Jaden McDaniels has a world of upside, but plenty to prove

The Nuggets currently hold the No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft, and the DNVR Nuggets crew is examining who Denver could pick with that selection. Make sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday, November 18, the night of the draft, and DNVR Nuggets Draft Day LIVE streaming on Periscope and YouTube.

Who is Jaden McDaniels?

You may have noticed a trend in Tim Connelly’s approach to draft night. In each of the last two drafts, he’s walked away with fliers on high-risk, high-reward prospects in Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol. He’s not afraid to select a diamond in the rough or invest in players he describes as projects.

McDaniels has avoided the unfortunate injuries that allowed some of Denver’s biggest assets to slide into their open arms. Still, he’s among the more talented yet raw prospects in the draft. Teams drafting in the lottery can’t always afford to risk their pick on a player that might well flame out, and McDaniels might. But at some point, the longer he slides, his upside will become too appealing to ignore.

McDaniels is hoping to become the second member of his family to be drafted in as many years. Jalen, his brother, was selected 52nd overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 2019.

Jaden committed to Washington with a significant amount of hype as a late bloomer in the class of 2019. Standing at 6’10”, 200 lbs. with a 6’11.5” wingspan, he has the hard part out of the way — being born with an NBA player’s body. However, he’s still working on refining his skill set, and optimistic scouting reports lean heavily on words like “potential” and “upside” after an underwhelming freshman season with the Huskies.

McDaniels’ handle is strong for a player of his size, and he showed flashes of the ability to create his own shot when Washington needed it. He’s comfortable taking tough shots off the dribble and spotting up off-ball, but consistency holds him back in both areas. The latter is the key to him raising his floor and cracking an NBA rotation. There’s room for potentially versatile defenders who can space the floor on just about any roster. His potential as an on-ball scorer is the basis for projecting him as more than a role player.

Strengths

• Athleticism
• Size
• Ball Handling
• Spot Up Shooting Potential
• Potential Defensive Versatility

Weaknesses

• Weight/Strength
• Finishing Around/Through Contact
• Offensive Consistency
• Shot Selection

How does McDaniels fit with the Nuggets?

Offense

This would be a project pick. There’s virtually no path to McDaniels cracking the 2020-21 rotation and no reason for the team to prioritize that with bigger fish to fry as they set their sights on the title. But long term, the hope is clear: McDaniels evolves into the type of player Denver is beginning to hoard — someone with an unconventional skill set for their size and the talent to throw a wrench in defensive assignments. If McDaniels can develop into a consistent shooter off the ball, he’ll significantly raise his floor. If his ability to put the ball on the floor and create separation translates to the next level, then he begins to cut the figure of a 6’10” Small Forward. Yet another player with great size that doesn’t sacrifice spacing but creates mismatches in Denver.

These are big “ifs” for McDaniels, however. There’s reason to believe he can shoot, but he was not an efficient player in his lone college season and didn’t pick up easy points around the rim how you hope a player of his size would. He needs to become a more consistent shooter, grow stronger, and improve his decision making to take full advantage of his potential.

Defense

He’s 6’10”, athletic and long — a shadow of the prototype, the kind of body teams are hoping to load up on the defensive side of the ball. McDaniels has a wiry frame that might not support significant weight gain, but we’ve seen players transform in their first few years with an organization before. A slightly stronger and heavier McDaniels has a world of upside defensively.

The bottom line is this is a raw project on both ends of the court. There’s a host of seemingly NBA-ready role players in this draft, and McDaniels isn’t one of them. How lucky is Tim Connelly feeling?