"Unlocking Jaden McDaniels' Potential: Timberwolves Trade Dilemma and Offensive Upside"
"Explore Jaden McDaniels' untapped potential and the Timberwolves' trade dilemma. Can patience yield offensive prowess? 🏀 #NBA #Timberwolves #JadenMcDaniels"
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I remember watching Jaden McDaniels last season after the Timberwolves chose to include an additional first-round pick in the Rudy Gobert trade instead of sending McDaniels to Utah. I wondered aloud on Twitter whether the Timberwolves could still get a first for McDaniels in a trade considering he was averaging just 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 30 minutes per game (through the first 34 games).
Rightfully, my followers corrected me that he was still improving but also one of the best young defenders in the league. They were right and admitted to my wrongness.
Fast forward to this week and while I am no longer on Twitter, I listened to Phil Mackey and Kyle Theige on the Flagrant Howls podcast. Apparently, McDaniels’ name had been floated as a possible trade candidate by Timberwolves Twitter because of his extension kicking in next season and his current production. Of course, this made me feel crazy because just one year ago I was rebuked for suggesting trading McDaniels just one year before.
The Timberwolves Do Need And Should Get More From McDaniels
McDaniels is averaging just 10.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season. Even with outstanding defense, that is not the production you would expect from a player making $27m per year for the next five seasons. At 23 years old, the contract is a bet that McDaniels will improve from where he is now as both an offensive and defensive player.
McDaniels’ offensive production stands out on a team that is short on scoring beyond Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. If you get 20 points in a game from Rudy Gobert or Naz Reid, you’re thrilled but not expecting that every night. What is puzzling about McDaniels’ seeming lack of production is that he has the makings of a good offensive player. He shoots just over 60 percent on 2-pointers for his career and while he is an average 36 percent 3-point shooter for his career, he shot just under 40 percent last season.
Not only that, McDaniels can handle the ball capably. He’s not Tim Hardaway or Allen Iverson, but he can dribble fairly well. The problem is that he just does not do it consistently. Once a week, he will do something like this and make you wonder why he doesn’t showcase these skills more.
Wolves coach Chris Finch has been asked about McDaniels’ role in the offense and has said that guys need to throw him the ball (paraphrase). While true, it reminds me of something that came up with Wolves coaches and Karl-Anthony Towns early in his career when people asked why he did not get the ball more. McDaniels needs to go get the ball more often. The team is not just going to run more plays for him and McDaniels is going to need to assert himself more. Why shouldn’t he; he is good enough to warrant more touches.
Patience With McDaniels May Pay Off
The other reality is that markets like Minnesota have to roll the dice on the contracts for prospects they draft. You are not the Lakers or Heat who attract free agents or have players demanding trades to them just because they exist. Not only do teams like the Timberwolves have to overpay, they have to take some chances and retain highly talented prospects like McDaniels.
If McDaniels increases his scoring and non-defensive production, his contract will quickly become a steal. At age 23, McDaniels can still get there but trading him now, unless it was for a more proven star or something, would be shortsighted and likely limit the team’s long-term ceiling. Playing next to Towns and Gobert will always limit his rebounds, but there is no reason he cannot emerge as another scoring threat for this team. We have seen the efficiency and the skills, now we need to see it more and more consistently.