NBA PM: K.J. McDaniels’ Hard Work is Paying Off

McDaniels’ Hard Work is Paying Off

K.J. McDaniels had just spent several hours working out and doing drills in a gym full of NBA executives and coaches at the 2014 NBA Draft Combine, but he didn’t feel satisfied with the work he had put in. He wanted to go through the drills again and put up some shots. So while other draft prospects were exploring downtown Chicago with friends or lounging at the NBA hotel, McDaniels purchased a basketball from a nearby sporting goods store and asked his trainer, Joe Abunassar of Impact Basketball, to meet him at a local gym late that night.

That evening, McDaniels spent two hours going through an NBA-level workout and shooting from the areas where he felt he struggled during the combine drills. He went through his workout on one end of the floor, while a pair of high school kids were shooting on the other (oblivious that they were sharing the court with an NBA prospect). The forward from Clemson worked out until the gym’s employees told him that they were closing. McDaniels seemed disappointed to leave, but he finished up his final drill, grabbed his ball, wiped off his sweat-covered face and trekked back to the hotel. He was finally ready to call it a day.

This is who McDaniels is – a kid who loves basketball, works harder than many of his peers and wants to be great. He’s been doing these intense late-night workouts for years and he’s not changing his approach just because he made it to the NBA.

Some players in McDaniels’ position wouldn’t train as hard as he does. After all, he could probably get by with a worse work ethic due to his freakish athleticism, 6’11 wingspan and 8’6 standing reach. But McDaniels isn’t content with just getting by or being average. Being an elite athlete isn’t enough for him; he wants to be an elite player and he knows the only way to become one is by living in the gym.

“I’ve watched the greats – from LeBron to Kobe to Michael to Carmelo to D-Wade – and I’ve seen the amount of work that they put in,” McDaniels told Basketball Insiders. “I’m on YouTube a lot watching those guys, and I try to model myself after them. I want to be the greatest out there. I’m going to keep trying. It’s only my rookie year, but I feel like I can do that. My work ethic isn’t going to change. The work never stops.”

Abunassar has been training NBA players for nearly two decades, including stars such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, John Wall, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka among others. He trained McDaniels in Las Vegas during the pre-draft process, and afterward stated that the young forward was one of the hardest workers he’s ever encountered.

“K.J. was unique in the sense that he always wanted to do more,” Abunassar said. “He never needed a day off.  His work ethic and focus were as good as any player I’ve had in the last 18 years. His play this season is not a surprise to me at all.”

McDaniels’ intense work ethic is clearly paying off. The Philadelphia 76ers selected him after he shockingly slipped to the 32nd pick in this year’s draft, and now he’s outplaying many of the players who were picked ahead of him. The 21-year-old is making plenty of teams regret passing on him.

“I use it as motivation, most definitely,” McDaniels said of falling into the second round in the draft. “I can’t really be mad about what happened at the draft, I just have to take advantage of what happened and do everything I can to be the best I can be.”

McDaniels has emerged as one of the most productive rookies in the 2014 class. He has averaged a well-rounded 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and one steal in 25 minutes off of Philadelphia’s bench. He’s 12th in the NBA in blocks per game (as well as first among rookies and first among perimeter players). Those numbers aren’t a fluke either, as he led the ACC in blocks per game (2.8) last season and earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

While the stats are impressive, McDaniels also impacts games in many ways that don’t show up in the box score, using his excellent motor to play suffocating defense, alter shots and dive for loose balls. He is a two-way player who makes his presence felt all over the floor.

In fact, McDaniels has been so good early in the season that he has even been mentioned as a Rookie of the Year candidate. The race is wide open now that Jabari Parker and Julius Randle are out for the rest of the campaign and other lottery picks like Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott have been sidelined as well. While Andrew Wiggins is likely the frontrunner to win the award at this point, McDaniels is certainly in the mix, which he admits is a bit surreal.

“It means a lot to have my name in that conversation,” McDaniels said of the Rookie of the Year talk. “Thinking back to the night of the draft, I just wanted to get picked. I just wanted to be drafted – that’s it. Now, to be in that conversation is a blessing and it pushes me even harder to go out there and not only score, but also play great defense. That’s [my top priority], being the best I can be on the defensive end. My job is to go out there and play defense and try to help my teammates win on that end.”

Philadelphia fans have started campaigning for McDaniels to receive Rookie of the Year consideration, just as they successfully did for Michael Carter-Williams last season. McDaniels has become a fan favorite in Philly, winning over the team’s supporters with his highlight dunks, monster blocks and impressive hustle plays. His work ethic, scrappiness and team-first approach also resonated with the Philadelphia faithful.

