Jonathan Kuminga has given the Minnesota Timberwolves the answer they were looking for on Jaden McDaniels.
All offseason, the question hanging over Minnesota was whether McDaniels would stay in his familiar defensive lane or get pushed into more time guarding bigger forwards because the roster lacked a natural power forward. McDaniels has long been one of the league’s best perimeter stoppers, but that possible shift raised real uncertainty about how Chris Finch might use him.
Kuminga changes that conversation. With him available to handle the more physical forward assignments, McDaniels can keep doing what he does best: hounding guards and taking stars out of games.
That matters because McDaniels has a legitimate case as the NBA’s best point-of-attack defender. At the very least, he belongs in the top three.
He showed exactly why in the playoffs, when he held Jamal Murray - the 2026 All-Star - to 31.7 percent shooting from the field as his primary defender. Last season, McDaniels also ranked in the 98th percentile for perimeter isolation defense per BBall Index.
The profile is rare. McDaniels has the size, length, and quickness to bother ball-handlers in a way almost nobody else can. He’s a tough cover for opposing guards and a major reason Minnesota can tilt matchups the way it does.
There was a reasonable case for McDaniels spending more time on forwards. His defensive playmaking and off-ball rim protection could still be used more, and that might happen this season. But his slight frame made it fair to wonder how he’d hold up against the league’s most physical frontcourt players.
With Kuminga in place, that worry fades. More importantly, it preserves the defensive setup that gives Minnesota such an edge. McDaniels at the point of attack and Rudy Gobert at the rim has been the backbone of the Timberwolves’ elite defense in recent years, and keeping McDaniels in that role only strengthens the case that the group can stay among the league’s best.
Kuminga also gives the Wolves a clear answer against physical forwards of this era. Paired with Gobert’s rim protection, McDaniels’ perimeter work, Kuminga’s forward defense, and a strong supporting cast, Minnesota suddenly has the pieces in place for a defense that can reach a very high level again - maybe even the kind it showed in the 2023-24 season.
For the Timberwolves, the big win is simple: McDaniels gets to stay where he belongs, and that gives the defense a better chance to hit its ceiling.
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 🡒]