LAS VEGAS — When the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Terrence Shannon Jr. with the 27th overall pick, they chose an in-your-face player.
One of Shannon’s biggest strengths in college was his ability to put the ball on the floor, barrel to the basket and initiate contact to create offense for his team, either with a bucket or a foul. It took him less than two minutes in his first Las Vegas Summer League game to show exactly what that looks like.
In a broken-floor moment on Friday against New Orleans, Daishen Nix tracked down a loose ball in transition and found Shannon storming down the lane. As he elevated, Pelicans rookie center Yves Missi — taken six spots ahead of Shannon — went up with him. It did not end well for Missi.
TJ POSTER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/bRESZj83vE
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 12, 2024
“I wish I could do some s— like that,” Wolves lottery pick Rob Dillingham said. “That was cold, for sure.”
It was an emphatic beginning to an impressive debut for Shannon, who finished with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Minnesota’s 81-74 victory. He grabbed three boards, blocked two shots and embodied the identity that the Timberwolves — both in the summer and when the whole team reassembles in the fall — want to make non-negotiable.
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It wasn’t just the offense for Shannon, it was his physical play on the defensive end, the way he plowed through screens, challenged shots at the rim and chased after cutters to take away easy baskets.
“When the Timberwolves come into any gym, we want them to fear us defensively,” summer league coach Chris Hines said. “And I think they felt that. So the fact that they did today, I’m happy with that.”
another TJ dunk for your feed. pic.twitter.com/wBWagiDc0x
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 12, 2024
Shannon averaged more than eight free throws per game as a senior with Illinois last season. He went 6 of 8 from the line on Friday. For a Wolves team that is looking to create more offense after finishing 17th in offensive efficiency last season, having a big, strong dude who can get out in transition and get to the free-throw line would only help things.
He will turn 24 at the end of July, and the physical maturity that he already has was evident against the Pelicans summer-leaguers. The defense, length and athleticism will all be greater when the real NBA games begin in October, so there will be more adjusting for him. But he looked unbothered in his first pseudo-league action.
“That’s what the coaching staff and the organization wanted from me,” Shannon said, “just to be aggressive and just be myself, do what got me here.”
There was a stark difference in the presence of Shannon in comparison to Dillingham. The No. 8 overall pick is 19 years old, and he looked it on Friday. His game is predicated on quickness, not force, and his first game against older players showed the adjustments he will have to make.
He went 2 of 12 from the field and struggled at times on the defensive end. It is all part of the process for a player who will be a major part of the team’s rotation next season when the Wolves will be expecting to challenge for the Western Conference crown.
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“My legs, they’re just not under me yet, I guess,” Dillingham said.
Shannon, who was right by Dillingham’s side, quickly interjected.
“They’ll fall next game,” he said.
In some ways, Shannon has already taken a brotherly approach with his younger classmate. The two went through a lot of the predraft process together. Dillingham said Shannon will text him out of the blue to tell him to ice his joints and take care of his body. Dillingham is the higher draft pick, but in some ways, he has more to learn than Shannon, who is five years older and has been around the block.
“It’s great playing with Rob,” Shannon said. “He is always willing to learn and also is hard on himself. He wants to be so great and he will be.”
Hines wasn’t worried at all about Dillingham’s shot not falling. He pointed to a couple of defensive plays he was able to make, including a backcourt violation that he forced in the second half, and his five assists as things to build on. The last thing the Wolves are worried about is Dillingham’s shot falling. They know the scoring will come. What they are focused on with him is his floor game, the way he runs an offense and how he gets others involved.
Dillingham is going to be the backup point guard next season. Full stop. His new mentor, Mike Conley, was sitting courtside to watch his debut. The lessons are already beginning.
“I was just proud of how he handled the game, managed it. He took great shots; he didn’t force anything,” Hines said. “But one of the things that I loved about him was he competed on defense.”
The rotation spot for Dillingham is practically a given considering the lack of depth behind Conley and the resources the Wolves invested to make the trade with San Antonio to get him. Shannon’s pathway is a little more crowded.
The Wolves lost Kyle Anderson in free agency, opening up somewhere between 23 and 28 minutes per night. They signed veteran Joe Ingles, who will be 37 when the season starts, for help on the wing and also have Josh Minott and, perhaps, Leonard Miller, competing with Shannon for the spot.
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He is going to have to earn his time, but if there is one thing that head coach Chris Finch values, it is playing with force and physicality. Shannon showed all of that on Friday, a good first impression as he tries to stake his claim to a spot.
“I think he’s going to be probably the most physical guy on the floor at all times,” Hines said. “And we want to see that, and I love that about him. With him, it’s all about understanding how to read the game within that.”
(Photo of Terrence Shannon Jr.: Brian Choi / NBAE via Getty Images)
