Player Preview: Jalen McDaniels - if he can shoot, he’ll play.

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NBAE via Getty ImagesTHE RAW NUMBERS:

9.4 PPG/4.3 RPG/0.8 APG/0.7 steals/ 0.2 Blocks

.455/.332/.841

First off, just to avoid any confusion, this is NOT the J. McDaniels that fractured his hand at the beginning of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ playoff run last season. THAT McDaniels (Jaden) is a 6’9, 185 lb defense-first power forward who was taken 28th overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

THIS McDaniels (again, JaLEN) is actually THAT McDaniels’ older brother, and, similar to his younger sibling, Jalen is a 6’9, 205lb defense-first power forward who was taken 52nd overall in the 2019 draft, by the Charlotte Hornets.

McDaniels is a very Project 6’9 kinda…