In the past two seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves have seen two former players, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Karl-Anthony Towns, reach new heights after leaving Minnesota. NAW blossomed into a 20-point-per-game scorer and Most Improved Player, while KAT has worked on his weaknesses to be a central part of the New York Knicks' title run.
Both trading Towns and letting Alexander-Walker leave in free agency were done for financial reasons. Even still, it stings seeing these players blossom with new teams as the Wolves sorely miss their skill sets. Given the success they've had with their new teams and that the Wolves never utilized parts of their games, it's fair to label these past decisions as mistakes.
Recent reporting from The Athletic confirms that the Wolves view Jaden McDaniels as "off limits," including in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This isn't exactly a shocker, as variations of this stance have been reported for the past year. There are plenty of ways to view this bold belief in McDaniels. For me, though, it shows that the Wolves know McDaniels has another level to reach on offense and they aren't risking the possibility that he levels up with a new team.
In my book, this is absolutely the right call.
Jaden McDaniels is poised to level up in Minnesota, not elsewhere
Players like Jaden McDaniels don't grow on trees. He's listed at 6-foot-9 but is closer to 6-foot-10 according to his teammates. All the same, he is one of the very best point-of-attack defenders in the entire league. McDaniels limiting Jamal Murray in Minnesota's first-round series against the Denver Nuggets this year should be etched into everyone's mind.
What's more is that the 25-year-old is coming off a career-best season where he averaged 14.8 points on 51.5/41.2/83.5 shooting splits. The playoffs showed McDaniels can scale up as he averaged 16.3 points, including an iconic 32-point game to close out the Nuggets.
McDaniels did most of his damage (particularly in the regular season) playing within the flow of the offense. It was rare that Chris Finch would design plays for him and he simply wasn't a focal point of the offense.
During his end-of-season press conference, president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, mentioned that he believes McDaniels has another level to reach on offense. Fans should get to see this growth next year.Â
With a Julius Randle trade feeling inevitable, this could directly help McDaniels earn a bigger role in the offense. Despite the growth McDaniels showed as a creator, he ranked 230th in usage rate across the NBA.
Based on what we saw from McDaniels as a creator this past season, while not having a significant role in the offense, it's hard to argue against the idea that he can level up. I think an All-Star leap is very much on the table.
Assuming the Wolves trade for a star with off-ball capabilities, McDaniels reaching this level is highly possible.
McDaniels is already an immensely valuable championship piece given his two-way value and he will soon show the world just how valuable he is.
The last thing the Wolves need is for a third player to reach another level on a new team. Given what we've seen from Alexander-Walker in Atlanta, it's clear that he was underutilized (to some extent in Minnesota). Likewise, the Wolves never discovered what Towns is capable of as a passer.
The Wolves are realizing that they haven't taken advantage of McDaniels' full offensive repertoire, and they're primed to change that next season.
Instead of seeing another former player thrive with a new team, by keeping McDaniels, the Wolves will now see a homegrown player break out in Minnesota. How can you not be excited about that?
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