Facing the Phoenix Suns in NBA Cup action last time out, Anthony Edwards’ 40-burger was wiped out by a pair of missed free throws and a poorly decided inbounds pass that wound up costing the Wolves a victory that seemed all but certain, even seconds before it wasn’t.

Now 10-6, there’s a lot that this team still has to figure out if it wants to make another deep playoff run in a stacked Western Conference. 2024 first round pick Terrence Shannon Jr. was expected to be a key rotational player entering the season, but he has been sidelined for the past three games with a bone bruise in his left foot.

Injured Terrence Shannon Jr cleared to play

With the Timberwolves in Sacramento Monday night against a bad Sacramento Kings team, however, the former Illinois Fighting Illini standout has now been cleared for action, and will go into the game with a “questionable” injury designation.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has been cleared for full-contact and will be listed as questionable for Monday's game against Sacramento.

Shannon has been out for the last three weeks with a bone bruise in his left foot.

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) November 24, 2025

Terrence Shannon Jr. was last active on November 3 against the Brooklyn Nets. In seven games this season he has seen his minutes per game jump from 10.6 in 2024-25 to 16.4.

We haven’t seen the production come along with his increased time on the court, however, as the 25-year-old is averaging just 3.9 points per game on 32.1% shooting.

Minnesota opted against grabbing a playmaking point guard to pair with Mike Conley this offseason, in large part due to their budget constraints, hanging just below the second apron.

Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot to figure out still this season

Instead, Donte DiVincenzo joined the starting lineup as the on-paper point guard, while Anthony Edwards has taken on most of the ball-handling duties. It remains to be seen if Ant at the point will be sustainable, or if president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will get itchy before the trade deadline.

Through 16 games this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have feasted on inferior competition, while they’ve struggled against better teams.

Hopefully, getting Terrence Shannon Jr. back will help steady that ship, but he will have to play better than he did prior to injury, in order to have a positive effect on the rotation. We know the kid has it in him, because we’ve seen it.

Terrance Shannon Jr. ELEVATES for the slam 💥pic.twitter.com/ESgYmBJfV3

— Timberwolves Nation (@TWolvesNationCP) November 4, 2025

The Minnesota Timberwolves made two first round picks last season, jumping up to take Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 overall pick, before snagging Shannon Jr at No. 27. So far, Dillingham looks like a bust, but he is young (20 years old).

If Connelly’s roster-building plan is going to work, as currently laid out, both Dilly and Shannon Jr. will have to look more like the first round draft picks they were selected to be. Otherwise, changes will need to be made. If not before the 2025-26 trade deadline, then likely during the offseason.

It’s a positive that the Timberwolves have padded their record with matchup against the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings (who they will face again on Friday night). They very-well could need the cushion if the injury situations continue to pop up.

Into the foreseeable future now, they will be without emerging talent Terrence Shannon Jr.

Terrence Shannon Jr. shut down for Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has played in seven games this season, but has been out since November 3rd. He did not dress for the November 5th matchup against the Knicks, and has been inactive for the last three contests. That will continue going forward.

The Timberwolves say Terrence Shannon Jr. had an MRI that revealed a bone bruise on the fifth metatarsal on his left foot. He will be re-evaluated in a week.

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 14, 2025

The shutdown of Shannon Jr. will have him missing at least five more games. Minnesota hosts Sacramento for an NBA Cup game on Friday night, and they are at Phoenix for another such contest a week from now.

Through seven games this season, Shannon Jr. is averaging 16.4 minutes per game with 3.9 points per game. He has shot just 32.1% from the field, although his 36.4% from deep is an improvement from last season.

"My goodness!"

This Terrence Shannon Jr. slam was CRAZY.

Watch on Peacock: https://t.co/Hkh8yJ1XGQ https://t.co/6HHmr3NZeL pic.twitter.com/IZKCWUl28b

— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2025

It’s virtually impossible to evaluate anything Shannon Jr. has done this year in such a small sample size. However, with the Minnesota Timberwolves opting against acquiring a playmaking point guard, his responsibilities were expected to grow. The time off doesn’t help Shannon Jr.’s development, and he is a key member of the rotation.

Finch and the Timberwolves have to play the long-game with the youngster. The goal is an NBA Finals appearance and a championship. It will be on the rest of the team to pick up the slack in his absence.

