I think just about everyone knows how good a point-of-attack defender Jaden McDaniels is. The 6-foot-9 forward has a rare blend of quickness and length, which makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing perimeter players. However, what goes underrated with McDaniels' defense is his versatility, especially his rim protection.
His ability to protect the rim gives the Minnesota Timberwolves' defense some needed extra versatility. This, paired with McDaniels' elite on-ball defense, makes him one of the league's best all-around defenders.
McDaniels' rim protection gives the Wolves' defense another key element
McDaniels' physical tools greatly help with his versatility. As noted, his size, speed, and length allow him to disrupt opposing perimeter players. Nevertheless, he's also big enough to protect the rim and guard literally every position.
Beyond this, McDaniels has incredible defensive instincts. Whether it's playing the passing lanes, rotating over as a help-side defender, or contesting shots at the rim, McDaniels covers so much ground as an off-ball defender. For the Wolves, this is a true luxury.
Per Databaller, McDaniels ranks in the 96th percentile for blocks per 100 possessions. Furthermore, according to Basketball Index, McDaniels ranks in the 92nd percentile for rim disruption and the 86th percentile for rim protection. Combine that with his 98th percentile ranking for perimeter isolation defense and the 99th percentile for matchup difficulty, and it's hard to argue that McDaniels isn't one of the league's best defenders bar none.
McDaniels can help solve the non-Rudy Gobert minutes
Rudy Gobert is undoubtedly the Wolves' defensive system, but without McDaniels, I don't think Minnesota would be a top-10 defense. His elite point-of-attack defense helps take the pressure off of Gobert. When Rudy is off the court, the Wolves need McDaniels' rim protection to stay afloat defensively.
I'll admit, the Wolves' defensive rating of 119.2 with McDaniels and without Gobert is far from impressive. Nonetheless, this comes with an important caveat that the majority of these minutes have come without a quality point-of-attack defender. Plus, non-Rudy minutes have long been a struggle for the Wolves' defense.
With Ayo Dosunmu in the mix, though, the Wolves can solve this problem. It's a limited sample size, but the Wolves have a stellar 108.1 DRTG with Ayo and McDaniels when Gobert is on the bench. McDaniels' rim protection is part of the Wolves' solution to the non-Rudy minutes, but so is having a quality perimeter defender in Ayo.
Having McDaniels play an off-ball roamer role more often will also benefit his offensive game -- as it's inherently less taxing than shutting down the league's best perimeter players. Given the strides McDaniels has made offensively, it's intriguing to think about what he could do while exerting less energy on the defensive end of the floor.
In any event, McDaniels' versatility makes him the ultimate weapon for the Timberwolves.