Anthony Edwards isn’t exactly dreaming small when it comes to Jaden McDaniels. At media day, Edwards made it clear he wants his longtime teammate to break through and make his first All-Star team this season.
"I definitely want him (McDaniels) to be an All-Star this season," Edwards said. I been saying I want him to be an All-Star this year because he’s that kind of player
That’s a bold ask on the surface, especially with McDaniels coming off a season in which he averaged just 14.8 points. But the case isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound, because McDaniels already checks a lot of the boxes that tend to matter when All-Star conversations start heating up: winning impact, two-way value, and room for a bigger offensive role.
McDaniels has been one of Minnesota’s most important defenders for years, taking the toughest assignment on a nightly basis and making life miserable for opposing stars. He’s also coming off his best scoring season yet, and his playoff run hinted at more. In the postseason, he averaged 16.3 points and dropped 32 in a closeout Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.
The bigger question is whether his role expands enough to push his production into true All-Star territory. Last season, McDaniels carried a usage rate of just 18.5, and the Wolves have spent the offseason talking about giving him more on-ball responsibility. Chris Finch reinforced that idea again at media day.
"Making sure that his (McDaniels') volume of shots stays high. - He's such a good connector and glue guy - willing to be able to score in a variety of ways. - Alongside LaMelo, he should be able to get shots that are created out of nothing," Finch said.
That kind of usage bump could be the missing piece. McDaniels has already shown he can be efficient in a smaller role, and last season’s shooting numbers were eye-popping: 51.5/41.2/83.5. If he gets more chances without losing that efficiency, there’s a real path to a bigger statistical jump.
LaMelo Ball’s playmaking would help that case too. If McDaniels can push closer to 18 points a night while keeping his elite defense intact, he starts to look like the kind of player voters notice on a winning team.
That last part matters most. The Wolves’ record will shape everything here.
If Minnesota is sitting around the sixth seed again, McDaniels’ All-Star chances probably stay out of reach no matter how good he is individually. Edwards is a lock-level All-Star candidate, and Ball has a strong chance too if he stays healthy.
Three All-Stars on one team is a rare club, and the source of the comparison here is the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025, when they were the No. 1 seed. Evan Mobley made it that year with 18.5 points per game and elite defense on a great team, which is the kind of blueprint McDaniels would need to follow.
Even then, the Wolves probably need to be at least a top-three seed for this to become realistic. But Minnesota’s ceiling is high enough that the idea isn’t ridiculous. If McDaniels makes another offensive leap and the team wins at a big level, Edwards’ wish could stop sounding like a stretch and start sounding like a prediction.
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Minnesota, in Finchs view, is moving toward a more layered attack instead of asking one player to carry every possession. With LaMelo Ball in the mix, the Wolves can ease Anthony Edwards into more of a scoring role and spread the decision-making around, which fits Finchs bigger point about depth and interchangeable pieces. The question now is whether that approach can give Minnesota the kind of playoff edge so many star-driven teams spend years chasing. [Read more 🡒]
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Timberwolves Camp Battle Could Shake Up Minnesotas Back-End Roster
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Minnesota is looking at all of that talent in the context of a broader camp group that also includes additions like LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, which should make for a more crowded evaluation process than usual. The real intrigue is how the Wolves sort the depth chart once the competition settles in, especially with the kind of two-way opening that can turn an overlooked camp invite into a real chance to stay. [Read more 🡒]