The Timberwolves are sending a pretty clear message about how they want their offense to look, and Jaden McDaniels sits ahead of Jonathan Kuminga in that picture.
For years, Chris Finch has described McDaniels as the team’s offensive barometer - not the guy everything runs through, but the player whose activity tells you whether the ball is humming. That framing made sense when McDaniels was still expanding his game. It makes even more sense now that he’s grown into a real offensive piece rather than just a finishing option.
That’s why Finch’s latest comments matter. Speaking to Britt Robson of MinnPost, he used the same barometer language for Kuminga, suggesting that the Wolves will measure their offensive flow by how he’s used and how he fits within it.
“The shot piece, the shot selection in the flow of our offense, if it is working - well, it is like we said (in previous seasons) about Jaden: He (Kuminga) might be our new barometer indicating when our offense is where we want it to be,” Finch said. “Is he getting enough touches? And when he does get those touches, does he not feel the need or pressure to do something for himself all the time?”
That doesn’t read like a promotion over McDaniels. If anything, it reinforces where McDaniels stands in the hierarchy.
Finch has already said the Wolves are empowering McDaniels as one of the team leaders and want to lean more into his playmaking. He also made it plain how much he values that part of McDaniels’ game.
“I think now we need his (McDaniels) playmaking anyway, and I think he is a really good passer - he’s one of our best interior passers,” Finch said.
“My approach with Ant or with Jaden or with all these guys is, if we’re going to take the diapers off, let’s take the diapers off. Like, it’s your team now,” Finch said.
That’s the bigger story here: McDaniels is being asked to do more, and he should be.
Kuminga can create offense in stretches, and when he’s rolling, there’s room for him to handle some of that burden. Minnesota also wants an offense built on movement, which should naturally give him chances to contribute. But if the question is who deserves the larger share of shot-creation duties, McDaniels is the obvious answer.
Kuminga’s reputation as a creator hasn’t matched the efficiency. That goes a long way toward explaining why his free-agent market was limited.
McDaniels, meanwhile, has been one of the more underrated shot-makers at his position. He gives Minnesota a hyper-efficient three-level scorer with good decision-making and outlier size for his spot.
Last season, McDaniels posted a career-high 14.8 points per game while shooting 51.5/41.2/83.5. Even then, much of his scoring came within the natural flow of the offense. There’s still another level for him to reach, especially in the playoffs.
The numbers back up the case, too. According to Basketball Index, McDaniels finished in the 67th percentile in one-on-one shot-making and the 71st percentile in one-on-one shot-making efficiency last season.
Kuminga, by comparison, landed in the 48th and 21st percentiles. And yet Kuminga carried a 23.4 usage rate, while McDaniels was at 18.5.
That gap tells the story. Minnesota should be leaning into McDaniels, not squeezing him back into a narrower role to make room for Kuminga. Finch’s comments suggest the Wolves understand that.
Kuminga still has a place in the offense. It just needs to be as a play-finisher rather than a heavy isolation creator.
That fits his athletic gifts far better, and it fits what Minnesota wants to build. When the Wolves are at their best, Kuminga can still have the kind of nights that stand out.
But those nights should come off ball movement, not a diet of tough self-created shots.
The pecking order should be obvious: Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, McDaniels, then Kuminga. Right now, Minnesota appears to be moving in exactly that direction.
In Other News...
Jonathan Kuminga Is Now Pushing Back On A Warriors Contract Claim
Jonathan Kumingas contract situation has taken another twist, and the latest turn only adds to the confusion around what was actually offered and what was actually rejected. The back-and-forth has become a story not just about negotiations, but about how the messages from Kuminga and his camp have lined up, or failed to line up, as reports have surfaced about his options.
Kuminga reportedly texted Darren Moore, Lonzo Balls manager, to say he never turned down any offers at all. That directly cuts against the earlier framing from his agent, Aaron Turner, who had indicated Kuminga passed on higher-value possibilities, including reported deals tied to the Warriors and Lakers. For Minnesota fans tracking the broader Western Conference picture, it is another reminder that the offseason business around a key opponent can still shape the landscape long after the headlines first break. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Face A Tough Protection Call As Expansion Looms
With the NBA planning to add teams in Seattle and Las Vegas for the 2028-29 season, the expansion draft conversation is already forcing teams to think a little differently about their rosters. For Minnesota, the exercise is straightforward at the top end and messy at the margins, with six players looking like clear protection choices if the league were doing this today.
The intrigue comes with the last two spots, where the Timberwolves would have to balance upside, fit and roster stability. Jonathan Kuminga sits in that debate, but so do Terrence Shannon Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo, and the current version of the roster is only a snapshot anyway. By the time expansion actually arrives, Minnesotas priorities and personnel will almost certainly look different. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kumingas Wolves Decision Leaves One Lakers Question Hanging
The Timberwolves added another forward with the announcement of Jonathan Kumingas signing, and they even revealed hell wear No. 24. Kuminga arrives after finishing his fifth NBA season with stops in Atlanta and Golden State, and the move immediately stood out because he reportedly had other suitors in the mix, including the Lakers, Bulls and Trail Blazers.
What made the story linger was the money angle attached to the Lakers chatter, which had fueled the idea that Minnesota won out over a bigger pitch. Kuminga pushed back on that version of events, saying the deal narrative was not accurate, leaving the exact shape of the offseason pursuit and what was actually on the table as the part still hanging over the signing. [Read more 🡒]