Jaden McDaniels

Western Notes: McDaniels, Kleber, Prince, J. Green, Grizzlies

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels is dealing with a minor left calf strain and hasn’t been able to practice this week, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Krawcyznski, McDaniels won’t be available for Saturday’s preseason game vs. New York, and the expectation is that he’ll be reevaluated in a week-and-a-half.

That puts McDaniels’ availability for the regular season opener on October 25 in potential jeopardy. It’s also possible the 23-year-old will have signed a new contract extension by the time he sees the floor again. The deadline for rookie scale extensions is Oct. 23, and McDaniels is among the prime remaining candidates to receive one.

Here are a few more items from around the Western Conference:

  • Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber has missed at least 22 games in each of the last three seasons, including 45 in 2022/23. The focus this offseason for Kleber, who didn’t play for Germany during the World Cup, was ensuring that he felt 100% entering the NBA season. “I wanted to make sure I was healthy,” Kleber said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “That was obviously not the case last year and it was very frustrating when you can’t be out there with the team. So the goal (in the summer) was to progressively increase the workouts to be ready for the long NBA season.”
  • Lakers head coach Darvin Ham isn’t committing to Taurean Prince as his fifth starter to open the season, but the veteran forward has started the team’s last three preseason games – including twice alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves – and scored 17 points in 20 minutes vs. Golden State on Friday. “You can just throw him on the floor,” Ham said of Prince, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “He’s a pro’s pro. He’s the quintessential three-and-D guy. His scrappiness. His activity. His communication with his teammates trying to keep everybody focused on that side of the ball. As well as a guy who doesn’t have to force anything. He knows his spots. He knows where to be. He can finish in the paint, make threes obviously. But just the consummate professional.”
  • Jeff Green‘s playing career could’ve ended prematurely when he underwent open-heart surgery in 2012, but the Rockets forward is now the NBA’s ninth-oldest player and says he’s trying to “enjoy the little things” as he enters his 17th season, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I’m really appreciative of all the things that I’ve been through to get to this point,” Green said. “I could have ended at year five. And here I am, going into year 17 and able to still play this game that I love.”
  • Memphis finished last season third in the NBA in defensive rating. New Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart sees no reason why the team can’t finish first in that category this season, as Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press details.

Wolves Notes: Edwards, KAT, Anderson, McDaniels

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns developed a chemistry on offense that helped the Timberwolves reach the playoffs in 2022, but that connection was missing last season, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The obvious reason, according to Hine, is that both players were trying to adjust their games to incorporate Rudy Gobert. Rekindling the connection between Edwards and Towns will be a priority in training camp.

“The key for us is to recapture the chemistry that Ant and KAT have always had,” coach Chris Finch said. “I’m not overly concerned about that, but because we played in a very different rhythm for most of the season, when Karl came back, that two-man game between him and Ant wasn’t as prevalent as it needs to be or should be.”

Towns missed much of the season with a calf injury, which slowed down any progress he and Edwards might have made in figuring out the best way to utilize Gobert. Edwards expects things to be different now that they’ve all had time to work together.

“We’re going to see it this year, man,” Edwards said. “KAT, he’s super healthy. He’s feeling good. I’m feeling good, so I think it should be fun. As long as we stay healthy, I think it should be super fun to see how we start to jell together, try to get back to where we was probably two years ago.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

  • Kyle Anderson was worried that his career might be over after suffering an injury to his left eye in the playoffs, but he’s almost completely recovered after offseason surgery, according to Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. At Thursday’s media day, Anderson said he still can’t see well in the dark, but otherwise his vision is normal. “It was obviously rough like early July, late June,” he said. “I’m playing pickup in these small New Jersey gyms, it’s dark, and I can’t see a thing. But it’s gotten a lot better now. I’m sure an NBA arena, with great lighting, it should be fine.”
  • The Wolves opened training camp on Friday without an extension for Jaden McDaniels, notes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The 23-year-old forward, who’s gaining a reputation as an elite defender, said he’s more focused on basketball than his contract. “I know the contract thing is there,” McDaniels said, “but I just try to let my agents handle it and continue to get better as a player.”
  • The Wolves are emphasizing maturity after failures in that area derailed last season, Hine adds in a separate story. McDaniels wasn’t available for the playoffs because he broke his hand by punching a wall, and Gobert was suspended for the play-in opener after taking a swing at Anderson on the bench in the final regular season game. “Our lack of organizational success is very evident and clear,” team president Tim Connelly said. “So until we take ourselves more seriously, no one else will take us more seriously. There’s been a very loud mandate and risen bar about how we handle ourselves.”

