What can we tell you about Timberwolves SL F Marial Shayok

Marial Shayok had approximately 24 hours after being announced as the newest member of the Minnesota TImberwolves Summer League roster until he stepped onto the basketball court with the expectations that he would deliver. He was a member of the Timberwolves’ starting five.

By the end of the evening, the Timberwolves had defeated the Nuggets, but Marial Shayok clearly was not up to speed. So now the question is: Who is he?

Well, Marial Shayok is a Canadian-native basketball player who was selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was subsequently signed to a two-way contract to play for both the 76ers and the Delaware Blue Coats.

While he only played four games for the Sixers with modest production, he did show some promise to develop over time with his Blue Coats performance. He played 35 games for the Blue Coats, averaging 30 MPG, 23 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, and even 0.7 steals per game.

Time for Turkey

His shot arsenal was robust, and he scored on 46 percent of his shots from the floor and a rather solid 36 percent from the perimeter. That was not enough to land him an NBA contract, so he signed on with the Turkish Super League, where he has been playing since the beginning of 2021.

Shayok was clearly suffering from a dry spell, as he went zero for six shots, including two misses from three-point range. He did manage to nail his free throws, going four of four from the foul line. While he struggled offensively, he was very active in other ways. His three assists tied for the team lead on the night, as well as two steals.

Shayok appeared to be thrust into the middle of a school play at times and was working hard to remember his lines. While I would not categorize his debut as a success, I would not put it down to a failure either. Let’s just call his debut: Incomplete.

But he does show some promise.