With Ant on the shelf, Jaden McDaniels' All-Star opportunity has arrived
· Yahoo Sports
During training camp this fall, ahead of his seventh NBA season, Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels said he wants to be an All-Star. It was a lofty goal for a player who had never averaged 15 points per game in a season, but it also didn’t feel ridiculous to those who have watched McDaniels improve year after year after year in Minnesota.
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Realistically, McDaniels being an All-Star this season was rather unlikely as long as he was the No. 3 option behind Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball in the Wolves’ offense. Through the first four games this season, McDaniels averaged career-highs of 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks on 59 percent shooting. He’s off to a great start, but his shot volume (11 FGA per game) has remained in line with the past couple seasons.
That’s about to change. Edwards is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and miss at least two months. That’s 33.3 points and 26 shots per game that will need to be replaced. And while guards like Ayo Dosunmu and TJ Shannon will take on some of that offensive load, no player is better suited to increase their usage than McDaniels. This is his chance to be the Wolves’ No. 2 offensive option behind Ball, if not their leader in field goal attempts on most nights.
We already have evidence that McDaniels is capable of effectively scaling up his offense when Edwards is unavailable. The best example came in Game 6 of last season’s first round, when McDaniels took 25 shots and made 13 of them in a 32-point, 10-rebound performance to close out the Nuggets.
At 26 years old, McDaniels has never been better prepared for this opportunity than he is right now. His constant upwards trajectory as an offensive player has been on full display early this season and in last year’s playoffs. He can knock down threes at over a 40 percent clip. He’s an elite midrange scorer because of his length and touch. He can get all the way to the rim as a driver or throw down vicious dunks in transition.
So far this season, McDaniels has taken 11, 14, 10, and 9 shot attempts. Moving forward, the Wolves need him to put up at least 15 per game, and perhaps closer to 20. If he can maintain a good level of efficiency while doing so, he could average well over 20 points a night during Edwards’ absence. Pair that with his elite defense, and you just might end up with an All-Star case for McDaniels if the Wolves are able to win plenty of games without their superstar scorer.
Want to be an All-Star, Jaden? This is your chance to make it happen.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Timberwolves section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.