For years, Jaden McDaniels has shown flashes of being a true two-way star. This season, McDaniels reached another level, averaging 14.8 points in the regular season and 16.3 points in the playoffs. Still, it feels like he hasn't been involved enough in the Minnesota Timberwolves' offense. Throughout the season, fans became frustrated with how much Julius Randle was empowered, while McDaniels' skill set wasn't fully utilized.
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Timberwolves president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly discussed McDaniels taking another step and earning a bigger role in the offense next year.
“I think without question it’s discussions we’ve had over the last several years. Jaden has a whole ‘nother gear to reach. In a closeout game, to have 32 and 10 against a really, really good team. We want to keep raising the bar. As good as he is, we know his best basketball is in front of him. I think there’s a lot more he can unlock as a playmaker too. We have to ensure that he’s in a position to do those things. He’s a guy that, offensively, has a whole ‘nother place he can get to and we’re confident he can get there," Connelly said.
Connelly's confidence in McDaniels has never wavered. He famously held him out of trade talks for Rudy Gobert. McDaniels has been labeled as virtually untouchable over the past few years. Unless the Wolves pull off a blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, McDaniels is primed to be a vital part of Minnesota's core.Â
With McDaniels entering his true prime at 26 next season, and the Wolves likely shaking up their roster, it's fair to expect him to take another leap, and Connelly's praise only adds to this possibility.Â
Involving Jaden McDaniels more in the offense can help him reach yet another level
During Tuesday's press conference, Connelly also mentioned his optimism about the Wolves' sub-26 core, which includes McDaniels. And since the Wolves view McDaniels as a clear long-term piece alongside Anthony Edwards, he should be further prioritized in the offense.Â
Despite showing immense growth as a self-creator, McDaniels was far too often relegated to the corner. He played this role well, netting a career-best 41.2 percent of his 3s in the regular season. Regardless, McDaniels is one of the league's best finishers, converting on 71.5 percent of his rim attempts, and he improved as a playmaker, averaging a career-high 2.7 assists this season.
As Connelly noted, McDaniels' on-ball abilities need to be leaned on more. Despite his offensive growth, McDaniels only averaged .9 more field goal attempts, and his usage rate only increased by 2.2 percent. The first-round series against the Denver Nuggets (especially his 32-point performance in Game 6) showed that McDaniels can scale up when given more responsibilities.Â
Of course, all of this should be paired with McDaniels continuing work on his game and leveling up even further.
Connelly and the Wolves will likely chase stars on the trade market. And given the team's need for dependable secondary creation next to Ant, this makes sense. However, it's possible that Randle and/or Gobert don't land them that high-level second option. If this happens, the Wolves have to make it up in the aggregate. That would surely result in McDaniels playing a featured role in the offense.
Even if they trade for a star-level player and keep McDaniels, Chris Finch can't make the same mistake he has in the past, and he must empower McDaniels as a play initiator.
Luckily, Connelly's comments suggest that next season could be the year Wolves fans get to see the actualized version of Jaden McDaniels.
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