Terrence Shannon Jr. enters the Timberwolves’ season with a real problem: the talent is obvious, but the fit is still fuzzy.
Minnesota seems to view him as a player who belongs in the top eight of the rotation, at least early on. Even so, the exact job description is hard to pin down. The Wolves have talked about giving him more on-ball responsibility, but for now the most realistic lane looks like a microwave scorer.
That role sounds neat in theory. The issue is whether Shannon is actually ready to handle it.
He’s a strong downhill driver, but the ball security and finishing package don’t quite match the burst. He ranked in the 79th percentile for rim attempts per 75 possessions, according to Databallr, but finished just 58.3 percent at the rim, which placed him in the 23rd percentile.
And even that best trait comes with baggage: he leans heavily on his left hand, doesn’t always control his attacks, and hasn’t shown the kind of rim craft that makes a creator dangerous every night.
That’s what makes the on-ball conversation so complicated. To give Shannon more usage, someone else has to give something up.
And right now, the case for that tradeoff is shaky. He’s not the kind of playmaker who consistently runs an offense, and he hasn’t made a regular impact on defense either.
Saturday’s performance against the Miami Heat gave both sides of the argument a little fuel. Shannon scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists.
He flashed the scoring punch that makes him intriguing, and he also made some sharp passing reads, including a lob to Joan Beringer. Those are the kinds of moments that hint at a bigger role if his playmaking can tighten up.
But there’s context. The game came against Miami’s reserves, so big numbers were at least somewhat expected.
And even in that outing, the same concerns kept showing up. Shannon is still heavily left-hand dependent, and while that didn’t hurt him against Vladislav Goldin, that kind of limitation becomes a much bigger problem when the competition stiffens.
If he had shown more comfort with his right hand and more control around the basket, the on-ball vision would be easier to buy into.
That inconsistency has been part of the story throughout preseason. The Wolves have played three exhibition games, and Shannon’s arc has been uneven.
In the two preseason games where the starters were involved, he averaged just 7.5 points and shot 33.3 percent from the field. He can hit pull-up shots, but his off-ball game is still rough around the edges.
Last season, he made just 33.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s, and he doesn’t move especially well when he’s not handling the ball.
So when Shannon is asked to play next to more established creators, the fit gets awkward. He hasn’t consistently shown he can defer cleanly and thrive as a complementary piece, but he also hasn’t proven enough to demand the ball.
The defensive side doesn’t clear things up, either. Shannon has the tools, but the production hasn’t always followed.
He’s not a sturdy on-ball defender, he can drift out of position, and he doesn’t create many turnovers. Last season, Minnesota’s defense was 13.9 points worse per 100 possessions with Shannon on the court, per Cleaning the Glass.
That leaves the Timberwolves in a tricky spot. If he’s pushed into a role built around complementing others, the defensive concerns and off-ball limitations make it harder to see him thriving. If he’s given more freedom to attack, he still has to prove he can create efficiently enough to justify it.
There is a version of Shannon who works as a scoring burst off the bench. The question is whether that version helps Minnesota enough. Right now, the answer looks uncertain, and he’ll need to show something fast once the regular season starts.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Need Joan Beringer To Answer One Growing Roster Problem
The Timberwolves have spent enough of their future to make every internal development story matter a little more, and Joan Beringer is suddenly one of the most important ones on the roster. With future draft capital pared down after the LaMelo Ball trade, Minnesota cannot count on a steady stream of rookie reinforcements to keep the pipeline moving, so the growth of a young, athletic second-year big carries unusual weight for a contender trying to stay ahead of time.
Beringer is expected to be Rudy Goberts primary backup this season, which puts him in position to absorb real minutes and real responsibility right away. If his game keeps progressing, he could eventually become more than just the next man up and help ease the transition as Gobert ages, giving the Timberwolves a homegrown answer to a roster problem they may not be able to solve any other way. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans May Not Like What This Missed Reunion Suggests
Ben Simmons is headed back to the NBA after spending last season away from the league to focus on his mental health, and his return comes on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings. The guards workout for Sacramento general manager Scott Perry reportedly left the team and Australian officials encouraged by his health and readiness, and the move gives the Kings a low-cost chance to see what Simmons can still bring.
Along the way, there were other teams watching, including the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks, but none put a contract on the table. For the Timberwolves, it is another reminder of how narrow the margin can be when a veteran with name value and some upside hits the market, especially once one club decides the fit is worth the gamble. [Read more 🡒]
Which Timberwolves Could Put Minnesota Back In The NBA Awards Spotlight
Minnesotas 2023-24 run put the Timberwolves back in a familiar but refreshing place: the franchise is once again talking about major league-wide honors instead of simply trying to stay in the conversation. Anthony Edwards remains the obvious centerpiece of that discussion, while Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels give the roster more than one route into the award picture if the season breaks the right way.
The appeal is in how broad the possibilities are, even if they are only possibilities for now. LaMelo Ball also surfaces as part of the conversation around individual recognition, and that kind of company says a lot about where Minnesotas talent level sits entering the new season. Whether those names turn into actual hardware is still to be determined, but the Wolves have at least made themselves relevant again in a part of the league calendar that usually belongs to the usual suspects. [Read more 🡒]