On Sunday, it was announced by the Timberwolves that Terrence Shannon Jr. has been cleared for full-contact. After missing the Wolves’ last nine outings, he is now listed as questionable for Monday’s game on the road against the Kings.
It is pertinent that Shannon Jr. gets it going, as he was going through a rough stretch before getting hurt.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is questionable for Monday's game
Even if Shannon Jr. doesn’t play Monday, it certainly seems as if his return is right around the corner. The following two games for Minnesota are on Wednesday at the Thunder and a home outing on Saturday against the Celtics.
After the now 25-year-old scored 35 points in just 37 minutes over the last three games of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, Shannon Jr. was expected to play a large role this season. He was seen as someone who could take on a large chunk of the minutes that the departed Nickeil Alexander-Walker played after Shannon Jr. received uneven playing time last season as a rookie.
Shannon Jr. looked good in the season opener against the Trail Blazers. Since that performance, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged just 2.8 points on 23.8% shooting from the field over 6 games. The team was a -53 over that stretch in his 89 minutes.
The Timberwolves' bench needs an offensive spark
The hope is that Shannon Jr. can bolster a bench that has been among the league’s least productive. Now in his second season, Shannon Jr. proved to be a three-level scorer during his last year playing collegiately at Illinois when he averaged 23.0 points. Minnesota is 28th out of 30 teams, averaging just 32.2 points per contest from its reserves.
After a slow start, Naz Reid looks more like his former Sixth Man of the Year self. Otherwise, the reserves aren;t providing much on the offensive end. 38-year-old Mike Conley certainly can’t create his own offense like he was able to in his younger days.
Jaylen Clark is a wonderful defender, but still remains a work in progress on offense. Rob Dillingham regularly receives single-digit minutes and hasn't shot the ball well at all to start the season. Nobody else from their bench is seeing any minutes in non-garbage time action.
I fully expect to see Shannon Jr. reinserted into the rotation once he returns. The bench needs a boost, and Minnesota is counting on him to provide it.