As the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to gear up for their season, it should be increasingly clear to fans that Terrence Shannon Jr. is going to play a major part in this team being successful. There are many realistic ways in which his success from his rookie season can carry over into year number two.
Dane Moore and Kyle Theige spoke about this on the Dane Moore NBA Podcast on Monday. Moore stated his confidence in Shannon's ability to pick up where he left off this season. "I feel like the same stuff at the end of last season is super bankable from Terrence Shannon Jr., and we saw the first example of that [on Sunday]," he said.
Theige chimed in, stating that in the best way possible, Terrence even looked a little bored during his 11-point outing in Minnesota's first preseason contest. "I think that's the biggest compliment I can give," Theige said. "He was drafted as an older rookie, he is kind of an older second year player, but he just looked like, 'I'm over this,' in the nicest way possible. Like, 'I'm ready for regular season minutes, I'm ready for real competition,' but I think he did almost everything you would want from him to level up."
Shannon will continue to be a force in transition
The two also rightly pointed out that if nothing else, Shannon's utility as a transition player will continue to be highly valuable for this team. For a roster that's relatively balanced between young guys and veterans but does tend to rely on their older players a lot, it's the youth and athleticism of Terrence that will be a needle-mover.
Then there's the physical nature of TJ's playstyle. He's such a bull in a china shop that opposing defenses are going to have a ton of trouble keeping him out of the paint. As he gets better at drawing fouls, Minnesota is going to have that much more of an offensive spark plug to heat up the offense in a cold stretch.
Rookies and younger players don't typically play big roles on a Chris Finch-led squad. But with Shannon, it should be pretty clear by now that there's going to be an exception to the rule. Part of why the Wolves drafted him as an older college player was because they knew he would be ready to contribute if given the opportunity. Now, that time is here.