Terrence Shannon Jr. needs the ball in his hands in order to maximize his skill set. While the guard from Illinois was great down the stretch last season, his on-ball skill set will likely be hurt by the Minnesota Timberwolves' busy offseason.
Minnesota was arguably the most aggressive team in the offseason, as is often the case with Tim Connelly making roster decisions. The Timberwolves president of basketball operations kicked off the offseason by extending Ayo Dosunmu, who proved he is in Minnesota to stay during a great postseason run.
The Timberwolves also traded away Julius Randle and Naz Reid, with LaMelo Ball being the prized possession that joined the team in return. While the Timberwolves immediately created one of the best backcourts in the league, a hole at power forward became obvious. Free agent pursuits over LeBron James fell short, but Connelly was able to secure a four to round out the roster in Jonathan Kuminga.
The re-signing of Dosunmu and the additions of Ball and Kuminga make the Timberwolves a better team overall, but Shannon will be the player who takes the biggest hit. All of those players need ample touches and can operate as ball handlers. Ball, in particular, is one of the highest-usage creators in the NBA.
There won't be much opportunity for Terrence Shannon Jr.
Shannon ended the season on a positive note last season. While the Timberwolves dealt with injury woes, the then-second-year player took on a bigger role. Shannon is a great slasher who can get to his spots and score from a high level when operating as a creator.
Considering the Timberwolves have one of the best scorers in the NBA in Anthony Edwards, Minnesota hasn't always been able to give Shannon an on-ball role, but during the playoffs, Chris Finch admitted that the lefty needs the ball in his hands to be at his best.
Shannon is serviceable from 3-point land, but that is far from his strong suit. His career 1.4 attempts from deep mark illustrates as much. With so many ball handlers on the roster this upcoming season, Shannon may be limited to waiting for catch-and-shoot opportunities in the corner more than would be ideal.
Ball and Edwards both have the ability to get downhill and kick out to teammates is great, but Shannon just isn't the best role player to cater to that playstyle.
While fans are hoping for the former first-rounder to take another step forward this season, the roster around him may limit what he does in year three.
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