Northwest Notes: Thunder, McDaniels, Edwards, Towns, Jazz

The Thunder have plenty of draft assets and young players to dangle for a proven star. However, general manager Sam Presti doesn’t believe this is the right time to make that kind of trade, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.

Presti wants to see his young team develop more with what they have before taking that route.

“I don’t think you can make a rational case for it now,” Presti said. “Perhaps at some point when we have a little more information, the team has demonstrated its capability and played in high-performing games and we see what our limitations are, potentially. But I don’t know that there’s a lot of good rational thinking behind that other than impulse and following content creation. That is just part of the world that we live in.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Timberwolves are hopeful of reaching a rookie scale extension agreement with forward Jaden McDaniels in the coming days, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets. “Yeah, certainly. … Had some constructive conversations with his agents and fingers crossed we’d like to get something done,” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. McDaniels will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.
  • Who is the current team leader and face of the franchise the TimberwolvesKarl-Anthony Towns or Anthony Edwards? According to Edwards, that’s not even an issue, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. “That’s what people try to do, man,” Edwards said. “They try to, like, break you up. Who’s the best player, you or KAT? Or who should take the last shot, you or KAT? And I don’t think it’s about any of that.”
  • The Jazz have finalized their coaching staff, according to a team press release. Chad Forcier, Rick Higgins, Scott Morrison, and Mike Williams are the newcomers to Will Hardy‘s staff. Evan Bradds, Chris Jones, Sean Sheldon, Lamar Skeeter and Jason Terry are the returning assistants.

Connelly Says Wolves Want McDaniels “To Be Here As Long As Possible”

As a former first-round pick entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2023/24 regular season starts.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said after last season ended that both Anthony Edwards and McDaniels would receive lucrative extension offers this offseason once they became eligible. Edwards signed a maximum-salary deal in July, but McDaniels has yet to ink his own new contract.

Speaking to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic on his podcast, Connelly was hopeful about coming to terms on an extension with the young forward, who turns 23 next week.

We’d love to get something done,” Connelly told Krawcyznski. “We want Jaden to be here as long as possible. Oftentimes those back-and-forths pick up more as the season gets closer, but fingers crossed. In my experience in Denver and here, we like to reward people who earned it. Jaden is a huge part of what we’re doing now. He’s going to get better and better and better. Great kid. And we think his best basketball is in front of him.

As I told Jaden and his representation, the cool thing about extension talks is they should be overwhelmingly positive. The fact that you want an extension speaks to the team’s excitement about his upside. Very few guys are fortunate to get extensions, so again we’re hopeful we can meet that point where we’re both happy with something moving forward. I think he’s going to have a good year and we hope he’s here for a long, long time.”

Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in ’24/25. If they don’t sign extensions this offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

When we covered him as an extension candidate, we projected McDaniels could receive a deal in the range of $25MM annually — it will be interesting to see how much he actually makes if a deal comes to fruition.

Wolves Notes: Prince, Free Agency, Reid, Miller, Edwards

The Timberwolves waived Taurean Prince on Wednesday to avoid guaranteeing his $7,455,000 salary for the upcoming season, but there’s a chance he could be re-signed, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The decision was purely financial, Krawczynski adds, with president of basketball operations Tim Connelly needing to create some flexibility ahead of looming extensions for Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. Minnesota may be interested in bringing back Prince at a lower cost, depending on what happens early in free agency, sources tell Krawczynski.

The 29-year-old power forward has been a dependable part of the Wolves’ rotation during his two seasons with the team. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per night last season, and Krawczynski notes that Minnesota was 7-13 during a 20-game stretch he missed due to an injured shoulder.