In the meantime, some moves needed to be made, in order to round out the final opening night roster. So Saturday evening, the Wolves announced those transactions. First, they waived four depth players, Jules Bernard, Tristen Newton, Zyon Pullin and Alize Johnson.

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived guards Jules Bernard, Tristen Newton and Zyon Pullin and forward Alize Johnson. The Timberwolves roster stands at 17 players.

Minnesota Timberwolves Press Release – October 18, 2025 – 4:20 p.m. CDT

Minnesota Timberwolves convert contract of Johnny Juzang

But that was only the beginning. From there, the MN Timberwolves converted the contract of UCLA’s Johnny Juzang — a 24-year-old wing who fell out of favor in Utah after three seasons but shot his way into a two-way contract during his preseason tryout in Minnesota.

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has converted guard Johnny Juzang to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Minnesota Timberwolves Press Release – October 18, 2025 – 4:20 p.m. CDT

Johnny Juzang off-screen 3 pic.twitter.com/Lx1GKPQzmI

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) October 8, 2025

While Juzang’s signing this fall flew relatively under the radar, he certainly did not come in as a scrub with little NBA experience. After two successful years at UCLA (played one season at Kentucky in 2019-20), Johnny came out after his junior season back in 2022.

While he went undrafted, Juzang quickly earned a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, out of the preseason. A few months later, in February 2023, he found his way onto an NBA court for the first time.

Juzang ended up playing 18 games that first season in Utah, a number that grew over the next two years, all the way up to 64 games played (18 starts) in 2024-25. In his final year wearing a Jazz uniform, Johnny averaged 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.8 minutes per game during his final season with the Jazz.

Wolves exercise rookie options on both Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr

All eyes will be on Rob Dillingham, when the season opens in Portland next week. How much will the 20-year-old play, how soon will Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch call his name off the bench? Those are only the start of the questions that surround the second year point guard out of Kentucky.

• Rob Dillingham 2024-25 Stats (49 Games) : 10.5 MPG | 4.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 1.0 RPG | 1.1 TO

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced last week that their other 2024 first round pick, Terrence Shannon Jr has earned his spot in the regular season rotation and Finchy confirmed he will be called upon early and often, starting Wednesday in Portland.

But no matter their roles now, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly showed confidence in the future of both youngsters Saturday evening, when he exercised the first round options on their first round rookie contracts, locking them both in through the 2026-27 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has exercised team options on guards Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. 

Minnesota Timberwolves Press Release – October 18, 2025 – 4:26 p.m. CDT

Terrence Shannon Jr. explosive transition dunk, created by the Rob Dillingham block + assist pic.twitter.com/wCGFv3rMbX

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) July 12, 2024

During the preseason, the 2024 No. 8 overall pick teetered between reckless to downright ugly, which isn’t exactly the step forward in development that Wolves coaches and executives were hoping to see when the team arrived at Mayo Clinic Square for the start of training camp last month.

• T.J. Shannon Jr. 2024-25 Stats (32 Games) : 10.6 MPG | 4.3 PPG | 1.0 APG | 1.5 RPG | 0.5 TO

TJ Shannon Jr, on the other hand, has been the anti Rob Dillingham, ever since the 25-year-old found his footing off the bench toward the end of last season. In 2025-26, the Minnesota Timberwolves hope to use him as both a high-minute stopper on defense, and offensive igniter on offense, if he can prove to be effective in that role.

President Tim Connelly is running back largely the same roster, but someone will need to absorb the minutes for departed role player Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It appears as though Terrence Shannon Jr. will get the first crack, and he could emerge as a significant talent.

Terrence Shannon Jr. in for serious MN Timberwolves minutes

It was always assumed that last season would be the final for Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey. He earned a payday and will now assume a bigger role with the Atlanta Hawks. That presented opportunity in Chris Finch’s rotation and the Star Tribune’s Chris Hine sees Terrence Shannon Jr. taking hold of it.

The exit of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and his 25.3 minutes per game, to the Atlanta Hawks this offseason meant a larger slice of the minutes pie was now available to younger players like Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark. Coach Chris Finch has also discussed the need to expand his rotation to nine or 10 players on a given night.

To hear Finch discuss it after Tuesday’s practice, it sounds as if Shannon has latched onto that eighth spot in the rotation thanks to his postseason performance and how he has attacked the preseason.

