Inside The Huskies

Two and Done: Jaden McDaniels Joins Isaiah Stewart in Draft

Washington's freshmen forwards both take early NBA entry as expected all along.
Dan Raley|
Two and Done: Jaden McDaniels Joins Isaiah Stewart in Draft
Two and Done: Jaden McDaniels Joins Isaiah Stewart in Draft

Jaden McDaniels, after a brief and uneven University of Washington career, has declared for early entry into the NBA draft via late-night tweet.

The 6-foot-9 freshman forward from Federal Way, Washington, projects as a top 20 selection by most analysts after originally penciling out as a lottery pick.

“I’m extremely excited to announce that I will be entering the NBA Draft!” McDaniels posted on Twitter. “Go Dawgs! Mac out!”

McDaniels finished as the UW's second-leading scorer (13.0) and rebounder (5.8) to fellow freshman Isaiah Stewart, who declared for the NBA draft two weeks ago.

While he offered dazzling guard-like moves as a big man, McDaniels demonstrated a level of immaturity that proved troubling for the talent scouts as well as the fans. 

He drew six technical fouls, ranging from throwing a ball at an official to hitting an opponent's head from behind on the foul line.

UW followers weren't sure what to make of McDaniels, who often seemed disinterested in his surroundings and didn't turn the Huskies into a dominant team. They finished 15-17.

"Jaden's a good kid, he really is," UW coach Mike Hopkins said at midseason.

McDaniels started 21 of 31 games for the Huskies after he injured an ankle and his play fell off. 

He was at his best near the end of the regular season, providing 16 points and 6 rebounds in a 90-83 upset at Arizona State, followed by a 20-point, 6-rebound effort in a 69-63 upset at Arizona. 

He seemed to be biding his time to make the jump to the pros, following his brother Jalen, a former San Diego State forward who spent most of his time in the NBA G League.

In this video, the younger McDaniels spoke about what he would do with his first NBA paycheck. Yes, he wants to buy a Lamborghini. 

Hopkins, in losing his second five-star player, wished McDaniels well in his pro pursuits. 

"He grew so much and his best days are ahead of him," the UW coach said. "Our ultimate goal is to help our players reach their dreams, and to see Jaden's dreams become reality is really fulfilling for our staff. Jaden's future is so bright."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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