A native of Federal Way, Washington, McDaniels attended Federal Way High School, where he also played football. McDaniels was the ranked as the 98th best prospect in the class of 2016 heading into his senior season at Federal WayHigh School. He was named an Associated PressWashington state Class 4A first-team selection after averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in his senior season. Federal Way finished the season undefeated with a record of 29-0 and won the Class 4A state championship.
College career
McDaniels red-shirted the 2016-2017 season. On February 19, 2018, he was named the Mountain Westplayer of the week. In his freshman season he averaged 10.5 points in 24.7 minutes per game, starting 21 out of 33 games. In March 2018, McDaniels submitted paperwork for early entry into the 2018 NBA draft but had yet to hire an agent. In May, he worked out for the Cleveland Cavaliers. On May 30, McDaniels officially withdrew his name from the NBA draft and returned to SDSU less than 90 minutes before the deadline. As a sophomore, McDaniels averaged 15.9 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 8.3 points per game. In March 2019, he declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. McDaniels was one of 66 players invited to the NBA Draft Combine.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets (2019–present)
McDaniels was selected with 52nd overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets. On October 10, 2019, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had signed with McDaniels. Later on October 19, 2019, the contract between McDaniels and the Charlotte Hornets was announced to be converted to a Two-way contract, and on the next day, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had signed a multi-year contract with McDaniels. On October 25, 2019, McDaniels made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in a 99–121 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with two points and a rebound. McDaniels was assigned to the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, for the start of the G League season.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
College
Personal life
McDaniels's brother, Jaden McDaniels, is the number one prospect in the state of Washington, the 6th best prospect in the nation, and a McDonald's All-American. Jaden is committed to Washington. McDaniels is the cousin of former NBA player Juwan Howard.
