone you can truly trust to defend starting fours, with McDaniels primed to stick to defending opposing guards.
Georges Niang, for instance, is a realistic free agent target. He's a solid defender, but not someone you'd be over the moon about throwing on high-end opposing forwards.
Given Connelly's comments about internal options that are left-fieldish, it sounds like Shannon, Clark, or Green will get a chance to play a different role, perhaps even in the starting lineup. This could remain true if they sign someone like Niang, who will play roughly 20 minutes per game. Playing one of these players in a different position is an intriguing yet somewhat dangerous option.
If the Wolves are committed to keeping McDaniels as a perimeter stopper, a position shift elsewhere is needed.
While the Wolves currently seem committed to this approach, it's possible that Minnesota's defense against forwards is a big enough issue that McDaniels eventually assumes this role early in the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google