The Timberwolves’ new-look lineup is built to create problems for opposing defenses, and Jaden McDaniels looks like the player best positioned to cash in. When Minnesota starts hunting for weak links, the usual escape hatches are gone: you can’t stash a defender on Anthony Edwards or LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert is too easy to target with switch or lob rules, and Jonathan Kuminga brings too much brute force. That leaves McDaniels, a long, growing offensive creator who can punish smaller defenders.
That’s exactly why Wednesday’s opener against the Miami Heat stands out. Klay Thompson is expected to be the one matched up with McDaniels, and that sets up a clear edge for Minnesota. Miami’s defensive assignments make the mismatch picture even more obvious, with Andrew Wiggins on Edwards and Davion Mitchell on Ball, while either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Bam Adebayo takes Gobert and the other handles Kuminga, likely while roaming off him if he’s stationed in the corners.
Even so, the Thompson assignment is the one that should matter most. At 36, Thompson is no longer the kind of defender who can swallow up difficult matchups, even if he can still handle chase duties or limited scorers.
McDaniels is neither of those things. He’s a huge wing at 6-foot-10, officially listed at 6-foot-9 but widely believed to be taller, and he can shoot over smaller defenders from the mid-range and beyond the arc.
Against a 6-foot-5 Thompson, that size gap matters.
McDaniels also brings another problem for Thompson: speed. He moves well for his size and has enough burst to get downhill, which puts the slower, less athletic defender in a bind once the ball is on the deck.
And McDaniels has already shown he can finish efficiently at every level. Last season, he shot 71.5 percent at the rim, 47.2 percent from the mid-range and 41.2 percent from 3-point range.
That kind of efficiency is part of why he has become such a dangerous mismatch hunter. He showed it against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and with better playmaking around him, there’s reason to think a bigger offensive season is coming. The source here goes as far as suggesting McDaniels could even push toward All-Star territory, and Wednesday offers a clean launching pad.
There’s also a little extra spice to this one. The two players scrapped three years ago, a collision that later fed into the infamous Draymond Green-Gobert chokehold. So yes, McDaniels has every reason to bring an edge into the opener, and the matchup with Thompson gives him a real shot to make it count.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Opening Night Rotation Leaves One Immediate Battle To Watch
The Timberwolves are about to find out what their opening-night rotation really looks like when they tip off against Miami, and the most notable change is up front. Jonathan Kuminga is projected to start at power forward alongside returning regulars Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, while new point guard Ball is expected to settle into a heavy workload right away. After that, though, the picture gets a lot less settled, with the bench group still very much in flux as Minnesota tries to balance continuity with a few new faces.
Ayo Dosunmu appears lined up as the top reserve and could give the Wolves a steadier second-unit hand, but the rest of the rotation is more of a live audition than a finished product. Joan Beringer and Terrence Shannon Jr. are among the names expected to get looks depending on matchups and performance, and Shannon in particular enters the season with his spot far from secure after an uneven preseason. For a team trying to establish its identity early, how those minutes shake out could become one of the first real tests of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Faces An Early Wolves Test Fans Will Be Watching
Jonathan Kuminga is about to get an immediate read on what life looks like in a Timberwolves uniform, and it comes against one of the leagues toughest frontcourt assignments. Minnesotas debut for Kuminga lands against the Heat, a setting that asks plenty of him right away because Miami brings size, physicality and a defense built to make wings uncomfortable before they ever get settled.
For the Wolves, the early intrigue is less about scoring punch and more about how Kuminga fits into the work around the margins, especially after some recent progress on the glass. His ability to hold up in the matchup at the center of this test could shape how Minnesota handles the rest of the night, since containing Miamis interior pressure is part of the larger formula for making the offense and overall rotation click. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Faces His First Real Wolves Test Opening Night
LaMelo Balls first game in a Timberwolves uniform comes with an immediate chance to show how much his addition can change Minnesotas offense. After arriving in late June, Ball spent the preseason flashing the kind of playmaking and passing that could help open things up for a team looking for a smoother attack, and opening night against Miami is a useful first measure of how quickly that can translate when the games count.
The Heat are a demanding opponent for any new lead guard, especially one still building chemistry with a new group. Minnesota will need Ball to handle Miamis defensive pressure cleanly and keep the offense organized, because the margin for error tends to shrink fast when the other side turns mistakes into easy baskets. How he manages that first test should say plenty about what the Wolves can expect from him right away. [Read more 🡒]