“It’s a great feeling,” McDaniels said when asked about being a fan favorite in Philadelphia. “It feels like my Clemson days, like it’s rubbing off on the league. I’m definitely starting to get more comfortable. It’s a blessing to make it this far and be a fan favorite, but I’m still trying to get better every day.”

Some rookies have trouble adjusting to the NBA, struggling with things like the pace of the game, tougher competition and rigorous schedule. McDaniels, though, seems like he’s having a blast. On the court, he seems comfortable and confident. Off the court, he says he’s enjoying all of the traveling that comes with the 82-game NBA schedule.

“It’s been fun,” McDaniels said. “I’m with my teammates and we have fun. Every time we’re on the road, we try to have a great time and entertain each other. It’s definitely a big adjustment though, traveling from city to city and going to some places where I’ve never been at all. To be at this level and be able to see all of these different places is special.”

McDaniels’ teammates rave about him and the impact he makes on both ends of the court.

“He has helped a lot,” Carter-Williams said of McDaniels. “He saves a lot of baskets with his shot-blocking ability, he hits some big shots for us and he gets to the rim [consistently]. He has really helped us out a lot this year.”

While this has been a rough year for the 76ers (who currently have the NBA’s worst record at 3-23), McDaniels has been one of the team’s few bright spots this season and it seems like he’ll be a significant piece for the franchise moving forward.

McDaniels can become a restricted free agent this summer since his deal with Philadelphia is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract worth just $507,336. He decided to ink that deal rather than locking himself into the usual contract that the 76ers have been giving to their second-round prospects, which is a multi-year pact that features two guaranteed years and up to two additional non-guaranteed options. Those contracts aren’t very player friendly and they can be dangled in trade talks since they aren’t guaranteed. McDaniels believed he’d play meaningful minutes and do well this season, so he essentially turned down two guaranteed years and a couple hundred thousand dollars more this season in order to bet on himself and enter free agency immediately after what he predicted would be a productive rookie campaign. In order to make him a restricted free agent, the Sixers must extend him a $1,045,059 qualifying offer (which would be a nice raise), and he could make even more if another team comes to the table and tries to pry him away from Philadelphia with a strategically structured offer sheet. Signing the one-year deal is looking like an excellent decision for McDaniels, especially since it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia letting him go with the way he has played.

For now, though, McDaniels is just focusing on the team’s results and doing what he needs to do as a pro on a daily basis. Adjusting to all of the losses has been frustrating for McDaniels and his teammates, but he’s just grateful to be in the NBA and in a situation that allows him to develop as a player and be a significant contributor each night.

“It’s tough,” McDaniels said. “You win some and you lose some. But just being able to be in this NBA environment is a blessing to me. And we’re still a young team. We’re going to keep trying to improve and get better every game. We take things very seriously in practice as well, which I feel like carries over.”

After a recent 76ers loss in which McDaniels played a lot of minutes, he decided to remain in the empty arena to work on his free throws. He puts in this extra effort because he wants to perfect his craft and someday hear his name mentioned on a list of “greats,” alongside the superstars he rattled off who are instantly recognizable by one name. For now, he studies their film and copies their habits, determined to do whatever he can to realize his full potential.

McDaniels has made it to the NBA, carved out a key role in Philadelphia’s rotation and started to make a name for himself, but that’s just the beginning. Now is when the real grind begins. After all, when you’re trying to achieve greatness, the work never stops.

O’Neal Talks About Decision to Play

It remains to be seen if Jermaine O’Neal will suit up in the NBA this season. The 36-year-old O’Neal obviously has a lot of wear and tear on his body after playing 18 seasons in the NBA, but he can still contribute to a team.

Over the last two seasons – one with the Phoenix Suns and one with the Golden State Warriors – O’Neal showed that he can still be a solid rebounder and interior defender. When pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries last year in Golden State, he averaged 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 13 games.

O’Neal has said that he’ll make a decision about playing early in January, which means he could sign very soon. The Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors have reportedly expressed interest in O’Neal.

Earlier today, O’Neal tweeted that he feels physically ready to play and stressed that his family (who lives in Dallas) will play a big factor in his decision:

So I know it's been some talk about if I will play again or not and if so then what team will I choose. So I thought I would speak on this.

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014

For 18 long years sports has dominated my families life to a point that they have had to sacrifice things that was important to them.

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014

So you can believe now whatever decision I make will be a pure family decision that my family will have a huge part on making with me.

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014

Can I physically still play?Probably better than 60% of the bigs in the league today! That's not a knock on anyone but more about how I feel

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014

My decision will not be based off any personal relationships with a cityor organization which will be tuff because Ofthe love I got for them

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014

I will say this, if the decision is to play I promise you that when I hit the court I will be ready physically and mentally to help a team!

— Jermaine O'Neal (@jermaineoneal) December 23, 2014