Wolves' Terrence Shannon Jr. shows off his speed and more in loss to Bucks

Shannon, 24, whom the Wolves selected with the No. 24 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, put together the best game of his young NBA career Wednesday night, finishing with 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, six assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block in a career-high 20 minutes. It was his biggest opportunity yet, and Shannon certainly made the most of it.

Shannon provided a much-needed spark after a slow start, though the Wolves ultimately fell 103-101 to the Bucks.

He hasn't seen many minutes this season until recent weeks when the Wolves have been decimated by injuries. Donte DiVincenzo (toe) and Julius Randle (groin) have both been out for the long term; Mike Conley has missed the last three games; and Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid have each missed a game in recent weeks. With the surplus of injuries, Shannon has played over 10 minutes in each of the last three games, and he's quickly growing more comfortable.

"The first couple games, I was playing timid," Shannon said. "... Some time with the coaches and some of the players, it's starting to click for me a little bit."

What's clicking is that Shannon has been doing what he does best; he's like a lightning rod coming down the court. His pace in transition is noticeably fast on a Wolves team that generally plays at a slower pace. There's where he excells.

"Letting the game come to me," he said. "I'm at my best when I'm in transition."

That's something that's stood out to Anthony Edwards. Shannon has quickly earned Edwards' trust in the open floor.

"I told him anytime I catch the ball in the game, if he ahead of me, I’m gonna throw it," Edwards said. "If there’s one person back there, he’s likely going to score it every time or get fouled.”

Shannon was known as a player who could push the pace coming out of college at Illinois, and he can finish at the rim. What stood out on Wednesday was his all-around performance. He showed off his playmaking, which included a feed to Rob Dillingham for a transition layup in the second quarter and a pretty bounce pass to Reid in the paint for a bucket and a foul during the third. He played well defensively, too, which is what will keep him on the court, getting a block and a steal.

It was an impressive game from the rookie guard, one that's likely to earn him plenty more opportunities.