Nick Crain | 1/27/23

Even with NBA League Pass, it’s tough to watch every player across the league closely. The biggest names always rise to the top, but there’s quite a few athletes that are doing incredible things but not getting as much credit as they deserve. Leveraging ProFitX, we can quickly identify players that are flying under the radar or quietly having tremendous seasons. One of those players in the 2022-23 campaign is Jaden McDaniels, who is emerging as a highly impactful player in this league. What should you know about the Minnesota Timberwolves forward as he continues to rise as an underrated player?

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Current Production Value

While still on his original rookie deal, McDaniels has been one of the biggest steals of his draft class. He’s currently worth more than 7x his contract value based on his on-court production. This season, the 22-year-old has emerged as a full-time starter on an extremely talented Timberwolves team. When looking at his development through time, he’s clearly improved at a steady rate which has resulted in this promotion to the starting unit.

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Key Attributes

Not only is he extremely long at 6-foot-9, but McDaniels is highly skilled and can play upwards of three positions. When Minnesota is fully healthy, he starts on the wing with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in the front court. However, the former first-rounder is also capable of playing in either of their spots as well when they aren’t in the lineup.

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Important Roles

McDaniels gets it done on both ends, making him an even more valuable player. This season specifically, he’s averaging more than a steal and block per contest, being highly disruptive. Offensively, he’s averaging a career-high 11.5 points per game. Especially with how many injuries the Wolves have faced this season, McDaniels has been key in keeping the team afloat.

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Offensive Hot Spots

So far this season, McDaniels is shooting better than 38% from beyond the arc, which is fantastic for a player of his size. Furthermore, he’s a highly efficient scorer in the paint, converting on over 75% of his shots within 3 feet of the rim and nearly 65% on all shots inside the arc. Being a balanced scorer has its advantages, keeping defenses honest and not having to rely on any one area of the floor.