According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels will not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Knicks due to a left calf strain.
McDaniels missed both games of a two-game series against the Dallas Mavericks in Abu Dhabi last week due to the injury, which is still considered to be minor. But a team source told Krawczynski that the plan is for McDaniels to be re-evaluated in a week and a half.
That timetable could put McDaniels’s availability for the season opener in jeopardy. The Timberwolves open the season on Oct. 25 against the Toronto Raptors and the timetable in Krawczynski’s report lines up with the 11 days between now and opening night
McDaniels enjoyed a breakout season with the Timberwolves last year, averaging 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 79 games. The 23-year-old also set career highs in field goal percentage (.517), 3-point percentage (.398) and efficient field goal percentage (.591) while becoming one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
McDaniels’s upside has spurned talks of a contract extension as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal but there have been no reports of progress with just over a week to go until the season opener.
