It has not even been two weeks since the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to trade away Karl-Anthony Towns. As such, there is still much doubt from outsiders regarding their chances at successfully running things back and building a top-level contending team once again.
Time will be needed for the new Timberwolves to get acclimated to their teammates, and we can not expect results to come overnight. But with that said, there are plenty of good reasons for optimism. Julius Randle is an All-NBA level player, and Donte DiVincenzo's potential impact is being severely underrated.
But even beyond that, Minnesota's depth is looking to be improved from last season. Yes, many of their tenured role players are the same, but we should not forget the fact that they were able to pull off a killer draft back in June.
Going into the 2024 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves did not own a lottery pick. After finishing third in the Western Conference and going to the Western Conference Finals, they had just the 27th-overall selection to work with in round one. But after a hasty trade with the San Antonio Spurs, they ended up with the eighth pick which they used to select Rob Dillingham, as well as Terrence Shannon Jr., who was taken with the 27th pick.
Terrence Shannon tied for first in biggest draft steal category
Ever since then, it has become apparent that both Wolves rookies will have the opportunity to make an impact in their first season in the league. Tim Connelly has spoken about Rob getting minutes provided that he earns them. As for Terrence, he comes into the 2024-25 season as one of the most veteran players from his draft class.
That makes it no surprise that he is seen as one of the biggest draft steals from this past draft by NBA General Managers. When asked which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the draft, GMs had Shannon tied for the most popular answer.
Six players tied for the top answer on this question. Terrence shared the top spot with Bub Carrington (14th pick), Devin Carter (13th pick), Johnny Furphy (35th pick), Dalton Knecht (17th pick), and Nikola Topic (12th pick).
Timberwolves fans already saw Shannon as a guy who could make an impact this year and provide extra depth given the opportunity. The fact that he is viewed so highly by General Managers around the league should feel extremely validating for the fanbase.