Game two of Terrence Shannon Jr. and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Summer League campaign took place on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas. Shannon was coming off of a 25-point debut on Friday and looking to build upon his early success.
Halfway through the first quarter, Shannon had already committed three fouls, and not surprisingly was subbed out with just under four minutes to go. Shannon returned with just under a minute remaining in the first quarter and stayed in to start the second. He scored his first two baskets of the afternoon in the first three minutes of the second quarter, with his second shot being a contested layup in transition, a familiar sight for those who watched him play for Illinois last season. Shannon likes to run the floor and be aggressive on offense, but that was relatively limited in the first half compared to his first game, with him mostly sitting in the corners.
“That’s on me, I’ll take that one,” said Timberwolves Summer League head coach Chris Hines after the game in regards to Shannon’s low offensive production in the first half. “I could have put him in some better situations. We got Rob (Dillingham) doing a little bit more.”
Before the buzzer sounded to end the half, Shannon had a strong defensive play, knocking a ball out of the air to disrupt a lob attempt by the Pacers. At halftime, Shannon had five points, and the Timberwolves led 51-44.
“I’m not the type to force anything,” said Shannon after the game. “We were winning. I was playing defense. That’s how I come in the game, defensive-minded and then it translates to offense. Just letting the game come to me. I don’t think ‘score first,’ it’s always defense to offense.”
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To start the third quarter, Shannon showed his defensive prowess by perfectly timing a block on 2024 NBA G League Rookie of the Year and Pacers center Oscar Tshiebwe, only moments before picking up his fourth foul of the game.
With under six minutes to go, Shannon turned defense into offense, getting his third block of the game on a driving Ben Sheppard before running the floor to score on the other end. A minute later, Shannon scored again, this time on a floater via a baseline drive. He also drew a foul and knocked down a free throw to finish the three-point play, giving him his 10th point of the game. Shannon followed that play up with another three-point play in transition shortly after, showcasing his normally quick style of play.
“I feel like I let the game come to me, and I just happened to score in the second half,” said Shannon.
Shannon checked out with about three minutes left in the third quarter and returned a few minutes into the fourth, drawing two fouls almost immediately and cashing in four free throws to reach 17 points. With just over 30 seconds left, Shannon sprinted down the court in transition for a tomahawk slam that resulted in roars from the crowd in the Cox Pavilion, putting the Timberwolves up five, 98-93. Shannon’s Illinois teammate Justin Harmon was spotted on his feet cheering with the rest of the crowd following the dunk.
“I thought in the second half he did what he did first game, just super aggressive, especially off the catch,” said Hines. “He’s dynamite in the open floor. So I thought he did a good job.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the Timberwolves held on to win 105-94. Shannon finished with 19 points (14 of which came in the second half), three blocks and two steals in the victory.
“I think he goes out there and gives 110 percent effort every time,” said newly signed Timberwolves guard PJ Dozier, who was in attendance for the game. “I think he has tremendous upside, so I’m excited to see what he does.”
The Timberwolves have the day off on Monday and will next play on Tuesday evening. When asked about what he’s looking to focus on doing in the next game besides continuing to be tenacious on defense, Shannon said he wanted to be more ready and willing to shoot the ball.
“Probably just being shot ready,” said Shannon. “Letting the ball fly when it comes to me instead of just driving every time just because I’m bigger and stronger than everybody. Just being shot-ready. Every game I go into, even at Illinois, I was defensive-minded and just happened to have most of my points in transition.”
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