Portland Trail Blazers: 5 possible two-way contract candidates

5. K.J. McDaniels

K.J. McDaniels is a springy swingman out of Clemson with three years of NBA experience. He was a member of the Trail Blazers’ Summer League team and played a major part in helping them win the 2018 title.

He only averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in seven appearances over the full circuit. However, his 17 points and seven rebounds in the championship game pushed Portland to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The performance earned McDaniels MVP honors for the title game.

McDaniels spent all of 2017-18 in the G League, playing 31 games with the Grand Rapids Drive. He averaged 16.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, and shot 48.7 percent from the field.

At 6’6″ and 205 pounds, the 25-year-old McDaniels still has plenty of bounce and is capable of being disruptive on both ends of the floor. If he were to get a deal and produce, he could find himself slotted in as a small forward behind Maurice Harkless and Evan Turner.

K.J. McDaniels has shown flashes of a useful two-way player, but hasn’t really been given the chance to develop since his days with the Philadelphia 76ers teams. If the Blazers reward his Summer League with a two-way deal, he may be able to turn the corner and turn into a consistently productive player.