Wolves select Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. with No. 27 pick in NBA draft

Shannon averaged 23.0 points per game for the Illini last season.

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts against Connecticut in the finals of the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament at TD Garden in Boston on March 30, 2024. / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Timberwolves selected Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. with the No. 27 overall pick in Wednesday night's NBA draft, their second selection of the night after trading up with the San Antonio Spurs for No. 8 overall pick, Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

Shannon, 23, was the Illini's leading scorer last season, averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while leading Illinois to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Like Dillingham, he's an excellent scorer and shooter, hitting on 48% of his field goals and 36% of his shots from deep.

Shannon was voted first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American by the Associated Press.

But it was a tumultuous 2023 season with the Illini as Shannon faced a sexual assault accusation that resulted in a rape charge and him being suspended from the university. While Shannon maintained his innocence, it was uncertain whether he'd be allowed to play last season until a judge ruled his civil rights had been violated by the suspension, and he was reinstated after missing six games.

Shannon later testified at his trial and was acquitted of the charge in mid-June.

Shannon, an NBA-ready prospect, will now join a Timberwolves team coming off a Western Conference finals appearance. One of the struggles for the Timberwolves, at times, last season was that they struggled to find offense outside of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Finding an additional scoring punch has been a clear emphasis of the draft, and the Wolves found a pair of high-level scoring guards in Dillingham and Shannon who can made an immediate impact.