Watch: Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Delivers Another Explosive NBA Preseason Dunk

Minnesota Timberwolves and former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. takes flight again in exhibition action

Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) dribbles in front of New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in NBA preseason action, Illini fans had their hopes up for an Ayo Dosunmu-Terrence Shannon Jr. showdown.

Unfortunately, the matchup of former Illinois stars never materialized.

Due to shoulder soreness, fourth-year Bulls guard Dosunmu was a game-day scratch. And with Minnesota's established starters playing heavy minutes, Shannon – a rookie first-round pick – wound up receiving limited minutes in the Timberwolves' rotation.

But on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets, Shannon was made up for the missed opportunity by landing his second mind-bending dunk of the preseason.

Terrence Shannon Jr. detonates on the Nuggets pic.twitter.com/nl5BgGvzU2

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) October 18, 2024

Late in the second quarter, Shannon caught a kick-out pass on the left wing, ball-faked to the corner and found a runway. In one dribble, he was in the lane and – with Nuggets forward Vlatko Čančar coming from a help position to make a futile last-ditch attempt to contest – elevating to the rim to finish with an emphatic left-handed jam.

Shannon finished with a well-rounded stat line of nine points, six assists and five rebounds in a 132-126 loss to Denver.

When Minnesota kicks off its regular-season schedule next Tuesday, Shannon will get his first opportunity to log official NBA minutes. The Timberwolves take on the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of a TNT doubleheader (9 p.m. CT) set for the NBA's opening night.

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