Terrence Shannon Jr. is one of the more intriguing names in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ search for a power forward, but the path to that kind of role runs straight through his defense.
Tim Connelly has already hinted that the Wolves may have to get creative to fill the spot, and Shannon fits the kind of left-field idea that could at least be worth a look. He’s 6-foot-6, but he carries 215 pounds and brings real athletic pop.
That combination makes the concept less far-fetched than it sounds on paper. Jon Krawczynski even brought up the possibility on a recent episode of his podcast, saying Shannon could be the starting power forward on opening night.
Still, Shannon is built like a wing, plays like a wing, and has a lot to prove before anyone can trust him as a four. Offensively, there’s something to work with. The problem is that he looks most comfortable when the ball is in his hands, and that’s not exactly the cleanest fit if Minnesota wants him playing up a position.
The bigger issue is what happened on the other end last season. Shannon did not defend at a high level, and Chris Finch made that clear before Game 6 of the Timberwolves’ first-round series, calling him out for game-plan mistakes and poor defense. Shannon answered with a strong two-way performance in that game, but the larger body of work still points to one obvious area that has to improve.
His off-ball defense was especially shaky. He was frequently out of position, had trouble rotating, didn’t navigate screens well, didn’t force turnovers, and wasn’t active on the glass. If Minnesota is serious about trying him at power forward, those habits can’t stay the same.
There are reasons the idea isn’t dead on arrival. Shannon has the physical tools to become a plus defender, and a 6-foot-6 player succeeding as a forward wouldn’t be some wild anomaly. He also showed some solid physicality as an on-ball defender, which gives the Wolves at least a starting point if they want to test the fit.
But the numbers show how much work remains. Shannon ranked in the 21st percentile for defensive estimated plus-minus per Dunks & Threes last season. Minnesota’s defense was also 13.9 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court per Cleaning the Glass, a mark that landed in the second percentile.
That kind of uneven defense is a big reason he didn’t see more minutes. And if the Wolves want him to be part of the answer at power forward, they’ll need far more from him as a help-side defender.
Rebounding is part of that too, and Shannon has to get better there as well. Databallr had him in the 14th percentile for defensive rebounding percentage, which is not the kind of number that helps sell a move to the frontcourt.
There is at least one encouraging wrinkle. Shannon was better defending forwards than guards, holding opposing forwards to 44.4 percent shooting from the field, which was 8.5 percent lower than what he allowed to opposing guards. That’s a real sign that the shift up could make some sense.
So yes, Shannon could end up being one of Minnesota’s best internal options at power forward. But that outcome depends on a lot breaking the right way. For now, he looks more like a possible piece of the solution than the solution itself, and his off-ball defense will have to sharpen up fast if he wants more minutes and any real trust in a new role.
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The real test, of course, is how it looks once the season starts and the league gets a full read on the fit. Minnesota will be measured against other elite guard tandems around the NBA, but the Wolves case is especially intriguing because the ceiling is so high and the margin for error is so small. For now, the idea of Edwards and Ball being the best backcourt in basketball is more a challenge than a conclusion, and the answer will come only after the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]