The Wolves attempted to trade Prince’s contract before the salary guarantee date, Krawczynski adds. They talked to the Wizards about veteran point guards Monte Morris and Delon Wright, but weren’t able to make any progress toward a deal, sources tell Krawczynski.

There’s more from Minnesota:

  • With Prince’s salary off the books, the Wolves are now about $15.5MM under the tax line with four open roster spots. They’ll be able to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception when free agency begins Friday, and Krawczynski identifies a few names they might target. Among them are Eric Gordon, Bruce Brown, Dennis Schröder, Jevon Carter, Max Strus and Donte DiVincenzo, although all will have numerous suitors with similar financial resources.
  • In a separate story, Krawczynski discusses the implications of Naz Reid‘s new contract with Danny Leroux of The Athletic. The Wolves gave Reid a three-year extension at $42MM to keep him off the free agent market, but it will lead to some difficult decisions moving forward. Leroux points out that the new deals with Edwards and McDaniels, combined with the existing contracts for Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, will be enough to push Minnesota close to the tax line starting in 2024/25.
  • It appears Connelly is willing to give the Gobert experiment another year or two to succeed while stocking the roster with inexpensive young talent, writes Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. One of those pieces is second-round pick Leonard Miller, who was acquired from the Spurs in a draft night trade. “I don’t really know what position Leonard is,” Connelly said. “He grew up as a forward, so I think he can — I know he can — guard three positions. Then, offensively, I’ll let coach (Chris) Finch determine where he can best be deployed. What’s neat about the flexibility of our bigs is that while Rudy is a pure (center), we have some other guys who can play both (forward and center). Offensively, we have a bunch of guys that their skill set allows them to do things all over the court than, generally, most bigs can.”
  • Edwards has signed with WME Sports ahead of his extension talks, the agency announced (via Twitter).
  • In case you missed it, we took a deep dive into McDaniels’ case for a rookie scale extension.

Extension Candidate: Jaden McDaniels

This is the first installment in our 2023 series examining players who are prime candidates for contract extensions. This series will explore the player’s strengths and weaknesses, and will evaluate what a fair deal between the player and his team might look like (McDaniels will be extension-eligible when the new league year kicks in at midnight ET on Friday night).


Rundown

The 28th overall pick of the 2020 draft after one up-and-down college season at Washington, Jaden McDaniels became a rotation player almost immediately as a rookie for the Timberwolves, appearing in 63 games (27 starts) with averages of 6.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 1.0 BPG on .447/.364/.600 shooting in 24.0 MPG.

His second NBA season saw signs of progress in some ways, but regression in others. That isn’t meant to be a criticism – it’s simply a reality for most young players.

For example, his offensive role increased in 2021/22, with McDaniels averaging 9.2 points and 4.2 boards in 70 games (31 starts, 25.8 MPG). He also bolstered his two-point (54.4% to 57.9%) and free throw percentages (60.0% to 80.3%). However, his three-point percentage dropped to 31.7%, which leveled out his efficiency gains in other areas, and his foul rate increased.

Minnesota was bullish on the young forward’s upside, so the team kept him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, reportedly giving up a couple extra first-round picks instead. While that deal certainly was not favorable for the Wolves overall (to put it mildly), retaining McDaniels is at least looking like the correct decision.

Former first round-picks who have both of their team options exercised become eligible for rookie scale extensions in the offseason after their third year, as is the case here. So ‘22/23 was an important season for McDaniels, particularly from a financial perspective.

He responded with a career year, averaging 12.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .517/.398/.736 shooting in 79 games, all starts (30.6 MPG). He also posted a career-best 58.8% two-point percentage, with a major leap in his scoring efficiency (61.1% True Shooting percentage, vs. 55.2% and 55.3% in his previous two seasons).

Unfortunately, in the last game of the regular season with the Wolves vying for the postseason during the best individual stretch of basketball of his pro career, he punched a curtain that he didn’t realize had a cement wall behind it and broke his right hand. The fact that both McDaniels and Naz Reid (who just signed a three-year, $42MM extension) were injured for the play-in and playoffs right when they were peaking is an overlooked and promising aspect of the Wolves’ offseason, as there is reason to believe they’ll keep improving.

