Washington basketball’s hometown hero hears his name called by the Minnesota Timberwolves at 28th overall!
During his one year with Washington basketball, Jaden McDaniels had an up and down season. He started 21 of the team’s 31 games, and averaged 13 points per game, and 5.8 rebounds per game. McDaniels also made a big impact defensively, adding 43 blocks and 24 steals to the stat sheet.
He struggled at times with technical fouls, and an ankle injury slowed him down for a few weeks, but the lanky 6’9 prospect with a seven-foot wingspan is a promising prospect. It’s no surprise that the Timberwolves decided to take a chance on the former five-star recruit. McDaniels has one of the highest ceilings in this draft on both sides of the ball. If he can get the turnovers under control and prove to the organization that he wants to be the best, when teams look back at this draft in ten years, he’ll be considered the biggest steal of the draft.
If he continues to add strength, he’ll be able to get to the rim with ease at the NBA level. With the physicality he’ll see on the inside, that’s going to be the most important thing for McDaniels to make sure he can reach his full potential. His shooting should become more consistent at the next level, and with his frame, he has the potential to end up like the Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac.
Personnel wise, going to Minnesota is going to be a great landing spot for McDaniels. Pairing him with Karl Anthony-Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and the night’s first overall pick Anthony Edwards makes for a great core to build around. He compliments what Towns and Russell can do perfectly, and will force the defense to stretch the floor, creating lanes and space for Edwards and Russell to slash to the basket. Don’t be surprised if McDaniels starts for Minnesota right off the bat, as his skillset is something that team desperately needs. He has a lot of room to grow, and with the pressure off him in a smaller market, this could be a very good spot for him to start his NBA career.