Jalen McDaniels has defied odds, carved out role with Hornets. Family is a big reason why

He’s the Charlotte Hornets’ amateur resident comedian, often evoking more than a chuckle or two with an effortless motion.

At first guess, one may surmise that description fits the team’s All-Star point guard since LaMelo Ball’s megawatt smile and boisterous personality are enough to draw a reaction at times by themselves. But the person who conjures up the most laughs on the NBA’s sixth-youngest team isn’t the guy sporting those brightly-colored namesake sneakers.

It’s Jalen McDaniels. Yes, Jalen McDaniels.

“He’s the funniest person on the team,” Terry Rozier said. “I know I’m not the only person who would say that. Super quiet, but if you know him then he ain’t that quiet. He does little funny (stuff).

“It’s something that you really can’t talk about. It’s something that he just does and it’s dumb funny. It’s super funny. His facial expressions and everything. It’s too funny.”

That persona runs counter to what many think upon initial interactions with McDaniels. No one mistakes him for a jokester.

“I get that a lot,” McDaniels said. “Like, ‘Bro you don’t talk a lot. You give off standoffish-type vibes.’ I don’t know. I’m not trying to give off that, but people who I don’t really know ... I’ve kind of got to get comfortable first. That’s the biggest thing, is just me being comfortable.”

He certainly has settled in with the Hornets. Anyone who’s closely followed McDaniels’ tenure can see steady improvement since the team drafted the lanky 6-9, 210-pounder out of San Diego State with the 52nd pick in 2019.

McDaniels, 24, has morphed into a versatile member of the Hornets’ rotation who started at small forward in Friday night’s win against Minnesota, a victory that upped his record to 3-0 against little brother Jaden as a pro. It’s a role into which he may become even more entrenched if Gordon Hayward is sidelined for a lengthy period of time nursing a left shoulder contusion.

Numbers for McDaniels are up across the board — he’s averaging nine points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and nailing 34.8% of his shots beyond the 3-point line — and his confidence level is at an all-time high.

“It feels great because I really know I’m not supposed to be here,” McDaniels said. “Statistics for the second-round, 52nd pick, 54th pick or whatever it was is like, ‘Not supposed to be here, out the league second year.’ That’s what the statistics say. So it’s just me being an underdog. Even in high school I wasn’t recruited like that until my last year. I just know how this goes, I feel like I’ve always got to take the long route every time I do something. When I got drafted …”

He paused, reflecting on his journey.

“I don’t even know ... it was just starting over,” McDaniels said. “It was like, ‘We’ve been here before and we got to start from the bottom. I came here, first year, G League. I liked playing in the G League. It made me more confident so when I got called up, it was an easy transition. Second year, I had the G League bubble, went there, came back, stuck.

“Just continued to do what I do best – just playing with a high motor and knowing where to be on defense. Just playing good defense, being in my spots, offensively not trying to do too much. And I feel like I just kept those principles and it just got me to where I am now.”

Driven by family

So did the love and support he received from his parents growing up alongside his brother, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, in Tacoma, Washington. That’s what makes this holiday season so special for Jalen McDaniels, and he got a chance to tip it all off on Thanksgiving since his parents were in town for the Minnesota game. The two siblings were even matched up at times, creating moments that are vastly different from the youthful days when they were on the same team causing havoc around the Pacific Northwest.

Those days of honing their skills together at L.A. Fitness have paid off, days that may seem like yesterday but are instead years removed. McDaniels is now pseudo-veteran, having endured the rigors, difficulty and pitfalls associated with being anything other than a first-round selection.

“It’s just good watching the process,” Jaden McDaniels, the younger brother by two years, said. “I’m super proud to see where he’s at, just from coming from a second-round pick, just to be able to go to the G League, do all those other things to get to where he’s at and be in the rotation now, it’s fun to watch. And kind of inspires me to play harder and go harder.”

That influence runs deep for little brother, too.

“I’d say a lot, just because seeing him get offers in high school and go to college made me want to do those same things,” Jaden McDaniels said. “I kind of wanted to go to the same college as him but he ended up leaving. So when I saw him leave for the draft, I’m like, ‘Shoot, I’m trying to get to where he is and play with him or play against him at one time.’ So, it was all motivation.”

Their mother, Angela Washington, nearly choked up with tears of joy when those words were relayed to her as she sat in the Spectrum Center stands behind the Minnesota bench during the Hornets’ win. Jaden McDaniels is quiet by nature, and knowing his special and significant bond with Jalen conjures emotions.

