One of the best aspects of the Minnesota Timberwolves' season has been Jaden McDaniels' offensive growth. The 25-year-old forward is averaging a career-best 15.2 points, which is a notable jump from his previous career-high of 12. Even still, I'd like to see McDaniels be more of a focal point in the Wolves' offense.
Despite his scoring jump, McDaniels is averaging just 1.4 more field goals and is actually shooting slightly fewer 3-pointers. While McDaniels' 3-point volume is slightly down, he has increased his efficiency by 6.8 percent.
When McDaniels scores, it's nearly always within the flow of the offense or transition, and that's fine. However, I'd like to see a few more set plays for him, given his evolution as a creator and shooter. I get that it's hard to give everyone on the court a significant role in the offense, but McDaniels is too good not to be a priority for the Wolves.
The Timberwolves should give McDaniels an even bigger role
Christmas Night was an underrated McDaniels game; he poured in 21 points, including 12 points in the fourth quarter, to help force overtime. Everyone will (rightfully) remember Anthony Edwards' 3-pointer to force overtime, but McDaniels' transition dunk with five seconds shouldn't be forgotten about.
Donte DiVincenzo clutch steal, created by the Anthony Edwards + Jaden McDaniels defense on Jamal Murray + Nikola Jokic pic.twitter.com/GuWvP0R6Fc
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 26, 2025
McDaniels was remarkably efficient (9-for-12 from the field) in the loss to the Denver Nuggets. It's not a coincidence that McDaniels being involved more down the stretch helped Minnesota mount a comeback. This season, McDaniels has been one of the league's more efficient scorers. With 50.4/39.8/87.1 splits, he is flirting with the 50/40/90 club.
His versatility as a scorer is what's impressed me the most. Those who paid close attention to the Timberwolves knew that McDaniels has long been the team's most efficient finisher. However, he has reached another level this season, averaging 72.6 percent at the rim with a career-high 3.3 rim attempts. McDaniels' ability to attack closeouts and tighter handle has been key areas of growth.
In terms of self-creation, McDaniels impressively ranks in the 76th percentile for isolation scoring. This number is higher than both Edwards and Julius Randle. However, McDaniels' isolation frequency is at just 2.9 percent. Now, perhaps his efficiency would decline with more volume, but he has shown the Wolves enough to get more on-ball responsibilities.
Likewise, McDaniels ranks in the 95th percentile for points per pick-and-roll possession. Allowing McDaniels to run more pick-and-rolls could unlock another element of the Wolves' offense. Outside of involving him more on the ball, given McDaniels' leap as a 3-point shooter, they could also run more off-ball sets for him to get open looks from beyond the arc.
The Timberwolves reportedly view McDaniels as untouchable, and they should treat him as such by giving him an even bigger offensive role. Ultimately, there are a variety of ways that the Wolves could look to better utilize McDaniels' offensive skill set, and it could help the team reach another level.