2020 NBA Mock Draft: Looking to the future after a chaotic 2019 draft

While we were not high whatsoever on McDaniels’ brother, Jalen, who was drafted by Charlotte at No. 52 in 2019, Jaden’s skill level is much higher and therefore he becomes much more than a raw athlete with 3-and-D potential.

Jaden stuck out in a big way at the McDonald’s All-American game even in that loose scrimmage environment, showing pull-up shooting ability as well as explosive athleticism as an at-rim finisher.

Take it from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who studies these players from a young age:

"“He’s a 6-11 forward who moves like a 6-6 wing, and can legitimately create a shot for himself in the halfcourt. His handle for his size is impressive and can get him separation when combined with his size to shoot over defenders, but is still loose by college ball-handler standards. He shoots it well for a player his size, but is still a pretty inconsistent in the grand scheme. His frame is extremely skinny, and allows defenders to push him off the ball easily. Basically, everything is graded on a curve right now for McDaniels.”"

We saw under new Washington coach Mike Hopkins the impact a wildly athletic wing can have, as long as his offensive role is limited. That frame of reference came from Matisse Thybulle, who was about as raw offensively as they come, roaming around in the halfcourt and saving his energy for defense. Perhaps McDaniels can earn the same type of leeway from Hopkins and show out, even in Hopkins’ restrictive zone.

Along with teammate Isaiah Stewart, McDaniels should be able to cover a ton of ground defensively. Washington is the Pac-12 favorite right now, with former Kentucky guard Quade Green transferring to run the offense. That gives McDaniels a large spotlight to develop his offensive game and become a wrecking ball in the zone.