Terrence Shannon Jr. stands at a crossroads entering this season. It became clear at the end of last season and in the playoffs that Shannon needs the ball in his hands to succeed. Chris Finch admitted this after Shannon's 24-point game against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs.
However, the Minnesota Timberwolves' roster context will make empowering Shannon on the ball tricky. With Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Ayo Dosunmu, there's a lot of mouths to feed in the Wolves' offense. As a result, it will be difficult to empower Shannon on the ball in the half-court.
But what if Shannon grows? It's certainly possible for the third-year player, and if he does, giving him the on-ball role that he's more comfortable with could work out after all. That will absolutely have to be paired with growth as a playmaker, though.
Why Terrence Shannon Jr.'s playmaking needs to improve
Currently, Shannon has shown flashes of on-ball brilliance, including being a force downhill and a pull-up shooter. Still, he isn't the most efficient scorer, and he isn't a very strong playmaker. Improving his efficiency is another way for Shannon to justify a bigger on-ball role.
To truly maximize his ability to play on the ball, though, he'll need to level up as a playmaker. The Wolves have enough on-ball talent that Shannon simply becoming a more efficient on-ball scorer won't be enough (unless he reaches a surprisingly high bar). As such, playmaking is a vital area of growth for Shannon, or he'll be stuck in an off-ball role. And while he could become more comfortable playing off the ball, last year he struggled in this role.
For the Wolves to truly empower Shannon on the ball, he'd essentially have to fill the backup point guard role, with Ayo playing more off the ball.
Nevertheless, his playmaking remains a work in progress. Shannon has a tendency to get tunnel vision and, in general, doesn't look to set up the offense for his teammates. The other notable flaw with Shannon is that he is too left-hand dominant, which could create problems for him as both a scorer and playmaker, especially once defenses zero in on him more. Notably, Shannon posted a 1.58 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he ranked in the 28th percentile for playmaking versatility.
Even if Shannon levels up as a scorer, opposing teams will quickly become focused on forcing him to pass unless he improves his court awareness and decision-making.
The reality is that empowering him on the ball would, in turn, take away opportunities for someone else. Dosunmu, who thrives on or off the ball, is the most likely candidate to see fewer on-ball reps. Regardless, Ayo is a more stable playmaker who posted a 2.59 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Simply put, I'd trust Dosunmu more as a decision-maker and floor general. That could change, though.
With Shannon's flashes of brilliance on the ball and Ayo's malleability, there's a chance that this shift works out. It's far from a guarantee, though, and Shannon will need to improve to justify more on-ball usage. If Shannon doesn't definitively show that he's ready for this scaled-up role, the Wolves have plenty of other options to choose from.
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