I've been dubious that the Minnesota Timberwolves can empower Terrence Shannon Jr. on the ball despite their open desire to do so. Don't get me wrong, Shannon is a skilled scorer. Yet, on a team with so many creators, my question is: How do you justify empowering him? He showed flashes of on-ball brilliance in the playoffs, but he still isn't an elite enough creator to earn more on-ball usage than last season.
One of the more specific things that has concerned me is that Shannon is extremely left-hand dominant. Thankfully, though, at media day, Shannon openly discussed that he has worked on his right hand this offseason.
"Finishing with my right hand, I improved that a lot. It was a big start to my summer. For my first full month of training, it was all right-handed stuff," Shannon said.
Terrence Shannon Jr.'s right hand must improve for him to earn a bigger role
Frankly, this is a necessary adjustment for Shannon to earn an increased on-ball role. At his best, Shannon is an unstoppable force attacking the basket in transition and the half-court. We've seen this ability in flashes, and he can clearly generate rim pressure.
However, Shannon's dependence on his right hand has hindered his efficiency around the rim. Notably, Shannon shot just 58.3 percent at the rim, which ranked in the 23rd percentile. If you want some video evidence, check these great clips via Jonah Maves on Twitter. In the majority of clips, the defense is forcing Shannon to his right hand, and while he can drive right when it comes to finishing, he awkwardly switches back to his left hand, leading either to misses or his shot being blocked.
I know it sounds like a pretty rudimentary development, but it's vital for Shannon to feel comfortable working with his right hand. A big part of his right-hand struggles, I would attribute to adjusting to the NBA. Remember, he was an elite college scorer, and last year was just his second season as a pro.
In his third year and with the team aiming to empower him, though, there's simply no room for this problem to continue. If it does, he will be exposed by opposing defenses and forced into an off-ball role that doesn't suit him. Hopefully, his work pays off.
Shannon's path to earning more on-ball duties isn't easy
As noted earlier, the Wolves have a lot of on-ball players. Obviously, there are Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. But they also want to empower Jaden McDaniels. Ayo Dosunmu has some real creation juice, and Jonathan Kuminga will also have some creation duties. The point is: there are a lot of mouths to feed, and it will be hard for Shannon to earn a sizable on-ball role without ample improvement.
And per Databallr, Shannon actually ranked in the 61st percentile for on-ball percentage last season. That's a pretty high bar.
Despite my general skepticism, I have to acknowledge that there's a chance Shannon puts it all together and becomes a lethal bench scorer with a good amount of on-ball duties. The upside is there. In addition to his ability to generate rim pressure, Shannon is a skilled offensive creator. Relevantly, per NBA.com, he ranked in the 96th percentile for isolation scoring. Even so, that's a tiny sample size of 28 possessions.
All in all, for Shannon to unlock his upside as a microwave scorer and earn a sizable on-ball role, developing his right hand is essential. Thus, his comments at media day bode well for his chances of earning a bigger role.
Add us as a preferred source on Google