“He’s always admired Jalen from afar,” Washington said. “When Jalen went off to college, I didn’t realize how hard it was on Jaden. I definitely saw there was a change in him. He missed his big brother. So, it melts my heart that he says that now. And it’s good. It’s good that Jalen is a big brother and a role model. For them to have that relationship means a lot. It means a lot to me because I want them to be close regardless of what happens in life.”

Jalen McDaniels’s growth during the past few years was spearheaded by a four-letter word instilled in him from the earliest days of playing basketball: Work.

That’s it. Develop a grind mentality. Dig in. Get extra hours in the gym.

“Here’s the whole thing: Your job don’t pay you if you don’t go to work,” the brothers’ father, Will McDaniels, explained. “Same thing here.”

Will McDaniels had no qualms about taking on extra trips to make that happen. He welcomed the added burden.

“For me, if it’s getting up early before school, putting up some shots, I’m willing to (help) do that,” he said. “I’m already up. On my way I’ll drop you off at the gym and your mom can pick you up. Just little stuff like that. Just encouraging them to keep doing their thing. Of course, every day you are not gong to want to do it.

“But you’ve got to find somewhere in your mind, ‘OK, it’s only 50 shots. Let me go do it.’ You’ve got to do it. We all want to work for the things we want. Can you imagine being in this position but you don’t put work in? But that’s how the kids look at it. They see the diamonds and all this and all that and they don’t see the work.”

Washington’s message was identical.

“When Jalen first decided to play basketball, I told him I would dedicate my time for basketball, but he’d always have to work,” she said. “At practice, always go out. During practice time and during games. Everything else will come after.”

Jalen McDaniels resembles his father physically, but it’s the other traits that have driven his path to the Hornets. Somehow, it comes back to that same four-letter word.

“My dad has always taught me to work hard,” said McDaniels, who’s earning $1.9 million in the final year of his contract. “You’ve got to work for what you want. That’s how he’s been his whole life. He really doesn’t ask me for nothing. ...

“He’s like, ‘I’m going to work. I want my own stuff.’ That’s him and that’s me, too. So, that’s exactly where I got it from. Always work hard. There’s going to be rough patches all the time. You’ve just got to go through it and just persevere and think positive.”

Will McDaniels works for Boeing, helping build parts of commercial airplanes mostly associated with the fuel area. Kicking back and calling it a career isn’t on his agenda, so he doesn’t get many opportunities to watch his sons up close. That’s what made his holiday excursion to Charlotte all the more rewarding.

“I’m 50 years old,” McDaniels said. “I’m not ready to retire. Listen, COVID was enough retirement for me. It woke me up and made me start paying attention to what’s going on around me and the things that I do to keep me productive. So, it’s important that we work.

“People say, ‘Hey Will, what would you like your son to buy you?’ I don’t want none of that material (stuff). To me it’s time. T-I-M-E. That’s all I want. The times I can get away from work to go to a game … At the end of the day, it’s good to see them grow. But I’m not only Dad, I’m friend.”

Jalen McDaniels’ parents also taught him about the importance of giving back to the community and he’s made sure to do that, recently hosting an event at the Dove’s Nest-Charlotte Rescue Mission where he joined volunteers to serve dinner to resident families in need. He also presented a check for $4,000 to help the mission purchase turkeys for local families. Last year, he donated meals to WFNZ’s street turkeys program since pandemic restrictions put in place by the NBA prohibited an in-person appearance.

It’s all coming together for McDaniels, on and off the court, which wasn’t a given leading into the draft.

He has overcome any concerns that lingered during the draft process, which stemmed from accusations by two former female high school classmates that McDaniels used his phone to film them performing intimate acts without their permission. No criminal charges were filed; however, the allegations — and subsequent civil suits — caused McDaniels’ stock to fall on draft boards.

McDaniels said he is indebted to Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak for giving him an opportunity.

“They really took a chance on me,.” McDaniels said. “Mitch, I give him all the credit. He’s the reason I’m here. I love it here. I just feel like I built a family here. ... Being in the city, going to normal food spots, I know people there. I just feel like I built a relationship with a lot of people.

“When I first got here, people really didn’t know who I was. They just read whatever. So, I’ve proved to people like, really, I’m a cool dude. There’s nothing you should be afraid of. I just feel like I’ve cleared the air.”