Strengths

At 6’9” with a 6’11” wingspan, McDaniels has elite length for a small forward. He’s a smooth, graceful athlete who is fast in the open court and quick on his feet in tight spaces, which is rare for a player his size.

He uses those tools to navigate screens, contest shots and cover ground on the less glamorous end of the court. McDaniels is one of top perimeter defenders in the NBA, as he received the 12th-most votes of any player for the ‘22/23 All-Defensive Teams, just missing out on the honor (I will never understand why there are two only two All-D teams and three All-NBA teams – more defensive players deserve to be recognized).

Despite having a thin frame, McDaniels is tenacious defensively and plays with an edge on both ends when he’s at his best. He doesn’t shy away from contact, especially if he has momentum.

McDaniels is an extremely versatile defender, with the ability to guard four positions – even five at times. He has strong instincts and is almost always tasked with defending the opposing teams’ best perimeter player. He’s elite on the ball, with excellent lateral footwork and recovering ability. McDaniels’ height allows him to see over the top of screens, and his length allows him to play a few feet off some of the point guards he’s tasked with defending, giving him extra space to maneuver. He’s also a strong weak-side rim protector and reacts well in “help the helper” scenarios.

McDaniels is a versatile offensive player, and a big part of his success in ‘22/23 wasn’t what you’d expect for someone who gets the generic “3-and-D” label – he actually attempted more twos and fewer threes.

I think the Wolves were placing McDaniels in a box a bit early in his career as far as only spotting up for threes at times. He showed throughout last season that he’s more effective – and keeps defenders more off balance – when he’s able to use other parts of his game as well.

Being a plus leaper with plus size makes him a natural lob threat. He has good timing when cutting to the basket, and is a good finisher at the rim. He can pump-fake and drive, handle the ball with both hands, initiate a fast break, run a bit of pick and roll, has a mid-range pull-up jumper, and shot nearly 40% from deep. McDaniels is more skilled than his scoring average might lead you to believe.

Granted, McDaniels’ offensive role was fairly modest for much of last season — he averaged just 8.6 shot attempts per game (55 games) leading up to the trade deadline. That number rose to 10.5 per game (23 healthy games) after the Wolves traded D’Angelo Russell (a score-first guard) for Mike Conley (a pass-first point guard) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in February.

Another big benefit for McDaniels is that he won’t turn 23 until the end of September, which means there’s theoretically plenty more time for improvement. He was a top-10 recruit entering college, so it’s not a new thing that he’s viewed as having considerable upside.

Weaknesses

While McDaniels is an all-around very strong defender, he’s a subpar rebounder for his position, pulling down just 3.9 boards in 30.6 minutes per game. His other weakness on that end is that he can be foul prone, which can be frustrating when paired with Karl-Anthony Towns’ own undisciplined fouls. That has been an issue in each of his three seasons.

A lack of weight and strength, combined with a high center of gravity, means McDaniels can be bullied off his spots at times. That works against him on both ends of the court, even if his speed and agility help make up for it to an extent. He’s definitely no pushover and doesn’t back down, but if you get into his chest, you can move him.

The 22-year-old’s decision-making can be a little dicey on both ends of the court. He’ll get caught in the air sometimes when going up for a shot, for example, and bites on occasional pump fakes. Cutting down on bad fouls would be a boon for his game. He doesn’t have great feel as a passer.

McDaniels doesn’t always take advantage of mismatches. He’s capable of driving past slower players and shooting over smaller ones, but sometimes he can be passive.

It’s hard to know how legitimate his three-point shooting was in ‘22/23 because his percentages have been all over the place in his career despite fairly consistent attempts. Having a more balanced shot distribution was a positive for his game overall, no doubt, but I’m curious to see if he’ll keep making outside shots at a high level long term.

I could easily see McDaniels becoming a player who scores in the high teens offensively. I’m not sure he can get to 20-plus, though it’s certainly possible if things break the right way. He’s a good ball-handler for his size, but not a great one, and his shot comes and goes.

