“With the 27th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Terrence Shannon Jr. from the University of Illinois,” announced NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday night. With that announcement, Illinois mens basketball secured a first round draft pick for the first time since Meyers Leonard was selected No. 11 overall in 2012.
Shannon was not invited by the NBA to be in the green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Instead, he watched the draft from his hometown of Chicago with family, friends, former teammates and coaches, including Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and guard/forward Ty Rodgers.
Shannon will join Kentucky star guard Rob Dillingham, who was selected No. 8 overall, in Minnesota. His ability to finish at the rim while drawing contact, improved three-point shot, speed and defensive tenacity make him a player that will be able to contribute at the NBA level immediately on both ends of the floor. Shannon’s athleticism and ability to run the floor in transition will mesh well with high-flying NBA-All Star Anthony Edwards, and his NBA-ready game will be very useful for a relatively young team in a win-now scenario. Additionally, he will have the opportunity to learn from veteran point guard Mike Conley, a 2021 NBA All-Star and strong defender, throughout his rookie campaign. The Timberwolves finished the 2023-24 NBA season with a 56-26 record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
In his final season of college basketball at the University, Shannon averaged 23 points per game — the third highest in the nation — while leading Illinois to a Big Ten tournament championship and an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA tournament. Shannon broke the program’s record for most points scored in a season, despite missing six games due to a suspension based on rape charges filed in December 2023. After Shannon was acquitted by a jury two weeks ago, it was announced that he will become the 36th Illini men’s basketball player with their jersey number honored in the rafters of the State Farm Center.
After five years in college, Shannon’s age of 23 likely impacted his draft stock along with his legal record. However, Shannon will have just as much of an opportunity as any of the younger draftees to make a splash once he steps on an NBA court. Shannon will take the court for the first time as a professional at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas next month, starting on July 12.
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