While checking out the Timberwolves roster for the upcoming NBA Summer League, I did a double take when I came across the player who will wear No. 1 during the 11-day event in Las Vegas.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
Are you kidding me? The same Terrence Shannon Jr. who received a standing ovation in the second quarter of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals when he scored nine of his 15 points in a blowout win against Oklahoma City? The same TSJ who was cooking the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams throughout the game? The same guy who scored 17, 25 and 17 points in three games in late February when he played heavier minutes for the Wolves?
Shannon is going back to Summer League? Is this a punishment?
“Man, as long as I can play basketball and compete, I’m gonna go play wherever it is,” Shannon said Monday following practice. “So to have the opportunity to go play and compete in something, I’m all for it.”
Shannon was selected 27th overall in the 2024 draft out of Illinois. Coming out of college, he was a capable scorer and a marauder on the fast break, charging to the basket and able to finish consistently.
He showed those traits when he got the opportunity, but those opportunities were scarce at the beginning of the season. So he spent some time with the Iowa Wolves. All he did there was score 80 points in in two games. The man proved that league was beneath him.
With the Wolves, Shannon was unable to break into coach Chris Finch’s cherished rotation despite the need for baskets from whoemver could get them. His postseason usage was the same. But he was there for the Wolves when they needed a spark in Game 3 against the Thunder, scoring 15 points in 13 minutes. In nine playoff games, Shannon scored 41 points over 57 minutes.