After making back-to-back Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves fell short of making a third straight trip in 2026, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the second round. 

A disappointing end to the season brought about big changes for the Timberwolves as they traded their starting power forward in a salary dump to the Brooklyn Nets, and then traded backup power forward and former Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball. 

Trading two of their top three frontcourt players, but adding one of the most dynamic creators in the league, will give Minnesota a new look next season, and fans are already excited about the potential backcourt of LaMelo and Anthony Edwards.

While all the excitement is around the acquisition of Ball and how he fits next to Edwards, the emergence of Jaden McDaniels has been overlooked. 

McDaniels rose to the occasion in the first round of the playoffs when the Timberwolves upset the Denver Nuggets in six games, averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He established himself as the second biggest threat on the team behind Edwards thanks to his ability to create his own shot and guard multiple positions on the defensive end. 

Before the team acquired Ball, the team was banking on internal improvement from McDaniels, particularly as a playmaker, as they looked to get back into contention and compete with the likes of the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. 

That improvement should still be expected. 

Ball will take pressure off of McDaniels as a creator, but without Randle and Reid, he is now tasked with a different responsibility. 

He'll see a lot of time playing the four and acting as a stretch option on offense while guarding multiple positions on defense. There is every reason to think McDaniels will thrive in this role as he is a stout defender and shot 41% from three last season. Expect his volume to increase with Ball getting him the ball more, and Edwards taking the next step as a playmaker himself. 

With Donte DiVincenzo set to miss time to start the season, McDaniels' role becomes even more pertinent as they will need him to provide the spacing and shooting they'll miss.  

There is no doubt that Minnesota has frontcourt issues after trading Randle and Reid and failing to obtain a suitable replacement. Those losses, along with the loss of DiVincenzo, put a lot of holes in Minnesota's overall lineup.

McDaniels can mitigate a lot of those issues if he's able to be the player that fans, the front office, and Anthony Edwards believe he can be.