When the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Terrence Shannon Jr. with the 27th pick in the 2024 draft, they knew they were getting a potential plug-and-play talent.
As a 24-year-old rookie, Shannon has had a long road to this point. He started his journey as an unrecruited high-school prospect, reclassified back a year to spend a season at IMG Academy, and finally garnered the Division I offers he wanted. His year at IMG rocketed him up recruiting databases, leading him to commit to Chris Beard at Texas Tech.
Shannon played five seasons between Texas Tech and Illinois. He had multiple offensive roles, on and off the ball. Despite being a highly decorated collegiate player, Shannon still faced adversity as an older prospect looking to reach his NBA dreams.
At the beginning of this season, Chris Finch trusted his veterans in the rotation, eliminating any opportunity for Shannon to see the minutes. Shannon took multiple trips to Des Moines to prepare for NBA action. In four games with the Iowa Wolves, he averaged 36.5 points, indicating he was ready to join the rotation.
“They told me go down there (to Iowa) and dominate,” Shannon said last week, “and I just do what I’m told.”
It finally appeared that the Wolves would give Shannon a real opportunity. However, an unfortunately timed mid-foot sprain forced him to miss two to four weeks of on-court action, delaying his first chance at real NBA rotational minutes.
By the time Shannon recovered, the Timberwolves had suffered more injuries. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo have missed significant time, and other rotational players are day-to-day. Josh Minott has struggled to earn Finch’s trust, opening opportunities for Shannon.
When Jaden McDaniels picked up his third foul of the half in the Houston Rockets game on February 6, Finch finally called Shannon’s name.
Shannon only had one stint against the Rockets, playing the final 6:34 of the first half. Still, Shannon brought a spark, drilling a corner three on his first possession and capping off the half with an explosive driving dunk. He finished with five points on 2 of 4 shooting with an assist. More importantly, Shannon looked comfortable on the court.
Over this five-game span of true rotational play, Shannon has only seen 82 total minutes, or 16.4 minutes per game. Still, he’s made an impact. Averaging 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 44.8% from the field and 25% from three over that span.
He brings a different physical element to the Timberwolves rotation. Shannon has already flashed a relentless motor, downhill rim pressure, and transition play. He has showcased what he can add to Minnesota’s offense and where he can shore up some of Minnesota’s areas of need.
Even with Minnesota’s spacing concerns, they still lack rim pressure. Anthony Edwards faces numerous bodies when he tries to get downhill, Mike Conley and Rob Dillingham’s size shortcomings limit their driving potential, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and DiVincenzo lack the athleticism to be efficient at the rim, creating an opportunity for Shannon.
Shannon is at a unique crossroads as he adjusts from his college playstyle to his NBA role. After being Illinois’s primary scorer and ball-handler for two seasons and averaging 20.2 points per game, Shannon is now reverting to an offensive role similar to his time at Texas Tech, where he spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career.
Shannon typically starts in the corners, attacking closeouts off the dribble and shooting catch-and-shoot threes. The Wolves are giving Shannon an easy path to gain on-court experience while still finding ways to be impactful.
He’s a pass away from Edwards and has already been more productive than some of Minnesota’s other options. While Shannon’s jumper is as shaky as Jaylen Clark‘s and McDaniels’, his ability to get downhill off the dribble is years ahead of his counterparts.
Shannon must balance his dueling offensive play styles. The Wolves are wise to position him in the corner while he figures out his game. Still, Shannon is far too talented to be boxed in offensively.
Finch has already structured ways to get Shannon the ball away from the corner. He has used simple actions that get him on the ball in space, playing to his strengths downhill and favoring his left hand. Finch has run Shannon off curls and handoffs from the corner and frequently goes to a split-action out of timeouts.
However, Shannon has made most of his impact in transition. Through 56 games, the Timberwolves rank last in the NBA in transition frequency and possessions per game. They are 19th in points per possession, but they don’t get out and running in the open court nearly as often as they should.
Still, when Shannon is on the court, there has been a dramatic shift in Minnesota’s transition energy and pace. Shannon frequently uses his athleticism to his advantage. He often scoops up rebounds and loose balls, gets out in transition, or hustles up the sidelines for an outlet pass from a teammate.
Transition is the easiest spot for NBA newcomers to make an offensive impact. Still, Shannon’s foul drawing, fearlessness with physical contact, and elite leaping ability give him an advantage.
Shannon hasn’t played much but has brought everything on his scouting report. He plays a simple offensive role. Still, until the Timberwolves get Randle and DiVincenzo back, Shannon can showcase his full capabilities while proving he can roll back to his easier role when Randle and DiVincenzo return.
Luckily for Shannon, he can remain opportunistic offensively. His ability to find gaps in transition, push the pace, turn good defense into offensive opportunities, and draw fouls will always benefit the team.