Anthony Edwards stopped suddenly as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ public relations staff ushered him from the locker room to the podium for his postgame press conference. He said he wanted to do his interview in the locker room. Why not let someone else get the spotlight? he reasoned.
Edwards had 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Minnesota’s 143-101 Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, he wanted his teammates to get some shine. So he did his postgame press conference by his locker, while Terrence Shannon Jr. and Naz Reid took the podium across the hallway.
The only problem?
Shannon didn’t know the location of the press conference room.
Who could blame Shannon? The 27th pick in this year’s draft is older than Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. He may have been a plug-and-play prospect out of Illinois. However, the Wolves had championship aspirations after reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, and Chris Finch stuck to an eight-man rotation for most of the year.
Still, Minnesota’s depth is its strength. Edwards may be the star, but the Wolves win when the bench unit steps up. They beat the Luka Dončić, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Jimmy Butler-led Golden State Warriors, partially because of their depth.
The core benefit of trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo is that they got two rotation players for the price of one. Game 2 aside, Randle has overcome his playoff reputation and has been the secondary scorer that the Wolves have needed. Randle is averaging 22.8 points on 51% shooting from the field (37.7% from three).
Conversely, DiVincenzo is averaging 7.9 points off the bench on 33.3% shooting (27.6% from three). He has also let his offense affect his defense. DiVincenzo has won championships with Villanova and the Milwaukee Bucks, but hasn’t consistently made the winning plays Minnesota needs in the playoffs this year.
Still, DiVincenzo alone isn’t responsible for Minnesota’s letdowns in Oklahoma City. Edwards only scored 18 points in Game 1, and Randle only scored six in Game 2. More pertinently, Alexander-Walker’s 17-point night in Game 2 was the only production they got from the bench in OKC.
Poor bench play and a lousy whistle are trademarks of road games in the playoffs. Role players must produce immediately and often feed off the crowd. Meanwhile, the officials subconsciously don’t want to upset the 18,000 patrons surrounding them.
However, to advance past the Thunder, the Timberwolves will need Alexander-Walker (12 points, +15), Reid (10, +23), and DiVincenzo (6, +24) to play support roles. The Wolves must also continue to play aggressive, madcap defense, which will be more challenging with a tougher whistle in Oklahoma City.
Still, Shannon emerged as a secret weapon in Game 4. He scored 15 points on 62.5% shooting from the field, outscoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by one point. Mike Conley had a hunch that Finch would turn to Shannon and told him to stay ready. Assistant coach Micah Nori informed Shannon before the game to prepare to play in the second quarter.
Shannon scored nine points in his first stint, a 4:10-minute shift in the second quarter. He left the court to a standing ovation.
TJ Shannon standing ovation pic.twitter.com/JwlYZDupOy
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 25, 2025
“I knew when I got drafted here, I got drafted to a good team,” said Shannon, shrugging off any notion that he should have played more this season. “I knew I was going to have to work my butt off to get in the rotation, or even to get minutes.”
The downside to joining a contending team is that it’s hard to crack the rotation. The upside is that Shannon played a crucial role in a pivotal game for a team one round away from the NBA Finals. Shannon capitalized on his opportunity, and Finch took notice.
“I’ve been wrestling with getting another guy in the rotation,” Finch said after the game. “You’re definitely going to see him more.”
Edwards is the rare superstar who doesn’t want to hog the spotlight. However, he doesn’t only give his teammates shine out of selflessness. He cedes it because he knows he needs them to become a champion.
In doing so, Edwards gave Shannon the moment he deserved.