JadenMcDaniels

Preseason question: McDaniels deserves credit for his steady growth into one of the league’s best defenders and most dependable wings, but Minnesota needs him to step up even more this season. The departures of Naz Reid and Julius Randle have transformed the makeup of this team. We all know the offense will flow through LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards, but McDaniels will be this team’s third option—and may often be asked to play the 4 when the Wolves go to smaller lineups. McDaniels’s backcourt teammates will both attract multiple defenders and create clean looks for him, but the Wolves need him to make 40 percent of his 3s and avoid the kind of struggles from deep that he faced last postseason, when he made just 23.8 percent of his triples.