Jaden McDaniels stands nearly seven feet tall.
Coming out of Federal Way High School six years ago, McDaniels was 6’9”. Chances are, he struggled to find clothes that not only he liked but also fit him as he grew up. Once he found something, McDaniels probably grew out of it a year later.
It’s a problem that many tall kids experience. But now, McDaniels isn’t confined to what is in the “big and tall” section in the back of his local department store. McDaniels is in his sixth season in the NBA and is probably done growing. He has the luxury of tailoring clothes to fit correctly over his seven-foot frame if he so chooses.
Much like his clothes probably were years ago, McDaniels’ on-court fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves has at times been uncomfortable. His defense has always been equally as intriguing as effective. Still, his offensive role has always been uncertain. Is he a 3-and-D wing? Is he better as an on-ball scorer? Can he ever become a reliable scoring partner alongside Anthony Edwards?
Ten games into the 2025-26 season, McDaniels and the Wolves have begun to put those questions to rest. McDaniels is not just blossoming as a scorer, but he is evolving in a way that fits the Timberwolves like a tailor-made suit.
Jaden McDaniels pull-up midrange jumper pic.twitter.com/AhNXkZonQY
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) November 10, 2025
After the first quarter of Sunday’s 144-117 win over the Sacramento Kings, McDaniels only had one shot attempt (which he made). Still, the Wolves were moving the ball, assisting on eight of their 12 makes and shooting 57.1%. It’s the type of play that indicated McDaniels would eventually get going offensively.
“We have just needed him to keep growing and be aggressive,” Chris Finch said on Friday. “And when we have ball movement, he’s going to have these games. We’ve always said that, and that is the easiest way for us to get him involved.”
McDaniels opened the second quarter with seven quick points, crucial because Edwards was sitting on the bench after playing the entire first and shooting 0 of 5 from the floor. Sacramento was hanging around, but McDaniels’ quick flurry kept Minnesota’s offense in enough of a groove to maintain control of the game.
Then, Edwards checked back into the game with 7:18 left until halftime and went on one of those scoring boomlets that have become a signature part of his game.
BACK-TO-BACK TREY’S. 🐜 pic.twitter.com/BE6d2rAmD8
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 10, 2025
Edwards scored 16 points in the quarter on 4 of 6 shooting, charging the Wolves to close the half on a 22-9 run and take a 71-54 lead into halftime. For all of that run, McDaniels was watching from the bench. It appeared as though Edwards was ready to take over the game and start firing up herculean shots for the rest of the night. In the past, that could have meant McDaniels getting lost in the fold and finishing the game with single-digit field-goal attempts.
If Edwards finishes a game with a great stat line and the Wolves win, McDaniels’ lack of production wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. However, the Wolves want Jaden to develop into Ant’s right-hand man. That’s partly why they paid him $136 million in 2023. And for that to happen, Edwards and McDaniels would ideally be able to simultaneously have big scoring games.
This season, we are starting to see that materialize.
“We definitely have been directing the ball to [Jaden] a little bit more,” said Finch on Friday. “He’s playing in a good groove. His shot looks great. I think he’s mixing it up, not just relying solely on his shot.”
Last season, McDaniels averaged:
- 16.3 points on 14.2 attempts when Randle was out and Edwards played (10 games).
- 24.3 points on 16.3 attempts when Randle and Edwards were both out (3 games).
- 11.4 points on 9.5 attempts when they were both active (69 games).
McDaniels proved last year that he’s beyond capable of scoring when the shots are there for him to take and his role on offense grows. The question that arises from this is whether he can be close to a 20-points-per-game scorer — which talent-wise, he’s capable of being — with Edwards and Randle in the lineup.
Edwards averages 19 shot attempts over his career. Randle averages 15. No matter how you slice it, McDaniels will always get fewer attempts when No. 5 and No. 30 are playing with him than when they aren’t. However, that doesn’t mean McDaniels can’t still average close to 20 points per game and remain an offensive force.
McDaniels is averaging 18.6 points per game on 12.7 attempts this season, both of which would be career highs. He’s scoring 17.5 points on 11.5 attempts with Edwards in the lineup and 20.4 points on 13.8 attempts in the four games Ant has missed.
After much offensive inconsistency for most of his career, McDaniels has been the same, nearly a 20-point-per-game scorer in all ten of Minnesota’s games, regardless of who he shares the court with. How is he doing it? An altered shot diet is part of it. Jaden is also shooting at an absurdly efficient rate.
It’s still early in the season. McDaniels’ splits will probably regress eventually. There’s no way he can average nearly 20 points per game on 56% from the floor and 54% from deep all year, especially with his 3-point shooting struggles last season, right?
Well, maybe not. This may be the new McDaniels. Perhaps he has taken “the leap.”
McDaniels has scored over 20 points 33 times in his career, including the playoffs. He has shot 50% or better in 31 of those games, 60% or better in 20 games, and 70% or better in 13 games. His latest installment was a 21-point effort against the Kings, where he shot 8 of 10 from the floor on a night where Edwards and Randle scored a combined 45 points and took a combined 32 shots.
Jaden McDaniels spin + unguardable fadeaway jumper pic.twitter.com/kedLIKDkTs
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) November 10, 2025
If McDaniels is scoring multiple transition layups in a game, drilling tough mid-range jumpers, and hitting a three-pointer or two, chances are, he’s doing it on efficient splits. That’s happened almost every night this season. It’s been a theme of his career. It’s also exactly the type of player the Wolves need right now.
Efficiency is even more critical for McDaniels than for other players because when he isn’t missing many shots, he doesn’t need as many shots to be a legitimate third option next to Edwards and Randle. Therefore, he can have games where he takes only 10 or 11 shots and still finish with more than 20 points. Doing that repeatedly is a challenge, but McDaniels seems more and more ready for it.
Jaden is blossoming as a scorer, and like he did many pairs of sweatpants, he is growing out of the player who was inconsistent on offense. McDaniels isn’t just putting up big numbers. He’s doing so with an efficiency that makes him fit with the Timberwolves like a quality, stitched-and-hemmed pair of slacks.
