Terrence Shannon Jr.: Unlikely Creator?

Can Terrence Shannon Jr. ride his unconventional skill set in order to become an NBA creator?

The uniting trait of nearly every perimeter advantage creator is dependable ball-handling ability. The capacity to get to shift defenders off-the-dribble is typically necessary to create downhill angles to attack and initially force defenses into rotation. However, when someone can simply rush around defenders through any path, it’s fair to question whether a reliable handle is necessary. This type of player is ultra-rare, but brings tremendous value as a low-ball-time, yet legitimate, creator.

Enter: Terrence Shannon Jr.

Terrence Shannon Jr. initially burst onto the scene as a potential first-round prospect during the 2021 cycle as a Texas Tech Red Raider. He flirted with the draft process for quite a bit, but ultimately returned to Lubbock for his junior season. Unfortunately, this campaign was quite underwhelming, with the 6-foot-6 wing averaging just 10.4 points per game. As a result, he transferred to Illinois for his senior season, which has proven to be a terrific decision thus far. This season, he’s emerged as one of the best players in the entire country, averaging 18.1 points and 3.3 assists per game while recuperating his status as a first-round prospect.

His defining characteristic is indubitably his outrageous athleticism. In a draft class containing Scoot Henderson, the Thompson twins, Maxwell Lewis, and multiple other unreal athletes, Shannon Jr. makes a plausible case to be the most explosive prospect. His first step is quick as lightning, and he doesn’t take his foot off the pedal after that. He also maintains top speed while veering like a motorcycle, meaning his rapid onslaughts aren’t confined to straight lines.

This violent, malleable, burst allows Shannon Jr. to dust any sort of moving defender as if they’re moving in slow motion, allowing him to easily pressure the rim and create an advantage.

We see this principle frequently with how Shannon Jr. feasts on defenders who are rotating to the ball from standard help-side positioning, but these chances can also easily be proactively created through basic off-ball actions such as handoffs, curls, pindowns, etc.

To take it a step further, Shannon Jr. has even displayed the ability to erupt past defenders from a standstill. His handle is far too elementary to deceive, but his speed and torque are almost always too much for defenders to stay in front of, even when fully down in their stance. This standstill creation ability could open up new worlds for him as a higher-volume offensive catalyst should it translate to the next level.

While breaking the initial layer is the first step to impairing a defense, a lot more is required to turn these drives into points. The ability to navigate through help defense, make the right pass, and actually finish the play serve as some examples of necessary ancillary skills.

Shannon Jr. excels at blending savvy footwork and extensive gathers to demolish small gaps in the defense and brush uncommitted help defenders off during his interior attacks.

Upon getting all the way to the rim, his finishing ability comes into question. Per Synergy Sports, Shannon Jr. has ranked in the 77th percentile of all players in efficiency on rim attempts. Given the nature of these tries for him, this mark is great. He can make full-speed layups with either hand, as well as finish off of two, all through contact.

When help defenders do commit to stopping him, however, Shannon Jr. can promptly get the ball to the open guy. His brisk processing speed somewhat resembles the speed at which he moves. He isn’t a passing wizard, but he can be trusted to facilitate out of his drives.

Usually, prospects with the ball-handling chops of Shannon Jr. get dismissed as non-creators, but with his 99th percentile explosiveness, he has a real chance to defy this stereotype. However, he will certainly need to continue to develop. Extra strength is needed to shield off defenders on drives, and more scoring counters in the short mid-range area will make him a far more potent scorer. Still, the foundation of his skillset itself brings a sneaky ceiling and a sturdy floor that NBA teams shouldn’t let fall out of the first round.

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