{"id":509529,"date":"2026-01-01T09:07:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T09:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/509529\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T09:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T09:07:46","slug":"jaden-mcdaniels-is-starting-to-play-like-one-of-the-most-beloved-players-in-wolves-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/509529\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaden McDaniels Is Starting To Play Like One Of the Most Beloved Players In Wolves History"},"content":{"rendered":"

At shootaround before the Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 115-104 victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 23, I got the chance to talk to Mike Conley<\/a> about Jaden McDaniels<\/a>. Specifically, I asked about McDaniels\u2019 chemistry with Rudy Gobert<\/a> and whether Conley had been working on that with McDaniels.<\/p>\n

Conley, as he is apt to do, took the time to explain how the pick-and-lob game with Gobert is something of an art form. Conley lures defenders in before throwing a late lob at the rim, and McDaniels has gotten more comfortable with that action. Then he said something rather unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Jaden, with his height, can have that effect at a way higher rate, more efficient, kind of like Kyle Anderson<\/a> had it when he was here,\u201d said Conley. \u201cKind of like that taller guard playmaker who can make those plays over bigger people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Conley on Jaden McDaniels developing floater\/alley-oop chemistry with Rudy Gobert <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s becoming a little bit more natural. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve talked about it I\u2019ve shown him a lot through practices over the years. It\u2019s something you can work on but you have to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/EtxtFjrjL8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) December 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Kyle Anderson?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The surprise wasn\u2019t necessarily that Conley mentioned Anderson. Heck, half the roster talks about him every week. Instead, the surprise was comparing McDaniels to possibly one of the smartest players in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Ironically, I had asked Chris Finch about McDaniels\u2019 improvement as a playmaker a week earlier and was kicking around the idea of a McDaniels story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s always had it, and I just feel like his touches have always been inconsistent in his career here,\u201d Finch said. \u201cNow that his touches are more consistent, and I think he feels more comfortable where he\u2019s going to get his shots, how he\u2019s going to score his points, and that\u2019s kinda opened his playmaking mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Finch on Jaden McDaniels growth as a playmaker of the dribble<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s always had it and I just feel like his touches have always been inconsistent in his career here\u2026 now that his touches are more consistent and I think he feels more comfortable where he\u2019s going to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/wKsIVc81T8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) December 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s now been seven days since Conley\u2019s comment, and truth be told, the combination of Finch\u2019s praise and Conley\u2019s comparison has been hard to get out of my head. So hard in fact that I had to ask McDaniels about the Anderson comp and Finch\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mimic his game, but like Kyle, he\u2019s super smart,\u201d said McDaniels. \u201cHe plays at his own pace, and he\u2019s kind of a point guard. I always joke and say I could be a point guard, but we not gonna talk about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled after discussing playing point guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yeah, the pace that Kyle play at, I for sure can take that away from him, and we also both slow-step a lot,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe IQ he has passing to the roller or pass it to the corner and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaden McDaniels on being the new Kyle Anderson<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mimic his game but like Kyle, he\u2019s super smart. He plays at his own pace and he\u2019s kind of a point guard. I always joke and say I could be a point guard, but we not gonna talk about that(laughs). But yeah, the pace that Kyle\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/nzovw6ErRF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) December 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

He would also expand on Finch\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just be hoopin for real,\u201d he said, \u201cand if I see someone open imma pass it, and if I\u2019m open, I shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could Jaden McDaniels really be Kyle Anderson?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anderson only played two seasons with Minnesota, but 2022-23 was arguably the best season of his career. He shot 50.9% on 7.2 attempts per game, while making a career-best 41.0% on his threes. He added 5.3 rebounds and a career-high 4.9 assists per game, with 1.5 turnovers per game. Defensively, Anderson also added 0.9 blocks per game and 1.1 steals per game in 28.4 minutes per game.<\/p>\n

His advanced statistics also paint a great picture of his impact. Anderson\u2019s 113.9 offensive rating that year was 0.6 better than the Timberwolves\u2019 rating as a team. Likewise, his defensive rating of 111.7 was 1.4 points better than Minnesota\u2019s rating. His 3.25 assist-to-turnover ratio was stellar, and almost double the Wolves\u2019 1.71 team ratio.<\/p>\n

Anderson could guard all five positions on defense. In 2022-23, he spent 34.1% of his possessions defending guards, 59.3% on forwards, and 6.6% on centers. Overall, he held opponents to shooting 37.6% on threes and 47.7% from the field. He also forced 133 turnovers in 69 games.<\/p>\n

Shockingly, McDaniels\u2019 statistics this year aren\u2019t too far off from Anderson\u2019s. In a lot of cases, they\u2019re better.<\/p>\n

McDaniels is shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.0% on threes. His 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists are also near Anderson\u2019s. And his 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks are nearly identical to Anderson\u2019s. The largest difference is that he averages 1.8 more assists per game than turnovers compared to Anderson\u2019s 3.25.<\/p>\n

On the advanced stats side, McDaniels\u2019 117.5 offensive rating is 0.7 better than Minnesota\u2019s team rating this season. His 110.9 defensive rating is 1.4 better than the team\u2019s (112.3) and identical to Anderson\u2019s. However, his 1.55 assist-to-turnover ratio is less than half that of Anderson\u2019s, despite this being the second-highest ratio of McDaniels\u2019 career.<\/p>\n

However, McDaniels\u2019 versatility matches Anderson\u2019s. McDaniels spends 61.3% defensive minutes on guards, 28.6% on forwards, and 10.1% on centers while also holding opponents to shoot 43.9% from the field and 33.7% from three. He\u2019s also forced 65 turnovers in just 31 games this year.<\/p>\n

Aside from their assist-to-turnover ratios and assist numbers, McDaniels and Anderson are similar players statistically, considering Anderson\u2019s usage was 14.3% and McDaniels\u2019s is 18.6%. That suggests that while Anderson was able to do more with less usage as a playmaker, he still wasn\u2019t a focal part of the offense. Instead, both players were important tertiary pieces on offense while being relied heavily on defense.<\/p>\n

Realistically, the biggest difference between the fond memories of Anderson in 2022-23 and this season\u2019s McDaniels is age. Anderson was 29 years old, whereas McDaniels is just 25. If you look back to Anderson\u2019s age-25 season, his assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.21, much closer to McDaniels\u2019.<\/p>\n

At first glance, comparing Anderson and McDaniels sounds wild. However, on paper, the two players share many similarities. As McDaniels acknowledged, on the court, they do have the same slow-step finishing ability and connection with Gobert. While it may take years to determine whether the two players\u2019 careers and styles mirror each other fully, at this point, I think it\u2019s clear that McDaniels is much closer to Anderson than expected.<\/p>\n

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