The Minnesota Timberwolves fanbase already feels like they were burnt by the Rob Dillingham experience. The eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Dillingham just never worked out for the team, and of course is now on the Chicago Bulls.
The 27th overall pick in that draft, Terrence Shannon Jr., is still with the Timberwolves. His year hasn’t gone like he has hoped either. On Tuesday, the Wolves had a disappointing performance against the Los Angeles Lakers, but Shannon Jr. ended up being one of the lone bright spots.
Shannon Jr. shines in fourth quarter in Tuesday's loss
After three mostly lifeless quarters on Tuesday, Minnesota dropped 38 over the last 12 minutes. It was too late for them, but the star in that last quarter was TSJ.
Checking in with 7:31 left in the outing (for the first time in the game), Shannon Jr. would stay in until the final buzzer. Over that time, the 25-year-old shot 4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3-point distance, and 2-for-2 from the foul line en route to a 12-point quarter. Yes, Minnesota was down 18, but perhaps it can be a confidence booster for the second-year player.
It was a quarter that was somewhat reminiscent of last year in the playoffs. Shannon Jr. was finally inserted into the postseason rotation in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, and he was essentially a point-per-minute scorer over the last three contests.
Hasn't reached expectations in his second season
Of late, Shannon Jr. has been a fringe rotation player for Chris Finch. In the last game against the Orlando Magic, he had played about four minutes going into the fourth quarter. TSJ didn’t go in until the bench was cleared in the game before that against the Toronto Raptors, and he didn’t play at all in the two outings previous to that.
Entering Tuesday night’s game, Shannon Jr. was averaging just 4.3 points on 40 percent shooting from the field in 28 appearances. He missed all of January and most of February with a left foot injury, but he wasn't playing much even before that.
There were high hopes for both Dillingham and Shannon Jr. to elevate their games in their second seasons, especially after Nickeil Alexander-Walker left for the Atlanta Hawks. We know Dillingham was unable to do so before being traded. It’s up to TSJ to make sure the Wolves don’t go 0-for-2 in the 2024 NBA Draft.