Jaden McDaniels had long intrigued before he entered the 2020 NBA Draft class, but are the Milwaukee Bucks willing to overlook his raw game and physical tools?
Once upon a time, Jaden McDaniels was viewed as one of the prize jewels in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.
A McDonald’s All-American from Federal Way, Washington, McDaniels was rated as the seventh-best recruit is RSCI rankings, per Basketball-Reference. And while he was heavily pursued by the University of Kentucky, McDaniels chose to stay near his home to play for Washington University.
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What was supposed to be a launching pad for the 19-year-old to the NBA was anything but as he experienced a tumultuous 2019-20 season with the Huskies, who compiled a 15-17 record and were 5-13 in conference play.
The weight of expectations and his considerable struggles, both individually and as a team, certainly took a toll on McDaniels as he picked up frustrating technical fouls was eventually relegated to a reserve role midway through the year.
For a player that stands as tantalizing, raw and immature as he does, McDaniels is set to enter the league with more questions hanging over him than NBA teams were ready to ask this time a year ago.
In 31 appearances with the Huskies this season, McDaniels averaged 13 points on a .405/.339/.763 slash line, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocks across 31.1 minutes per contest.
So without further ado, let’s dive deep into the game of Jaden McDaniels by examining his strengths and weaknesses, take a peek into how draft experts currently rate him, and project his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.