MINNEAPOLIS — At time of this reading, Jaden McDaniels sits atop the Wolves depth chart at power forward.

Now he needs to play like a top forward.

This is following the trades of Julius Randle on Monday and Naz Reid on Thursday. Two moves that sent separate lightning strikes through the Wolves fan base that, combined, has led to a starting lineup and roster with a gaping hole in it.

McDaniels may or may not start at the power forward position by the time the regular season begins — the Wolves are limited in how much maneuvering they can do now, salary-cap wise. Regardless of if he is the small or power forward, there is a role he must fill.

McDaniels has to blossom offensively to become a third reliable scoring threat behind superstar Anthony Edwards and star point guard LaMelo Ball.

There are things to like and dislike about the deal, and I believe the likes outweigh the dislikes. Whether it ends up succeeding depends a lot on McDaniels, however.

The partnership between Edwards and Ball can lead to one of the best backcourts in the NBA. But it’s time for McDaniels to raise his floor and ceiling as a player.

We’ve been hearing how McDaniels has it in him. We have seen him make incremental improvements to his game. He’s gone from a strong defender with an erratic shot to, over last two seasons, displaying a growing midrange game, an increased willingness to attack the basket and an accurate shot from deep.

McDaniels averaged 14.8 points a game last season while shooting 51.5% from the floor, the second-highest field goal percentage of his career. He shot a career high 41.2% from 3-point range. He also attempted a career high 176 free throws. In the playoffs, McDaniels was second on the Wolves in scoring, averaging 16.3 points a game.

The kid doesn’t turn 26 until September, but his game is still growing. With Rudy Gobert’s offensive limitations and the departures of Randle and Reid, McDaniels should be expected to be an impact forward.

Randle and Reid combined to score 35.9 points and grab 10.9 rebounds per game last season. McDaniels can have as many of those as he wants. The trades of those two big men reshape the Wolves roster. McDaniels needs to be a shapeshifter and become a bigger scoring and rebounding threat.

“We know Jaden has another couple gears to get to,” Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said. ”There were some really loud moments in the playoffs.”

Gears? Loud? The clutch is on the left. The accelerator is on the right. Time for McDaniels to get a lead foot.

Edwards is going to benefit from having a point guard who can initiate the offense and distribute the ball. The Antman doesn’t have to worry about that with Ball around, and he will flourish from no longer having those responsibilities. Having Ball on the floor gives the Wolves someone to burn defenses from deep when Edwards needs to pass out of a double team or runs into traffic in the paint. And Ant and Melo executing the pick and roll will be tantalizing to see. Edwards with some pressure off of him could be dangerous.

Ball is now on a winning team that has reached the Western Conference finals. And being on a team with expectations could bring more out of him. He also brings a prolific wardrobe and collects cars like I collect cigars.

And McDaniels will benefit from Ball’s presence like Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges did in Charlotte — knowing there’s a guard able to get them the ball in better places to score. With Ball on the floor, the Hornets had one of the more efficient offenses in the NBA.

The video clip on social media had been viewed over 3 million times as of Thursday afternoon, one in which a passerby on Tuesday noticed McDaniels out for a walk and informed him that Randle has been traded. McDaniels appeared to be unaware of the news.

“Really? That’s ... that’s crazy,” McDaniels replied before consulting his hand-held communication device.

The week got more cray-cray on Thursday when Reid, beloved inside and outside the Wolves’ locker room, was dealt.

Connelly must find frontcourt reinforcements with the little cap space he has remaining. But it isn’t crazy to believe the Wolves will have a more potent offense next season.

And that McDaniels can average 20 points a game.

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