Terrence Shannon Jr. is an NBA-ready player

Before the project, Chris Finch said: KSTPDarren Wolfson said the Minnesota Timberwolves are targeting prospects who can provide an immediate spark.

“This draft gives us a lot of players who are ready to play because of the COVID year, which created a lot of older players — 23, 24,” Finch said. “Physically, they’re ready to play. Where we’re at, we could use some rookies who are ready to play.”

The Wolves are coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance and have made the playoffs for three straight seasons. Teams in contention typically don’t have minutes for their young players. There are exceptions, like Christian Braun, who played a pivotal role in the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 championship just after they drafted him.

Minnesota hasn’t played its rookies in meaningful situations in recent years. However, that will likely change next season with the salary cap situation and the Wolves already being beyond the second apron of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which provides for some unfortunate but manageable penalties.

“I’m going to play rookies. I played with a lot of rookies when I first got here and they’ve developed into really good players,” Finch told Wolfson. “We’re in a situation now where we have a lot of really good players and a nine-man rotation. It’s tough for rookies to play where we are, but as we’re planning, we’re going to need some young, talented players to start playing more in the rotation.”

Tim Connelly and his team made a splash by trading an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 top-1 pick (protected) to the San Antonio Spurs for Rob Dillingham, one of the most highly regarded point guards in the draft. Connelly told the media that Dillingham will play immediately even though he is 19 and started just one game for Kentucky last year.

The Wolves also selected combo guard Terrence Shannon Jr. out of Illinois with the 27th pick. Unlike Dillingham, who the Timberwolves drafted in part to solve their need for a backup point guard, Shannon will likely start deep on Minnesota’s depth chart, which could hamper his playing time in his rookie year. However, he has what it takes on both sides of the ball to make an impact on winning now.

Shannon played college basketball for five years. He played his first three years at Texas Tech, the last two at Illinois. The 6’5″ combo guard quickly rose to the ranks of a top prospect. He averaged 9.8 points on 47% shooting as a freshman. In his senior year of college, Shannon averaged 23 points on 47.5% shooting and 36.2% from three-point range after seeing a steady increase in his per-game averages each season.

Table via SportsReference.com

Shannon, 23, enters the NBA as one of the older prospects. He has developed his body and is more polished than most rookies this year. Texas Tech didn’t recruit him for his offensive game. However, the Chicago native has seen the most growth in that aspect of his game, which could help him become the ready-made rookie Finch so desired.

“Whatever they need from me,” Shannon told the The Illini Investigator Shortly after being selected, he was asked what he would bring to the now-victorious Wolves. “I’ll be a great teammate. Whatever the coaches, the top players and the staff want me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it. I just come here to compete every day.”

Despite being the Big 10’s second-leading scorer last year, Shannon spent the majority of his 33.9 minutes per game moving away from the ball.

Terrence gets a simple pitch-and-catch in the right corner in the clip above. His jump shot isn’t particularly fast. However, since he’s left-handed, catching a shot from the right corner allows him to transfer, load, and shoot quicker than a right-hander.

Long-range shooting has been TSJ’s biggest area of ​​growth, and it will be critical to his success in the NBA. As the chart above shows, he shot 25.7 percent on 1.2 three-pointers as a rookie and 36.2 percent on 6.7 three-pointers attempted last year. In the NBA, he needs to continue that upward trend from deep, especially off the ball. Shannon has attempted his share of three-pointers off screens as one of the Big 10’s most prolific scorers. Still, he’ll get a lot more shot attempts from the corners in Minnesota, especially if he plays alongside Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns, who draw a lot of defensive attention.

The Wolves entered this offseason looking for wingers who can move around the field, but that need won’t go away after one season. A team centered around a player like Edwards, who is so ball-dominant, needs plenty of off-ball players. Terrence can be just that as he continues to develop a big role in the Twin Cities.

Shannon’s shooting may not transfer to the NBA in his first game, but his offense around the basket likely will. Standing at 6’4″ and weighing 210 pounds, he’s a physical force at his position. Shannon’s primary way of scoring in college was by attacking the paint on isolations or pick-and-rolls and using his height and 6’1″ wingspan to weave through defenders, draw contact or make a tough layup around the basket.

According to Jonathan Wasserman, Terrence scored on 65% of his opportunities under the basket.

Shannon’s next step will be learning how to drive and react. He was bigger than most of the players who defended him in college, which made it easy for him to make contact and break through the defense. However, NBA players are massive, especially big guys who roam the rim. Shannon needs to have a plan when he drives. Simply being bigger than the defense won’t be enough anymore. He needs to stay aware of the defense when it collapses and who is trying to stop him in the paint. Making the right kick or shot and not aimlessly jumping in the air hoping for a foul will be crucial in his development.

The pace Shannon brings to the field is undoubtedly another positive. His impressive, physical and intelligent perimeter defense gives him plenty of opportunities in the open field. Terrence will almost exclusively look to push the pace and use his big frame as a battering ram to explode downhill for two points. It never hurts to have a few players on your roster who can thrive in transition. Not only are points demoralizing for the opposition, they also stoke the home crowd or wear down opposing fans.

Shannon averaged just 2.3 assists his senior year of college. However, due to his size and impressive downhill ability, he needs to make effective passes out of PnR. His off-ball skills could make Terrence a ready-made option for Finch at some point. Still, it would be nice to see him continue to leverage the on-ball skills he developed in college. Sure, scoring is necessary to get playing time, but growth in his passing is arguably more important.

Teams undoubtedly recruited Shannon out of high school for his defense. He is a ball-handler who defends relentlessly on the ball. Shannon’s ability to move his feet quickly and his willingness to fight through screens impressed me the most. He rarely lost a step on his defensive assignments. After watching much of his film with Illinois, Shannon’s defense reminds me of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both are 6’5″ and are relentless on the ball and at the point of attack.

His defense alone could make Terrence a day one player, even more so if he continues to develop his offense. However, the Wolves have a solid foundation at the two-back position, so it’s unlikely they’ll give him meaning and regular playing time right away. Still, that doesn’t take away from what Connelly and company got at the end of the first round. They sneakily took a player who could have been selected in the lottery because of his overflowing two-way potential.