Some players in the NBA show the ability throughout their career to consistently draw fouls and frequent the free-throw line often. Not all of those players were/are superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or James Harden. Two examples that come to mind are Danilo Gallinari and Corey Maggette, both of whom had solid careers and shot a bunch of free throws.
Looking at what he did in college, Terrence Shannon Jr. has the potential to do likewise with the Timberwolves.
Terrence Shannon Jr. lived at the free-throw line at Illinois
Selected 27th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Shannon Jr. played five seasons of collegiate basketball. After spending his first three years at Texas Tech, it was the following two years at Illinois where the 6-foot-6 wing developed into an NBA-level player. One of his best qualities was getting to the foul line.
In his two years with the Fighting Illini, Shannon Jr. attempted 486 free throws in 63 games. He averaged approximately 8.41 free-throw attempts per 36 minutes. Last season in the NBA, only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Paolo Banchero had a higher per-36 in free-throw attempts amongst players who played at least 1,000 minutes.
Shannon Jr.’s rookie season with Minnesota did not consist of a lot of total playing time (339 minutes). The 25-year-old attempted just 21 total free throws. He attempted 12 in just 57 minutes during the postseason, though. All of them came after he was inserted into the rotation for the final three games against the Thunder, as Shannon Jr. attempted four in each of those contests.
With Nickeil Alexander-Walker moving on to the Hawks, it is widely expected that Shannon Jr. will see much more playing time. With that should come more confidence, more driving to the hole, and more trips to the charity stripe for Shannon Jr.
Timberwolves were middle of the pack in free-throw attempts last season
Last season, the Timberwolves were middle of the pack when it came to the free-throw line. They ranked 16th with 21.8 attempts per game.
Nearly half of their total free-throw tries came from Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle alone. If Shannon Jr., with more minutes, can showcase more of what he did in college, that number should go up. As important as Alexander-Walker was to the team, he only attempted 1.4 free throws per game in 2024-25.
In a season with championship aspirations, fans are looking for ways that the Wolves can make minor improvements in order to make that next step to the NBA finals. Shannon Jr. has the opportunity to help make the team a better one at drawing fouls.