It’s hard for rookies to get minutes under Chris Finch. The Minnesota Timberwolves have a talented roster. Still, throughout the grind of the regular season, it was difficult for Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. to get consistent opportunities.
Still, Finch called Shannon’s name when the Timberwolves needed a change of pace off the bench in their Western Conference Finals matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Finch briefly experimented with Jaylen Clark as the ninth man in the rotation. Still, Clark didn’t have much of an impact outside of giving the Timberwolves some extra defense and a few offensive rebounds. When Finch elected to sub in Shannon in Game 3 against Oklahoma City, it instantly paid dividends.
Shannon scored 15 points in 13 minutes in Minnesota’s 42-point victory. He made an instant impact, showcasing his impressive rim pressure and downhill ability and providing a change of pace for the Timberwolves.
The 24-year-old rookie was unfazed by the magnitude of the moment.
“He was awesome,” said Finch after the Game 3 victory. “(He’s) a guy who can stretch the floor in transition, a downhill player. Got a good body, physicality – a different type of player.”
The Timberwolves got off to a quick start in Game 3. They had a 20-point lead when Shannon subbed in to open the 2nd quarter. Shannon continued that trend, scoring 5 points in the first 45 seconds of the quarter.
The rest of Minnesota’s rotation built the lead. Still, Shannon was the key contributor to extending the Timberwolves’ lead to 26 by serving as a conductor of chaos for the Wolves’ offense.
Shannon’s path to the NBA was unorthodox. He played five seasons of college basketball, three at Texas Tech and two more at Illinois, earning more freedom on offense as he progressed.
As a member of multiple successful Illini teams, Shannon was the engine of offense. He led Illinois in scoring and initiated much of their offense. Conversely, much of Shannon’s current NBA role resembles his seasons at Texas Tech. His time at Illinois was still vital to his development. It made him a better player and made his adjustment to the NBA easier.
Shannon impacts the game as much as he can in limited touches with the Timberwolves. They aren’t relying on him to be the main scoring threat like he was with Illinois. Therefore, he must use his strengths to the best of his ability.
The ball may not always swing to the corners in Minnesota’s half-court offense. However, when it does, Shannon can hit a corner three, attack a closeout, or curl in for drives to keep the defense honest. His quick decisions make him a tough cover for the defenders he is matched up with.
Shannon was one of Minnesota’s best transition threats in only 339 regular-season minutes for the Timberwolves this season. When Shannon can get a full head of steam in the open court, he becomes a handful for defenses. Shannon has impressive acceleration, a strong body, and is not scared of anyone in front of him. He routinely launches into the defender’s chest as he drives to the basket.
He was fantastic in his first real rotational chunk of minutes in two months. The Wolves put Shannon into a tricky situation. He was playing his first real playoff minutes, but was comfortable in the moment. Shannon’s role is fairly simple, but his chaotic pace adds a different dynamic to Minnesota’s slower and more methodical offense.
Shannon will turn 25 this off-season. His timeline for a second-year pro is unorthodox. Still, given his performance in the playoffs and limited minutes in the regular season, it’s easy to project how he can be a rotation piece for the Timberwolves next season.
It’s difficult to predict Minnesota’s off-season moves. Julius Randle has a player option, Naz Reid has a player option that he will decline, making him an unrestricted free agent, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s contract will be up, making him an unrestricted free agent. Tim Connelly has shown us he’s not shy about making big moves in the off-season.
However, Shannon has three seasons remaining on his rookie contract, is comfortable in high-leverage playoff minutes, and is malleable in his role. Therefore, the Timberwolves should have a vision for how to use Shannon more frequently.
Minnesota’s impending decision on Nickeil Alexander-Walker will affect Shannon’s future. Alexander-Walker is going to garner genuine interest this off-season. He has had some struggles finding consistency in the playoffs. Still, he’s fresh off a 23-point performance in Game 4 and was one of the Timberwolves’ more reliable bench options throughout the regular season.
Even if Alexander-Walker returns, Shannon has a clear pathway to real minutes. Compared to the other Timberwolves end-of-bench options under contract moving into next season, who could be competing with Shannon for minutes, Shannon brings much more scoring punch than Jaylen Clark and is much more polished than Josh Minott.
Shannon likely would have seen more opportunities if not for his foot and groin injuries throughout the regular season and Minnesota’s mostly healthy season overall. Ultimately, the Timberwolves, Chris Finch, and Tim Connelly got valuable reps from Shannon in the Thunder series that, combined with his regular-season performances, should give enough of a sample size to project a real impact off the bench next season from Shannon.