Timberwolves select Jaden McDaniels with No. 28 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the 28th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft from the Oklahoma City Thunder and selected Washington PF Jaden McDaniels on Wednesday night virtually from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The Thunder sent PG Ricky Rubio, the No. 25 pick and the No. 28 pick to Minnesota in exchange for the No. 17 pick in the draft.

First-round Pick Analysis

The Timberwolves have had a busy night. First, they took Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 pick. They then made a trade with the Thunder to net PG Ricky Rubio, bringing the veteran back to where it all began. Minnesota acquired the rights to Argentinian big Leandro Bolmaro and then took McDaniels, who at one point was considered one of the top prospects in the draft.

McDaniels was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school and a 5-star prospect who landed in Washington. He had a somewhat shaky freshman season with the Huskies, averaging just 13 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 31 games (21 starts). McDaniels has all the tools to be a great player in the NBA. He just needs to put it all together. He’s very long and athletic but is still extremely raw at a young age. McDaniels is more of a project, but has a ton of potential.