Jaden McDaniels remains Minnesota's primary wing stopper, the player sent after the other team's toughest scorer no matter who is running the offense. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga reshaped the roster around him this summer, but his job on that end has not changed at all.
The Steady Number
Last season McDaniels played 73 games, logging 31.7 minutes a night with 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists, adding 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. He shot 51.5 percent from the field, hit 41.2 percent on 3.4 three-point tries per game, and made 83.5 percent of his free throws. He is not on Minnesota's injury report heading into Thursday's preseason game at Chicago, a clean bill of health that matters more for him than for most teammates given how much of the defensive plan runs through him.
Efficient, Not Central
McDaniels posted a 115.5 offensive rating and a 112.4 defensive rating last season, a net rating of 3.1, with a true shooting mark of 61.1 percent built on an 18.2 percent usage rate. His assist rate sat at 12.1 percent and his rebound rate at 6.5 percent, the profile of a wing who finishes possessions rather than starts them. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga now handle more of the shot creation Minnesota asks for, which leaves McDaniels free to keep doing what he already does well instead of taking on a bigger offensive load.
The Price of the Job
Minnesota is paying McDaniels 26.2 million dollars this season, a figure that rises to 28.0 million next year and 29.8 million in 2028-29. That salary assumes he keeps guarding the other team's best perimeter scorer every night, the role his 112.4 defensive rating backed up last season. With Ball, Kuminga and Josh Green reshaping the roster around him, what Minnesota needs from McDaniels this season is not a new role but the same one, held at the same standard, against whatever the league's best wings bring to Target Center and beyond.
What are Jaden McDaniels' stats this season?
The 2026-27 season has not started yet. Last season he averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 73 games for Minnesota.
Is Jaden McDaniels injured?
No. He is not listed on Minnesota's injury report ahead of the preseason game at Chicago.
