The Minnesota Timberwolves overhauled their roster this offseason by bringing in LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga while getting rid of Julius Randle and Naz Reid. While these changes are thrilling and expectations are high for the Wolves, they can't forget about Jaden McDaniels.
Despite McDaniels coming off a career season averaging 14.8 points per game last year, it's clear that he has another level to reach and that he could earn a bigger role in the Wolves' offense. McDaniels showed this by averaging 16.3 points per game in the playoffs. In the regular season, his 18.2 usage rate ranked sixth among rotation players on the team. I firmly believe that if they empowered him more on the ball, his numbers would've been even better.
All offseason-long members of the Wolves organization have sung McDaniels' praises. Tim Connelly has discussed on numerous occasions that McDaniels has another level to reach. Most recently, during an interview with Dane Moore, head coach Chris Finch said: "We need yet another step forward from Jaden."
Earlier this month, Finch also discussed empowering Jaden and Anthony Edwards as leaders. On top of this, the Wolves refused to trade McDaniels for Giannis Antetokounmpo. As such, it's clear the organization believes in McDaniels; there is a lot of buzz about him getting more offensive responsibilities.
Still, the Wolves have long discussed empowering McDaniels, but they haven't backed this up in practice (outside of last year, somewhat).
Jaden McDaniels should earn a bigger role, but that's not a certainty
Despite the optimism around McDaniels, the Wolves' offseason changes clearly add an extra layer of complexity.
On the one hand, Ball's dynamic playmaking should give McDaniels extra opportunities. He should give McDaniels open 3-pointers and create advantages for him to attack. Given that McDaniels has never played with a playmaker like Ball, and the flashes of brilliance he's shown, it's easy to buy into him having a career season.
Conversely, the addition of Kuminga could make things tricky for McDaniels. Ideally, Kuminga buys into a play-finishing role, which, in turn, would allow McDaniels to earn more creation reps. Regardless, it's unclear if this is how he'll be used. If Kuminga reverts to his poor shot selection and ball-stopping habits, then McDaniels' role could once again be reduced.
Plus, with all the excitement about Ball and Kuminga, it's possible that McDaniels finds himself playing off the ball a ton. Ensuring that these players quickly integrate into the team could, unfortunately, take away from McDaniels. The Timberwolves can't afford for this to happen, though.
Frankly, McDaniels is one of the league's best third options. He is a gifted creator with elite positional size. McDaniels excels at punishing mismatches both around the rim and in the mid-range. On top of everything else, McDaniels shot over 40 percent from the 3-point range last season.
In my eyes, McDaniels could average around 20 points, even with all of the Wolves' talent. But for McDaniels to make this leap, it will come down to empowering him on the ball. Overall, McDaniels is a hyper-efficient three-level scorer with elite size. Guys like that are a luxury, and the Timberwolves need to give him more on-ball reps as a result.
All things considered, it would be a disservice if the Timberwolves didn't take full advantage of McDaniels' skill set. They must empower him on the ball as one of the team's primary shot creators and ensure he gets more touches than last season.
LaMelo can help with this, and the Wolves are saying all the right things about empowering him. The proof will be in the pudding, though, and the Timberwolves' roster gives them a lot to balance.
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