The NBA season is underway, and one of the more promising teams is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They've made the playoffs two consecutive seasons, and while they haven't gotten out of the first round, their core group of players gives them reason for hope.
And they just locked up one of those guys to a long-term deal. The Timberwolves and wing Jaden McDaniels agreed to a five-year, $136 million rookie extension. McDaniels has quietly turned into one of the best 3-and-D defenders in the league. He hit just under 40% of his threes last season (39.8%) and is a top candidate for an All-Defense team this year.
McDaniels joins guard Anthony Edwards in signing a big extension this offseason to stay in Minnesota. The team also has Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on supermax deals.
This move is even more impressive, considering how McDaniels ended last season.
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The last time we saw McDaniels on a basketball court in a regular-season game, he was frustrated with some officiating and how the Timberwolves had been playing. He punched a wall in frustration and ended up fracturing his hand. Minnesota still ended up making the play-in and ultimately received the No. 8 seed, where they lost in five games to the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
McDaniels will also start this season in street clothes as he recovers from a calf injury. Still, the team believes in him to continue making strides.
When Minnesota traded several players and draft picks for Gobert, they reportedly told teams that McDaniels would not be part of the deal. They saw the potential he had, and they're willing to spend to try and advance further in the playoffs. The Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference Finals once and are among the NBA teams who have never won a championship.
And McDaniels, 23, was only 22 years old when he lashed out at the wall. We all do some dumb things in our early 20s. As long as he learns from it, he can help the team in the long run.
