Minnesota Timberwolves sign Rhode Island’s Jared Terrell to two-way contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves wasted no time in filling one of their two two-way contract slots this offseason, signing Rhode Island guard Jared Terrell following the NBA Draft.

Last offseason, the Timberwolves were one of the last teams to fill their two-way contract spots, seemingly missing out on some solid talent that ended up their respective NBA teams throughout the season.

The Wolves signed Anthony Brown fairly early on before adding Amile Jefferson after the regular season had already started. Neither were true factors for the Timberwolves at the NBA level, and while both were solid contributors to the G-League’s Iowa Wolves, it was hard to not look at the spots as underutilized.

This year, the Wolves have already moved to fill one of the slots, signing undrafted guard Jared Terrell, a four-year started at Rhode Island.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Terrell’s college career was the clear improvement he made year over year, and especially from his junior to senior seasons.

Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Terrell averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting just 40.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent on 3-point attempts. As a senior, Terrell put up 16.8 points, 2.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game on 42.7 percent on field goals and 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.

And not only did his 3-point percentage improve, it took place while he launched even more threes per game, going from 3.8 per game as a junior to 5.3 per game as a senior, and his 3-point rate increased too, from .392 to .405. He also saw increases in free throw percentage, steal rate, and block rate while his turnover rate declined.

Of course, this is what should happen with four-year seniors who have played a total of 134 college games, and there isn’t much about his numbers that screams NBA prospect; he wasn’t invited to the draft combine, either. The only measurement information I could find was that his wingspan was 6-foot-5 coming out of high school, measured at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy — fairly average for a 6-foot-3 shooting guard.

Here are some clips from the Professional Basketball Combine, a secondary combine for players who were not invited to the NBA’s combine.

One thing to note is that his free throw rate plummeted as senior while his 3-point rate climbed. Many of the below clips, which are all from before his senior season, are of him going to the basket and using his solid frame and build to score and finish through contact.

This toughness in the lane is what he’ll need to show in training camp and in the G-League if he’s going to see time in Minneapolis with the big club.

Comparing size, style of play, and overall numbers, there are some similarities to Sean Kilpatrick, a 6-foot-4 guard who debuted as a rookie with the Timberwolves at age-25 back in 2015 and has bounced around the NBA to several different teams since then. If his senior season was for real, he should be a better shooter than Kilpatrick but it’s not clear that he’ll be more than a high-volume scorer as a pro.

Next: 3 undrafted players for the Timberwolves to consider

At any rate, it’s good to see the Wolves taking advantage of their open two-way contracts sooner rather than later, and on a player that they obviously coveted.