Jaden McDaniels looks like a different kind of scorer these days, and the Timberwolves’ preseason has made that hard to ignore.
In Minnesota’s fourth preseason game against the New York Knicks, McDaniels poured in 22 points and did it with control: 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-5 from three. He attacked the rim, hit midrange jumpers and looked fully comfortable letting it fly from deep.
It wasn’t a one-night flash, either. McDaniels has been outstanding all preseason for the Timberwolves with another big night tonight with 22 points while 8-12 FGs and 4-5 3PTsWolves have talked a long time about increasing his role on offense, feels like that is finally happening pic.twitter.com/lTYH21noqz
That kind of performance fits the idea Minnesota has floated for years: give McDaniels more room to work. The difference now is that the setup around him finally looks built to support it.
The biggest change is LaMelo Ball. A lot of the attention around Ball’s arrival has centered on how he’ll impact Rudy Gobert, but he also gives McDaniels something he hasn’t had enough of before: a guard who can spot a rhythm and keep feeding it. McDaniels has always had stretches where the shot is rolling, but Ball’s ability to find hot hands should make those runs matter more often and last longer.
That matters because McDaniels has already shown he can get hot in big moments. Last year’s playoffs offered the latest example, when he averaged 16.3 points per game against the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. The question now is consistency, and the preseason suggests Minnesota may finally be ready to give him the chances to find it.
Anthony Edwards is still the headliner. He led all scorers against the Knicks with 26 points and remains on track for a huge 2026-27 season.
But last year’s version of Edwards in a point guard role often slowed the Wolves down. This season, that should change.
If the preseason is any guide, the offense will move more cleanly and more naturally than it did a year ago.
That new look should help McDaniels in obvious ways. Ball and Edwards both create serious gravity, and that opens windows for everyone else. Against the Knicks, Ball found McDaniels for two open threes after pick-and-roll action with Gobert, with McDaniels’ defender helping off to contain Ball.
Those clean looks matter because McDaniels’ three-point shooting has been a key part of his rise. He shot a career-high 41.2% from deep last season, then dropped below 24% in the playoffs. If Ball keeps creating shot-ready chances, McDaniels has a real path to staying above 40% from three, rather than living in the sub-34% range he posted in three of the previous four seasons.
There’s more to it than spot-up shooting, too. McDaniels is showing a better ability to create his own looks, and the spacing around him only helps. Against the Knicks, he used Gobert screens to free himself for shots at all three levels.
The pace should also work in his favor. With Minnesota pushing the ball more, McDaniels could get plenty of chances to finish in transition, including transition dunks, in a lob-friendly system. Given his athleticism and the fact that he often defends on the perimeter, that part of the offense could become a bigger weapon than it has been.
Most nights, McDaniels will probably still be viewed as the Wolves’ third-best offensive option. With Ball and Edwards in front of him, that makes sense.
But it also leaves him in a sweet spot. Opponents don’t exactly have three elite perimeter defenders to throw at Minnesota, and McDaniels should keep seeing weaker matchups.
That has already been a theme this preseason, and he has taken advantage of it every time. The old version of McDaniels was the guy defenses tried to bury with their weakest defender.
That profile has changed. Next to Minnesota’s new starting group, he looks ready to force the league to take him seriously as more than just a defense-first wing.
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