Conclusion

McDaniels is a young, talented two-way player who brings versatility all over the court. If you were building a wing player from scratch to play defense, he isn’t far off from what you’d be looking for. He has also been pretty durable thus far.

There’s no question that he is highly valued by both the Wolves and all the other 29 teams in the league. He might not be a household name, but he’s going to get a major payday. The question is, how much?

The sample size of McDaniels being a significant contributor to winning is one season. He was very good in that one season, but it’s still only one season. He’s going to get paid based on what he could become just as much as who he currently is. There’s always some risk in that proposition.

McDaniels’ floor in an extension is probably four years, $90MM. That’s what Mikal Bridges got a few years ago and what De’Andre Hunter received before last season started. I thought Hunter got overpaid based on his past results and injury problems, and I would take McDaniels over him in a trade without hesitation.

It’s actually challenging to find a player who compares to McDaniels because he’s only 22, is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league at 6’9”, is a plus athlete, and has an interesting blend of offensive skills. He can’t create his own shot like the former No. 1 overall pick can, but I can see a little bit of Andrew Wiggins in his game. People thought Wiggins was underpaid when he got a four-year, $109MM extension last year.

Something in the middle of those two figures sounds about right to me for McDaniels. If he gets a four-year deal, I think he’s probably in line for around $100MM. The new CBA allows for five-year, non-max rookie scale extensions, and if he wants the extra year of security, I could see him getting about $125MM. $25MM annually is a lot for a role player, but he has a chance to be a special one and was already very good last season.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, McDaniels, Jazz, K. Johnson

Having traded away so many first-round picks a year ago to acquire Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves know they have to get “creative” if they hope to add young talent to their roster, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly told reporters during his post-draft press conference, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Minnesota entered Thursday night with a single second-round pick and acquired a second one that was used to draft Leonard Miller.

“We’re out a bunch of first-round picks, so we’re probably a bit more aggressive trying to find guys that are maybe a year early, or guys that have slipped for an injury, for example, like (No. 53 pick) Jaylen (Clark),” Connelly said. “I don’t think we can just follow too many trends. We’ve got to be creative and kind of cross our fingers.”

Clark, who injured his Achilles earlier this year and underwent surgery after the season, isn’t expected to be ready for the start of his rookie year. However, the Wolves are optimistic about what he’ll be able to bring to the team once he’s healthy, with Connelly referring to him as “the best perimeter defender in the draft,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“We’re going to be very patient with him,” Connelly said. “Prior to the injury we thought the guy was an easy first-round pick.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The Timberwolves received “a ton” of trade interest in forward Jaden McDaniels this week, league sources tell Krawczynski. Minnesota rebuffed inquiries from teams “all over the draft board,” Krawczynski adds.
  • Armed with first-round picks at No. 9, No. 16, and No. 28, the Jazz were a candidate to make a consolidation trade on Thursday. Instead, they hung onto all three picks and were thrilled to land Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “The way the draft board fell took a really fortunate turn for us,” general manager Justin Zanik said. “We got two of the guys that we had in our top 10 — players that we were, frankly, debating out which one to take at 9, and we ended up getting both of them. And at 28, getting a player that we had in our top 18.”
  • Hendricks, George, and Sensabaugh are all 19 years old, so the fact that the Jazz were willing to add all three to their 2023/24 roster is a reflection that they’re not in any hurry to accelerate their timeline for contention. Still, Tony Jones of The Athletic believes all three first-rounders are capable of playing rotation roles as rookies, noting that none of them are projects. “It’s not like we’re leaning into youth, we’re leaning into talent,” Zanik said, per Walden.
  • The Thunder‘s plan is for former Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson, the 50th pick in Thursday’s draft, to sign a two-way contract, head of basketball operations Sam Presti said on Saturday (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman).

Wolves’ Naz Reid In Search Of “Best Fit” As Free Agent

Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, who just completed his fourth NBA season, recently spoke to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune about his priorities ahead of unrestricted free agency. Financial considerations will play an important factor, but the 23-year-old says it’s not the end-all-be-all.

I just want to be put in the best fit,” Reid said. “Obviously money plays a part, but I definitely want to be able to develop in a situation where I’m used to the best of my abilities. A place where I’m able to do things that I could do.”

