The Minnesota Timberwolves can talk themselves into a lot about Jonathan Kuminga, but one question hangs over the whole thing: how much shooting can they really trust around Rudy Gobert?
That’s where Jaden McDaniels comes in. If his 3-point stroke from last season sticks, it gives Minnesota a much cleaner path to making the Kuminga-Gobert pairing work. If it slips back toward where it was before, the Wolves could be staring at the same spacing headache that has already shown up in other versions of this roster.
McDaniels just turned in a career year, averaging 14.8 points while hitting 41.2 percent from deep. That matters because the track record before that was far less convincing - he had been a 34.8 percent 3-point shooter for his career prior to last season. In other words, Minnesota has one season of real encouragement, not a long-running trend.
And the volume still isn’t huge. McDaniels has averaged just 3.4 3-point attempts, so the Wolves aren’t banking on a high-usage bomb squad wing here. They need a player who can take the looks that come his way and punish defenses when Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball draw attention.
Ball should help on that front. His scoring and playmaking should create more open shots for McDaniels, and that could push both his volume and efficiency in the right direction.
But the Wolves can’t just assume that happens. If McDaniels drifts back to being merely average - or worse - Minnesota’s floor spacing gets much tighter, and the frontcourt fit becomes a lot harder to sell.
That’s especially true because the Wolves’ offense last season sat in the middle of the pack from beyond the arc, finishing 14th in 3-pointers made and 17th in attempts. If they want a better offensive ceiling, that has to move. Edwards and Ball can carry a lot, but they can’t solve it alone.
McDaniels’ value goes beyond shooting, too. His finishing and steadily improving shot creation are big reasons for the belief in his upside.
Still, in this specific setup, the jumper is the swing skill. Minnesota will be counting on him as the starting small forward, and if he keeps spacing the floor the way he did last season, it makes the whole starting group easier to play.
The alternative is obvious: if McDaniels doesn’t keep knocking down open 3s, the Wolves could be forced to trim Kuminga’s minutes just to keep the offense from clogging up.
The bench offers some shooting, but not enough certainty to calm every concern. Ayo Dosunmu is a good shooter, while Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark remain unproven from deep. Bones Hyland can light it up, but he’s inconsistent, and his role is still unclear.
So the pressure lands back on McDaniels. For Minnesota, his shooting isn’t just a nice development. It may be the thing that decides whether this roster’s offensive promise actually shows up.
In Other News...
Wolves GM Just Raised Big Questions About Two Core Decisions
Matt Lloyds latest comments offered a fairly clear snapshot of how Minnesota is trying to balance the present with the future. The Timberwolves GM talked up the arrival of forward Cody Williams as a player whose defensive versatility could fit multiple lineups, and he also addressed the signing of Jonathan Kuminga while touching on LaMelo Balls work ethic since joining the team and Ayo Dosunmus expected role in the rotation. Along the way, Lloyd also praised Anthony Edwards growth as a leader, a reminder that the Wolves are still trying to build around their young centerpiece even as they keep adding pieces around him.
The bigger long-range questions, though, remain tied to the rosters veteran core and one injured wing whose path back is still uncertain. Lloyd discussed Donte DiVincenzos rehabilitation from a torn Achilles and the teams approach to extensions for DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, leaving the timing of those decisions very much open. For a Wolves team trying to stay competitive without boxing itself in, those calls could shape not just this season, but the one after it as well. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Face One Huge Rotation Question In Their New-Look Lineup
The Timberwolves reshaped roster has pushed Chris Finch into one of the more interesting lineup puzzles of the offseason. After trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball and adding Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year contract, Minnesota suddenly has a different kind of top-end talent mix, and the early question is how all the pieces fit without disrupting the balance that made the group work.
Kumingas willingness to embrace a complementary role could make that transition easier, but the bigger challenge may be finding the right rhythm for Ball in a system that will need both creativity and structure. Finch now has to decide how to keep the offense flowing, manage the workload of his new point guard and still leave enough room for Anthony Edwards to stay at the center of the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Made A Cap Bet On One Young Roster Holdover
The Timberwolves have spent the offseason trying to thread a very specific financial needle, and it led them to clear room below the second apron by moving Josh Green to the Jazz and waiving and stretching John Konchars contract. Those moves opened the door to sign Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million deal while also keeping Cody Williams in the fold, a reminder that every roster decision now comes with a cap-side consequence.
Williams is the younger holdover Minnesota chose to protect as it sorted through the back end of the roster, even if the choice came with dead money spread across the next three years. The appeal is straightforward enough for a team that values flexibility on defense: Williams gives the Wolves a more useful long-term piece than Konchar, and the front office made its bet accordingly while accepting a short-term hit to preserve that option. [Read more 🡒]