Timberwolves: How to get Jaden McDaniels more involved on offense
Although Jaden McDaniels playing his best game of the season Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, the second-year player hasn’t played well through the first eight games. How can Chris Finch get him more involved on offense, so the Minnesota Timberwolves can have greater success?
McDaniels entered the NBA as a raw player, and many people, including myself, believed he would start his rookie year playing for the Iowa Wolves.
The former Washington Husky recorded six DNPs in 11 games, and it wasn’t until Jan. 18 that he earned consistent playing time. During his rookie season, he played in 63 games (27 starts) and averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. His shooting splits were .447/.364/.600.
His stats aren’t eye-popping, and if you didn’t watch him play, you’d be wondering what all the hype was about. McDaniels has the potential of becoming a great two-way player in this league because of his ability to handle the ball, shoot and play defense.
Offensively, McDaniels prefers a lot of catch and shoot opportunities, specifically from the left corner 3. If it’s not available, he will put the ball on the deck and shoot at the rim. This season he’s only taken three mid-range shots, and that’s going to be a common trend throughout his career.
Maybe he eventually becomes a lethal mid-range shooter, but that shot isn’t a part of his arsenal.
During the Summer League, the Timberwolves primarily ran their offense through McDaniels. Minnesota could look into the idea of trying that a couple of times a game, but there would be some bumps and bruises along the way.
With this idea, the payout, in the long run, might be worth it. However, it doesn’t sound realistic enough given the Timberwolves’ struggles on offense already.
It’s just hard to imagine Finch choosing that route when they have three gifted offensive players in D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.
So, we’ve eliminated the mid-range shot and allowing him to run the offense. But where does that leave us now?
The solution:
Minnesota needs to run more drive and kick-outs, but there aren’t many players on the roster who can do this, other than Edwards. With Russell back and healthy, this idea is a little more doable.
The best solution is driving from the right side and kicking it to the left corner for an open 3. More than likely, McDaniels defender will either play help defense or be slightly out of position.
There’s also one other reason McDaniels has struggled out of the gate. He has the potential of becoming an All-NBA defender at some point, but he’s physically not able to guard the best offensive player.
At 6-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he’s just not big enough to be guarding players like Paul George. McDaniels is finding himself in early foul trouble, and it’s causing him to exit minutes into the first quarter. In nine games, he’s recorded 42 points and 37 fouls. Woof.
The best solution is to assign him players who are smaller or not the main ball-handler on the floor. If he can find a way to eliminate fouls, he’ll be able to stay on the floor longer and find a rhythm.
There are plenty of ways to get McDaniels involved, and the best way to do that is driving and kicking it out to him in the left corner. Minnesota needs him to get going because he’s arguably the biggest x-factor to the Wolves’ success.
