One of the most enjoyable perks of watching talented young NBA players develop is seeing the incremental improvements in niche areas. You can see him learn from his reps in very specific areas, and while they often won’t help him become a 30-point-per-game scorer, they may contribute to success.
This is the type of progress we have seen in Jaden McDaniels’ passing. McDaniels averaged 1.3 assists per game over the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first 21 games of the season leading up to Dec. 8; in the 18 games since then, he is averaging 2.6 dimes. Not crazy numbers, but McDaniels interior passing, in particular, has been key in this elevated playmaking.