Preseason is frequently a liar in the NBA. Rotations don’t mimic what teams will deploy when games count.
Teams emphasize certain areas of the game that they’ve hammered throughout the numerous practices that don’t exist during the regular season. What you see now is not what you’ll get next week, much less in January.
But the Wolves hope one encouraging trend will possibly sustain: the production of Jaden McDaniels.
Minnesota’s perimeter defensive ace was an offensive monster through his first four preseason games, averaging 25 points per 36 minutes on 61% shooting from the floor and 71% shooting from distance.
Obviously, those are outlier shooting splits, but Wolves coach Chris Finch said McDaniels’ shot selection is “really high level right now,” because the wing trusts he’ll keep getting opportunities and doesn’t need to force shots the moment he gets the ball.
“I think it starts with the consistent touches and getting him involved in the offense in a very organic way,” Finch said. “He’s getting to his positions quick. There’s not a lot of indecision. … He’s playing kind of how he played down the stretch of the (last) season and with an even more elevated impact.”
This isn’t out of nowhere. The preseason outburst comes on the heels of a season in which McDaniels averaged 14.8 points – a career high – and poured in 32 points in a series closeout win over Denver in the postseason.
Minnesota has long seen McDaniels has a player with high offensive upside simply waiting for the opportunity to break out on that end of the floor.
Is the time now?
“I think Jaden is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, if not the best,” Wolves star guard Anthony Edwards said. “He’s going to average 20-25 points, easy, just because he knows how to play the game.”
Edwards noted he wants McDaniels to “be an all star” this season. McDaniels didn’t shy away from that aspiration, noting it’s one of every player’s goals. He hasn’t received enough touches or shot attempts to sniff that conversation in the past. Exhibition indicators suggest that could change this season.
The logic behind a potential offensive uptick is sound. Minnesota no longer has a perimeter player on which opponents can hide their worst defender. Teams must pick whether the weak link will guard McDaniels or Jonathan Kuminga, both of which seem to be losing propositions. But Kuminga has more of an established reputation as a scorer, leaving McDaniels as the choice.
“They can’t put them on Ant, LaMelo or JK,” McDaniels said. “You can put them on me. I don’t care. I’m going to take advantage of it everytime.’
Throughout the preseason, the Wolves have identified and capitalized on those mismatches.
Will that hold true starting Wednesday in Miami?
Concerns for regression were evident even in Minnesota’s preseason loss to Detroit, in which McDaniels scored 12 points in the first quarter, and zero the rest of the way.
“We just can’t forget he out there,” Edwards said. “It’s that simple.”
Maintaining a concerted effort to feature McDaniels in the offense will require sacrifice from others. Through the preseason, that’s come in the form of less usage from Kuminga and LaMelo Ball than they were accustomed to with their previous teams. Ball’s usage last year in Charlotte was 30.6%, while Kuminga’s usage across Atlanta and Golden State was 23.4%.
This preseason, Ball’s usage has plummeted to 23.4%, while Kuminga’s is 18.3%. That’s allowed McDaniels – who sported a usage of 18.2% last season – to have a usage of 23.8% this preseason. That number is buoyed by a Knicks game Kuminga missed in which McDaniels’ usage spiked into the 30s.
But, in general, if Ball is going to be more of a ball movement igniter in Minnesota than a scorer, shots will indeed present themselves for McDaniels.
“As long as I touch the ball, I’m cool,” McDaniels said. “I’m not really stressed about nothing. I’m just trying to win and play the right way.”