Through almost two seasons, it remains mostly unclear what kind of NBA player Terrence Shannon Jr. will turn out to be. The 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft joined the league as an older rookie and has played this whole year at 25 years old.
During his time playing collegiately at Illinois, as well as the NBA Summer League and preseason, where he plays more as one of the team’s top options, Shannon Jr. has always done best when he frequently has the ball in his hands. On a Minnesota Timberwolves team that rosters Anthony Edwards, it means that TSJ is still finding a way to adapt and make his greatest impact in a role where he may not be put in his optimal situation.
Career-high point total on Wednesday
On Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, the Timberwolves were quite shorthanded. Not only were they missing Ant-Man for the 10th time in the last 12 games, but also sidelined were Julius Randle and Ayo Dosunmu.Â
With Minnesota trailing by 18 points after three quarters, Shannon was allowed to take control of the offense in the final frame. He played the entire fourth quarter and went 6-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point distance, and made all six of his free throws. It was a moment that reminded Timberwolves fans what he can be.
Yes, it came with the game mostly out of reach, but it allowed TSJ to constantly have the ball in his hand and go to work. The 33 points he finished with in the outing were eight more than his previous career-high and nearly double the amount he scored in any other contest this season (18).
TSJ has never been much of an off-ball guy
At Illinois, Shannon was the clear star of the team. He put constant pressure on opposing defenses, and it helped lead to nearly 9 foul shots per game in his final college season of 2023-24.
Getting to the foul line often hasn’t translated at the NBA level for TSJ. Playing a lot more off the ball in his somewhat limited playing time, he has averaged just 3.1 free throw attempts per 36 minutes thus far in his career.
That is just something that Shannon will need to get better at, making an impact off the ball. Sure, you can stagger his minutes away from Edwards’, but that doesn’t leave much time on the court for him. Also, will he become a more willing passer? Currently, he has more personal fouls than assists in his career.
It was a positive sign in a loss to see TSJ go off in the fourth. The scoring was reminiscent of the conference finals last year when Shannon was finally inserted into the playoff rotation. A fully healthy Wolves squad would make it difficult for Shannon to see meaningful postseason minutes, but Wednesday’s performance will at least make Chris Finch think about it. Ending the season strong will also give TSJ a great opportunity to play more of a role next season.