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Jaden McDaniels

Minnesota Timberwolves · #3 · Plus starter
PF6'9"185 lbage 256 yrs expWashingtonSeattle, WA
3rd best of 12 on MINworth +3.3 wins to the rotation
OFF74DEF76
Elite shooter & rim protector
MIN
Minnesota Timberwolves
Western · Northwest · proj. 48-34 (▲+1.8)
→
All-Defensive

A long, switchable wing stopper who's quietly become one of the more complete two-way role players in the league. He shot a sparkling 41.2% from three on real volume while hitting 51.5% overall, and his perimeter defense plus surprising shot-blocking (1.0 a game) make him a perfect modern fit next to Edwards and Gobert.

14.8
PPG
4.2
RPG
2.7
APG
1.1
SPG
1
BPG
GP 73MPG 31.7FG% 51.53P% 41.2FT% 83.5TS% 61.1USG% 18.5PER 14BPM -0.3VORP 1EPM +1.8
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Shooting92
Rim protection91
Scoring85
Perimeter defense85
Inside finishing77
Playmaking72
Rebounding57

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2020-21 to 2025-26 · 6 seasons
11.1
PPG
4.2
RPG
1.7
APG
439
GAMES
Points 4,868Win Shares 23.1Starts 363Best season 2024-25 · 12.2 ppg
Games played, last three seasons92%

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 23 → 25
▲Rising

Jaden, at 25, is on a clear upward trajectory — 0.6 → 3.0 wins of value over the window.

Age curve▲ Ahead of curve
Developing faster than a typical player his age.
2026-27 forecast▲ 5.7 wins (+2.7)
Starts from his player rating, which is higher than last season's total. Age should add a little at 26. Range 3.7–7.7 wins.
Production (BPM)-2.6 → -0.3+2.326-27 forecast -0.5
His per-possession game has clearly sharpened.
2023-24: -2.6 · 72 games2024-25: 0.0 · 82 games2025-26: -0.3 · 73 games2026-27: -0.5 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)0.6 → 3.0+2.426-27 forecast 5.7
He's worth more wins to a team than he was.
2023-24: 0.6 · 72 games2024-25: 3.8 · 82 games2025-26: 3.0 · 73 games2026-27: 5.7 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $23.7M vs $26.2M salary−$2.5M
He is paid about what his play is projected to be worth.
$26.2M salary2023-24: $2.3M · 72 games2024-25: $9.4M · 82 games2025-26: $6.9M · 73 games2026-27: $23.7M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $26,200,001 cap hit · through '29. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$26,200,001Guaranteed
12% of the club’s payroll · 4th of 12 priced deals
Runs through3 seasons
Est. market value$23,672,000 /yr
Surplus−$2,528,001
FAIR VALUEpaid about what he is worth

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.