If any player's production is a bellwether for how the Timberwolves offense is performing, that player is Jaden McDaniels.
What Jaden McDaniels' production says about the Timberwolves offense
McDaniels relies on ball movement and spacing to score his points. When he's scoring, it indicates teamwide success.
October 27, 2022 at 11:22PM
McDaniels commands the least usage among the starting lineup, meaning he generally takes the fewest shots and has the ball in his hands the least.
Coach Chris Finch said that when McDaniels scored 19 points in the opening game, he didn't call a single play specifically for McDaniels.
That's because McDaniels finds his production in the vacancies of the offense. He cuts, spaces the floor from three-point range and picks his spots to attack when the matchup is right. If the ball is moving properly, the Wolves get it to him in optimal position for him to score.
That's what happened again Wednesday, when McDaniels scored 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
"He's a really good cutter," Finch said. "Our offense relies on cutting a lot, and a lot of guys don't have a great feel for that or are reluctant to cut, because they're way more ball-dominant, but he's such a good cutter, and the ball has to be moving in different spots that allows those cuts to open up to be there."
McDaniels also hit his first three-pointer of the season, and then hit three more to raise his shooting percentage from 0 to 33.3 in one night. It's imperative for the Wolves that opponents respect McDaniels as a three-point threat, given his teammates' skills and given that Rudy Gobert does not shoot three-pointers.
"I'm always working on my shot, so I don't really let [struggles] faze me," McDaniels said. "I know the percentage and all that, but I don't really care. I'm just going to keep shooting. The work I put in I just trust it."
McDaniels has worked to flatten his shot a bit from the high-arcing style he had when he first came into the NBA. That was a product of McDaniels being "long-levered" thanks to his 6-10 frame, Finch said.
"He's one of those shooters that like when he misses it often looks bad," Finch said. "It's kind of some biomechanics with having long limbs. But it's way more on target, got a better arc, I think, and he's really picked up his rhythm of his shot. Catching and shooting it looks a little cleaner and quicker."
McDaniels is the Wolves' prime defensive stopper, and odds are he will spend some time guarding LeBron James on Friday night when the Lakers are in town. There's an element to McDaniels: It seems the better he plays on one end of the floor, the more his play is lifted on the other.
The Wolves have full confidence when McDaniels has the ball in his hands looking to score. Since the beginning of last season, he has expanded his offensive repertoire beyond spotting up and shooting.
"He's as good as anybody on the team pound for pound," guard Anthony Edwards said. "He has the whole package. He can get to his middy [midrange jumper], shoot the three, he can dunk on people. He's probably one of the best defensive guys in the NBA. He can guard like one through four. He's definitely that glue guy for us, X-factor."
McDaniels doesn't need to score to be satisfied with his game.
"I could score zero points and just be rebounding, get steals and I'll be fine," McDaniels said. "Everyone likes to score, so there's going to be nights like that, so I just don't let it get in the way. There's so many games where I know one game will be my game."
Wednesday was one of those games. It showed again that when McDaniels is putting up numbers, it's likely the Wolves as a team are playing well.
"He's going to be the beneficiary of good offense, good flow," Finch said. "... He got a lot of really good looks as a benefactor of good ball movement and making the right play."
After trailing from the first basket to the final 69 ticks, the Timberwolves defeated a Phoenix team that lacked key players but had Devin Booker, who scored 44 points.