Hine followed up by asking if Reid thought the Wolves could optimize his abilities, and he said they could. As Hine writes, Reid has been working out in Minnesota the past few weeks after having the cast removed from his left wrist. Reid’s season was cut short in late March following the wrist fracture, so he was unavailable for the postseason.

In April, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly expressed hope that the Wolves would be able to reach a long-term agreement with Reid, who is extension-eligible, and the two sides have had regular discussions about a new deal, with Hine referring to those conversations as “productive and amicable.” Still, Reid intends to test his value on the open market, and says the opportunity to land a starting job — which Minnesota can’t currently provide with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on the roster — will be a priority.

I really value that as a person, as a player, because I feel like I worked to that potential,” Reid said. “But with my unique situation, it can go great either way, coming off the bench or starting. Whatever situation is presented. But for sure, I would prioritize that.”

Reid averaged career highs in multiple categories in 2022/23, including points (11.5), rebounds (4.9) and field goal percentage (53.7%) in 68 games (18.4 minutes per night). However, he was out of the rotation at times to start the season before Towns suffered a major calf injury. Reid ended the season on a strong note, with a larger offensive role off the bench with Towns and Gobert healthy. Would that type of role appeal to him?

I wouldn’t mind it,” Reid told Hine. “Whatever we can do for me to be back in Minnesota would be lovely, but I also feel like I’ve grown to a higher role or situation than I was in, in the beginning of the year.

I’m pretty sure everybody else would agree as well. As the time goes on, the years go by, you look for a higher role, better situations than you were in if you’ve obviously outgrown them. So, I would love to stay back in Minnesota, but it’s just like we got to find a position for it.”

It’s an interesting interview from Hine, with Reid also talking about growing “closer and closer” with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, two young franchise cornerstones who have been trying to sell Reid on returning. Both Edwards and McDaniels are eligible for rookie scale extensions this summer.

New York doesn’t currently need a center, with Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims all under contract next season. However, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that Reid has a “significant amount of fans” within the Knicks organization, and says he’s worth monitoring in the event they decide to trade Robinson or Hartenstein.

NBA Announces 2022/23 All-Defensive Teams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.

Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.

While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.

A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.

Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.

Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, Reid, McDaniels, Roster Decisions

The Timberwolves have decided their path to success involves building the best possible team around Anthony Edwards, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The top pick in the 2020 draft took another step forward this year, averaging 24.6 points per game during the regular season and 31.6 PPG in the first-round loss to Denver. In a news conference last week, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Edwards will be “paramount” in all the team’s future personnel moves.

“We’re tasked with developing, I think, the best 21-year-old in the world who’s a … great, great kid who wants it, who’s so competitive, whose work ethic is off the charts,” Connelly said. “As he grows, we want him to see winning and we want him to be around winners.”

The Wolves were criticized for giving up a large collection of assets to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah, but Connelly said that trade and the signing of Kyle Anderson were part of a strategy to ensure that Minnesota would remain a playoff contender. The front office wants Edwards to get as much postseason experience as possible early in his career.

“I think too often in our league the development coincides with losing, and we feel pretty strongly that the best way to learn to win is to win early and to win often,” Connelly said. “But certainly it’s a challenge to ensure that we’re doing anything and everything to make sure that he’s developing, not just individually but the team’s developing at a level that we think that we can get to. That’ll be the challenge this offseason.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

  • It doesn’t appear the team will undergo major changes this summer, Krawczynski adds. Connelly told reporters that the Wolves “really like” their current starting five and that Edwards has good chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the rotation. As Krawczynski points out, injuries limited the starters to seven games together after Mike Conley joined the team in February.
  • The Timberwolves hold Bird rights on Naz Reid, which means they can offer him more money than anyone else in free agency, but they’re not able to give him a starting spot with Towns and Gobert on the roster, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who believes that will factor into whether Reid decides to re-sign this summer. Hine also examines potential extension offers for Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, along with the need to find a reliable backup point guard.
  • In another Star Tribune article, Hine looks at which members of the current roster are likely to return next season.