Coming out of Washington as the 28^th draft pick in the 2020 draft, McDaniels had displayed glimpses of his defensive prowess and overall talent, however, plenty were unsure of how polished his game was given prior to the start of his first and only college season, he had been considered him a top 5 prospect.

On draft day, McDaniels was originally selected by the Lakers, then traded to OKC and finally wound up in Minnesota for Pokusevski. In hindsight, this was the perfect environment for him to develop. A team that was already offensively gifted through Towns, Edwards and DLO, but very much lacked a defensive identity. Fast forward to today and McDaniels is now one of the premier defenders in the NBA. While the recognition may not be outpouring amongst the media, players within the league are quick to recognise his value. Even just recently, Paul George identified McDaniels as “One of the guys that are ultra talented, but probably not on everybody’s radar. He got game. Great defender, good feet, quick hands.”

Pairing Gobert with McDaniels has created a defensive identity for the Timberwolves, combining a defensive anchor in the paint with length and versatility on the perimeter. McDaniels (ranked in the 93^rd percentile for DEPM) is routinely assigned to the opposition’s best guard and wings in single coverage, leaving him to lock up NBA leading scorers and impact the game in a way his teammates can’t. Prior to the NBA, he would study guys like Siakam and Isaac, but now he zeroes in on upcoming opposition by analysing their play styles and tendencies.

As the NBA transitions to positionless basketball with 6’8 point guards like Luka and Giddey and mobile 3pt shooting centers like Lopez, Embiid and Jokic, players than can guard multiple positions are the most coveted archetype in the league. At 6’9 with a 7’0 wingspan, quick feet and mobility, McDaniels embodies everything a top-tier defender requires in their toolkit in modern-day basketball. “For me, my length, how tall I am and how fast I can move my feet help me a lot. Being able to move as quickly as guards and guard one through four helps me the most.” It is evident this is the case, with the 7^th best McDaniels ranked iso defender based on opponent FG%. Those ahead of him include fellow paint and DPOY Gobert, OG Anunoby, Mobley, Banchero, Wiggins and Randle. In key matchups this year, he has risen to the challenge, with defensive possessions including:

• Jalen Green – 7/24 FG (29.2%)
• Damian Lillard – 9/22 (40.9%)
• Luka Doncic – 8/20 (40%)
• Kawhi Leonard – 7/17 (41.2%)
• De’Aaron Fox – 6/15 (40%)
• Tyrese Haliburton – 3/11 (27.3%)
• LeBron James – 3/10 (30%)
• Klay Thompson – 2/7 (28.6%)
• Jaylen Brown – 2/7 (28.6%)
• Stephen Curry – 2/6 (33.3%)
• Donovan Mitchell – 1/6 (16.7%)

A key component of his ability to defend the 1-4 spot is his work rate along the perimeter. His long frame, accompanied by freakish athleticism and agility at his size allows him to stay in front of his matchup and beat them to the next spot. According to Bball Index’s on ball defence metric, McDaniels ranks as the best perimeter defender in the 22-23 season, with a matchup difficulty ranking in the 98^th percentile. This then translates into opponents trying to drive more to create a shot, with McDaniels having defended more drives than any other player in the league this year. However, this hasn’t ended up much better for opponents as he is holding them to just 47% on driving attempts and manages to stay in front the majority of the time, regardless of matchup. Of the 570 times an opponent has attempted to drive on him, a blow-by has occurred just 95 times (16.7%), an incredibly low figure given the depth and quality of players he is guarding. Inside, he is also an elite defensive presence and when lining up at power forward presents a two-headed monster with Gobert alongside him. McDaniels is a disciplined defender, rarely falling for shot fakes or swiping at the ball, especially on these drives, meaning opposing players are forced to pass or attempt a tough field goal, as opposed to being bailed out and heading to the charity stripe. This discipline has translated into his elite paint defence, allowing just 0.69 points per possession on isolation shots at the rim.

McDaniels defensive prowess is even more impressive given the fact he almost exclusively defends the opposition’s best player. Given he resides in the upper right-hand side (graph below), it is evident he spends the bulk of his minutes defending the best players on the opposition’s team, regardless of position. Simultaneously, he is also ranked as the best on-ball defender, despite facing such difficult matchups.

It’s safe to say a combination of his quickness, length, basketball IQ and tenacity contribute towards the defensive monster McDaniels’ is. To have such a grasp of the game defensively and have a history of locking down the league’s best scorers at just 22 years old is an incredible feat, one that really should put him in NBA all-defensive team conversations.

His defensive contributions may not be flashy and he’s not even in the top 10 candidates for DPOY, however, his value to the Timberwolves, or any other team that would be lucky to have him is invaluable. Not many teams have the luxury of being able to have a versatile, elite defender that they can send to guard the opposition’s best player, regardless of position. As the Timberwolves core continues to mesh and gel as a unit, I can only see the value of McDaniels’ growing, especially when playoffs roll around and defence is worth its weight in gold.