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Timberwolves' Terrence Shannon Jr. is poised to dominate Summer League
May 24, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half in game three of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Second-year Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. figures to put up some eye-popping numbers at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which kicks off this week. Shannon, who turns 25 in a few weeks, will be among the older players participating. And given what he displayed during his rookie season, it's fair to expect that the competition in Vegas will be no match for last year's 27th overall pick.

Early last season, Shannon spent some time with the Iowa Wolves in the G League, and he quickly proved to be too good for that level. Across four games, he averaged 36.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 55/36/96 shooting splits. When he eventually received a chance to crack Minnesota's rotation in February due to injuries, he wound up scoring 59 points in one three-game stretch. Shannon got another opportunity to play in the last three games of the Western Conference Finals against the eventual NBA champions, and he scored 35 points in just under 37 total minutes.

After taking it to Thunder defenders like Alex Caruso and Lu Dort and Jalen Williams, Shannon is poised to feast on whoever's in front of him when the Wolves begin Summer League play Thursday. Frankly, it would be surprising if he doesn't average 25-plus points per game this summer. What the Wolves will be looking for is how he plays on the defensive end and how he handles things on offense when teams throw multiple bodies his way.

"We expect him to probably be our leading scorer, that would be my guess," said Wolves assistant coach Kevin Hanson, who is coaching the summer team. "His ability to get downhill and score the ball in a bunch of different ways. But we really wanna see him defend. We're gonna put him on some tough tasks out there and we wanna see him take those tasks on while scoring as well, be a two-way player. He's probably gonna be the focal point of other teams' defense, so it'll be fun to watch him navigate through that."

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has already confirmed that Shannon will be part of the team's rotation next season. He's earned that by impressing with his attacking mindset and scoring ability whenever he's gotten chances to play. And with Nickeil Alexander-Walker now in Atlanta, the door is wide open for Wolves fans to see a lot of Shannon in the 2025-26 campaign.

For now, the only thing Shannon is focusing on is what's up next, which is Summer League play. Last summer, he averaged 17.7 points over the first three games in Vegas before getting banged up. This time around, with a year in the NBA under his belt, he's ready to do even more — and he wants to win the championship.

"I'm more confident than I was last summer," Shannon said. "That just comes with work. The more you work, I feel like the more confident you are. I'mma showcase everything I've been working on. Y'all gon' see."

The Wolves' summer team looks like it has a chance to be very good. Fellow second-year guards Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark will be out there, as will third-year forward Leonard Miller. Jesse Edwards and rookies Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky will provide all kinds of size in the frontcourt. But more than anyone else, Shannon is set up to thrive as the team's No. 1 option. Even after playing as well as he did in the WCF, he still feels like he has more to prove.

"I ain't really proven nothing to nobody, man," he said. "I'm just looking to dominate. Just showcase my talent, win these games, just be the best version of myself."

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Timberwolves and was syndicated with permission.

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