Minnesota Timberwolves: Scouting Jordan McLaughlin
By Ethan Becker
The Good
Jordan McLaughlin is the definition of an “intangibles” player. Although his work in the box score is really good, his work outside of traditional stats is what should put this guy on everybody’s radar.
The biggest thing McLaughlin does is moving without the ball. Not only does he create looks for himself with his off-ball movement, but he opens up space on the court for his teammates with it. Because of this, he’s also really good on the fast break.
He has amazing court vision, on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court. Combine that with his impressively high basketball IQ and McLaughlin is a prime example of a “pure point guard,” the player who looks to pass or drive with the ball first before scoring.
McLaughlin uses that court vision to rack up steals and assists, which he’s averaging 1.6 and 3.6 per game, respectively, in this year’s Summer League. His basketball IQ keeps his turnovers low, recording a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio this summer.
McLaughlin has also shown tremendous improvements in all of his stats every time he’s played. From 2018 Summer League, to 2018 G League, to 2019 Summer League, he’s always found a way to boost his stats from the previous stage of his career.
If the Timberwolves don’t decide to pick up McLaughlin, they would be foolish not to assign him to their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, considering that McLaughlin is almost certainly a future G League MVP.