Jaden McDaniels has spent most of his Timberwolves career hanging around the edges of the offense, even as the signs of something bigger kept showing up. Every offseason seems to bring the same buzz: the workouts, the videos, the talk about a larger offensive load. Then the season arrives, and McDaniels usually settles back into a supporting role.
That dynamic feels different heading into 2026-27. The usual coachspeak around McDaniels is starting to sound less like wishful thinking and more like a real plan.
Before Summer League, McDaniels’s development coach, James “Flight” White, said he expects a bigger role to come with it.
“I’m super excited, I mean, he’s been waiting on this. We talk about it all the time, just having a bigger role, and I think he’s ready, he’ll be ready. He’s working hard, getting back in the groove, he’ll be ready, he’ll be ready for any role they need him to take”
Timberwolves President of Baseball Operations Tim Connelly had already pointed in the same direction near the end of 2025-26, saying McDaniels still has another level to reach.
“I think without question it’s (the) discussions we’ve had over the last several years. Jaden has a whole ‘nother gear to reach.
In a closeout game, to have 32 and 10 against a really, really good team," Connelly said. "We want to keep raising the bar.
As good as he is, we know his best basketball is in front of him. I think there’s a lot more he can unlock as a playmaker, too.
We have to ensure that he’s in a position to do those things. He’s a guy that, offensively, has a whole ‘nother place he can get to and we’re confident he can get there.”
The clearest sign of that growth has come as a playmaker. McDaniels has gotten better at reading the floor, whether that means hitting Rudy Gobert inside after a drive or moving the ball once he collapses a defense. In 2025-26, he posted career highs in assists per game at 2.7, assist percentage at 12.1% and assist ratio at 16.4.
Head coach Chris Finch addressed that improvement last December.
“I think he’s always had it, and I just feel like his touches have always been inconsistent in his career here," Finch said. "Now that his touches are more consistent, and I think he feels more comfortable where he’s going to get his shots, how he’s going to score his points, and that’s kinda opened his playmaking mind”
More touches didn’t just help McDaniels pass the ball better. They also helped his scoring.
He averaged a career-best 14.8 points per game and turned in a 61.1% true shooting mark, also a career high. That number was just 0.6% behind Anthony Edwards.
McDaniels also reached a career-high 18.2% usage rate, though that still ranked seventh among the Wolves’ top nine rotation players.
That’s the heart of the mystery with McDaniels, and maybe the answer too: when Minnesota gives him more, he has actually looked better, not more exposed. For plenty of players, added responsibility just magnifies the flaws.
Turnover-prone guards cough it up more. Low-assist scorers keep being low-assist scorers.
Rob Dillingham is the example the source points to, since his turnovers can be managed in smaller off-ball stretches but rise when he is asked to run the offense.
McDaniels has been different. More opportunity has not just preserved his efficiency - it has helped expand his game. That is why the Wolves believe there is still another layer to unlock, and why the organization seems ready to keep pushing him forward offensively.
With no clear third option behind Edwards and LaMelo Ball this season, Minnesota appears set on finding out just how far McDaniels can go. The promise is obvious: more usage, more playmaking, better shooting, and the same defense.
For McDaniels, the wait may finally be over.
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