Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Cracks Minnesota Timberwolves' Rotation

Shannon is making the most of his sudden NBA opportunities as the Timberwolves fight through injuries

Feb 13, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) works past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

After flip-flopping between the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the franchise's G-League affiliate Iowa Wolves, rookie guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has finally worked his way into the Timberwolves' rotation.

In four games for the Iowa Wolves, Shannon averaged 36.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on otherworldly efficiency from the field (53.4 percent) and free-throw line (96.3 percent on 6.8 attempts per game), while shooting a solid 36.4 percent from deep – all of which sent one clear message:

Shannon does not belong in the G-League.

But every time the former Illini All-American guard was recalled to Minneapolis, he was throttled by limited minutes in low-leverage situations, stuck behind one of the deepest guard rotations in the league.

Through the first four months of the season, Shannon surpassed 10 minutes in a game just once. 

But in his past four games?

Shannon has played double-digit minutes in all of them, including 29 minutes in Thursday’s 116-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder – the top team in the Western Conference.

And Shannon isn't playing empty minutes either: the 6-foot-6 guard scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds en route to a game-high plus-23 mark in the plus-minus column.

TJ IS HOOPING. 🏀
13 PTS
4-8 FG
IT'S ONLY HALFTIME. pic.twitter.com/h3RcSsB42C

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 14, 2025

Just one night before, Shannon played 20 minutes in the Timberwolves' 103-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Putting together a do-it-all performance, he scored 11 points, collected five rebounds and dished out six assists.

While his uptick in minutes has coincided with the absence of guards Mike Conley and Donte DiVincenzo, Shannon – the Timberwolves’ 27th pick in last summer's NBA Draft – has made it clear that his place is on the floors of the best basketball league in the world.

With the All-Star break looming, Shannon and the Timberwolves are off until next week, and while many of his teammates will likely be spending the weekend in San Francisco, the former Illini guard has an important date to make back in Champaign.

After leading Illinois to a 2024 Big Ten Tournament Championship and its first Elite Eight appearance in nearly two decades, Shannon will have his jersey honored in a ceremony that celebrates his legacy and impact at Illinois on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, on FOX) when the Illini take on Michigan State.

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