Should the Minnesota Timberwolves re-sign Jordan McLaughlin?
Jordan McLaughlin has spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves on two-way contracts. He’s a free agent again this offseason, but should the team re-sign him to a one-year deal?
At this point, McLaughlin won’t be looking to sign another two-way deal. He’s played well enough these last two seasons to warrant a fully guaranteed contract with some team. Maybe that won’t happen with a contending team, but the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, etc. might express interest.
McLaughlin isn’t a bad player, but you also aren’t comfortable with him being your backup point guard. He’s better suited in a limited role or next to another guard. The biggest problem is his size, standing at 5-foot-11 and 185 lbs.
In the pick-and-roll, he’s great at finding his teammates, but being undersized, he’s a little hesitant to shoot the ball. This hinders his role a bit because teams will play drop coverage and limit the offensive potential.
Despite some of these issues, he’s not shy at taking it to another player.
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 30 | 19.7 | 2.9 | 5.9 | .489 | 1.0 | 2.5 | .382 | .570 | 0.9 | 1.3 | .667 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 7.6 |
| 2020-21 | 51 | 18.4 | 2.0 | 4.7 | .413 | 0.6 | 1.8 | .359 | .481 | 0.5 | 0.6 | .767 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 81 | 18.9 | 2.3 | 5.2 | .445 | 0.8 | 2.1 | .369 | .519 | 0.6 | 0.9 | .710 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
McLaughlin’s role decreased a bit during the 2020-21 season, but he was still decently productive. In 18.4 minutes, he averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. His shooting splits were .413/.359/.767.
McLaughlin is a pest on defense, playing a lot like how Tyus Jones did with the Timberwolves.
The Wolves are tight against the cap space and have limited money to spend, which makes these little decisions more important. Would Minnesota offer McLaughlin a one-year deal around $1 million? They could, but they also have a lot of ball handlers on the team that can be the third-string point guard.
Jaylen Nowell and Jarrett Culver are two players that could take that role over. Both of those players might flourish with a larger role and it gives the Wolves a chance to see what they have with their two young players.
McLaughlin was a fun story of an underdog playing well in the NBA, but being against the cap space, Minnesota can find a similar player or allow a player already on their roster to take over as the third ball handler.
