The Minnesota Timberwolves have been knocking on the door to the NBA Finals for several seasons.
Last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, making it to the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row. The Timberwolves have established themselves as perennial championship favorites, led by superstar Anthony Edwards.
But despite making significant roster changes for the second straight season with the Rudy Gobert trade and the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Timberwolves still need more of a push to go from title contender to title contender.
While Minnesota has tried its luck on the trade market, the past two NBA champions, the Boston Celtics and Thunder, have grown from within. So head coach Chris Finch identified talent the Timberwolves drafted in 2024 that could be a difference-maker this season.
Terrence Shannon Jr. was a rookie drafted by the Timberwolves with the 27th overall pick last season.
Although the 6-foot-6 guard wasn’t a major part of Finch’s rotation, averaging just 10 minutes and four points per game, Shannon Jr. had a number of breakout moments, including a 25-point double-double against the Los Angeles Lakers and a 17-point double-double against the Thunder.
He was trusted by Coach Finch in the postseason, playing in nine games during the playoffs. And with Nickel-Alexander-Walker being traded to the Atlanta Hawks this summer, the Timberwolves head coach believes he could be an important player for the team going forward.
“I’ve been really impressed with his preseason so far,” Finch said after Shannon Jr. scored 15 points in the Timberwolves’ preseason game against Victor Oladipo’s Guangzhou Long Lions. “His playmaking mindset is exactly what we need. It all starts with his quick decision-making, his ability to get in the paint.”
“We’re never going to be a top-five pace team. I don’t know if that’s what we’ll be, but looking at the metrics early on and even the eye test, we’re playing a little bit faster than we’ve been in the past, and as a result we’re making quicker decisions in the half court.”
Playing with Gobert under center means the Timberwolves are a team with a lot of grit and effort, but to get the most out of Edwards’ athleticism, they need to get out and run down breaks as much as possible.
This requires not only runners in transition, but also guards who act quickly to push the pace. Finch thinks Shannon Jr. can do that this season.
The Timberwolves need Shannon Jr. to take the leap and fill the pivotal role Alexander Walker played for this team last season. Part of that also means being an advocate for lockdowns at the border.
Shannon Jr. said he has made great strides in that department by playing with Edwards in practice.
“I feel like I’m getting better overall,” he told reporters during the preseason. “The first year is just getting used to the speed of the NBA, knowing the tendencies of the players, understanding the defense we accept, knowing certain things that are happening in the flow of the game.”
“When you get a lot of opportunities to play one-on-one with (Anthony Edwards), you’re ready for anybody. He’s a really good scorer. He knows how to move without the ball and with the ball. That was a big focus for me all summer: defense.”
Iron sharpens iron, and Finch will be hoping that’s the case with Shannon Jr. this season. He will be facing the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic in the West, but Minnesota will need to rely on its perimeter defense if it has a chance against these superstars.