Insiders rave about Wolves selections Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr.

The media was impressed by Minnesota on the first night of the draft.

Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) dribbles the ball against the Illinois Fighting Illini n the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Timberwolves were busy on night one of the 2024 NBA draft, trading up for Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8 overall and selecting Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. with the No. 27 pick. Much of the media is thoroughly impressed with what they were able to pull off.

"Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon is quite a haul for the Wolves. Tons of shot creation injected into their team. Tim Connelly is doing it again," The Ringer draft analyst Kevin O'Connor said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon is quite a haul for the Wolves. Tons of shot creation injected into their team. Tim Connelly is doing it again.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 27, 2024

Last season at Kentucky as a true freshman, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points per game on 47.5/44.3/79.6 shooting splits. He was named the 2023-24 Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year, coming off the bench for the Wildcats in every game but one.

He had a unique journey to the NBA, playing one season for Kanye West's Donda Academy High School in California, then one season for "Cold Hearts" in the Overtime Elite league, before starring in Lexington in his lone season of college basketball.

"Rob Dillingham is just a hooper, I mean that guy can score," ESPN's Jay Bilas said. "You put the ball in his hands, he's got great shake, he's got speed in transition, he's got quickness he can get by people, he pulls up and has a really quick release, he can shoot it from deep, he can shoot it off the catch, he can shoot it off the dribble, some guys can just score and create for themselves and Rob Dillingham is one of those."

Shannon was arguably the best scoring guard in college basketball last season. He averaged 23.0 points per game, which ranked third best in the entire country. He has much more college experience than Dillingham and will turn 24 years old next month.

"Terrence Shannon Jr. was as good as any guard in America this past year. That’s quality value by the Timberwolves, who went out and said let’s get more backcourt weapons tonight with Rob Dillingham as well," college basketball analyst John Fanta said.

In a draft that was viewed to have a less talented pool of players than years in the past, Minnesota left with two proven players that can contribute on a rotation that hopes to compete for an NBA championship next season.