“I think he solidified that eighth spot last year in the playoffs,” Finch said Tuesday. “… Those last spots are always going to be situational. We’ve seen what Jaylen can do on a nightly basis, too. But between those guys, Joan [Beringer] and Rob, it’ll all be situational. And of course, injuries are going to help determine some of that.”

More than any Wolves player, Shannon is wired to play in transition on offense. This is a stylistic shift the Wolves are trying to make — to go from one of the slowest-paced teams in the NBA to middle of the pack, at the least.

“That’s where I’m at my best, in transition,” Shannon said. “In an open gym, everybody loads up or tries when I get the ball. So I’ve been just working on different parts of my game, learning other ways to score, but that’s something I look to do, get the ball up, get stops and push it in transition.”

Star Tribune

Minnesota needs someone to step into the backup point guard role, but it’s Shannon that has positioned himself to see some serious minutes off the bench. As Finch notes, he made the leap initially during the playoffs, and that experience can only help as the regular season begins.

Last season Shannon played in 32 games for the Timberwolves and drew one start. In 10.6 minutes per game, he averaged 4.3 points. Those totals should rise dramatically this season, and Finch noted that he could run the point in certain situations.

While the game hasn’t exactly slowed down enough to where fellow first round pick Rob Dillingham can succeed, it is Shannon that continues to impress. If Minnesota is going to take the next step this season, they’ll need both to show they can compete, but Shannon may flash even more than that.

If you have watched the games, you’ve learned a few things about some of the youngest Timberwolves players on the roster who didn’t see the floor very often last season. The team consists mostly of Wolves draft picks over the past three years (2023-2025).

Their front court playing time has been dominated by newly drafted big men, Joan Beringer (No. 17 overall) and Rocco Zikarsky (No. 45 overall). Both bigs have been impressive, especially given they are both just 18 years old. Beringer has looked especially good.

But Minnesota’s first two wins were driven by their backcourt, which has been built on the talent of recent first rounders, Jaylen Clark (’23), Terrence Shannon Jr (’24) and Rob Dillingham (’24).

Terrence Shannon Jr is Timberwolves’ Summer League X-Factor

While all three have played a major role in the Timberwolves’ impressive Summer League start, it’s been TJ Shannon Jr who’s stepped up as the team’s go-to, No. 1 option on offense.

In the Wolves first summer league game against the Pelicans on Thursday, TJ put up 20 points to go along with 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. He followed that up Saturday against the Nuggets with arguably an even more impressive performance, scoring a game-high 24 points, including 5/14 from deep, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Terrence Shannon Jr. with 24 PTS, 5 triples and a MASSIVE poster in the @Timberwolves win 🔥🐺 pic.twitter.com/SINppxrCBf

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 13, 2025

Through two games down in Vegas, Shannon Jr. is averaging 22 points, which is tied for 11th most in the league, to go with 6.5 rebounds, and 6 assists. The 2024 No. 24 overall pick out of Illinois is shooting 42.4% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the arc.

Related: MN Timberwolves Rookie Blows Up Expectations in Summer League Debut

His stats are impressive, but the only way to understand how dominant Terrence Shannon Jr has been to start Vegas Summer League, you have to watch the games. Whether the ball is in his hands or not, TJ just looks like he’s playing a level down from where he should be.

TERRENCE SHANNON JR POSTER.

pic.twitter.com/tFoBVm5pGW

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 13, 2025

Shannon Jr is too good for Summer League

Let’s be real, TJ proved during the second half of 2024-25 that he is ready for, not just an expanded role on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ summer league team, but in their regular season rotation, as well. In seven games from mid-late February, Terrence saw his minutes jump to 24.7 per night.

He responded by averaging 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game (+28), including two 17 point and one 25 point performance. On February 24, in an overtime win over OKC, Terrence Shannon Jr posted his first career double-double, with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

It took over two series for head coach Chris Finch to deploy TJ in the postseason, but when he did, Shannon Jr again paid off the decision. After seeing nothing but garbage time for weeks, TJ finally averaged double-digit minutes during games three, four and five vs the Thunder, where he averaged 11.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Watching back this Wolves-Thunder game from February, and while I know it’s not really relevant for this upcoming series (against OKC or DEN), wanted to highlight Terrence Shannon Jr.

I think what I’m going to remember about TJ’s rookie year is he played *exactly* how he was… pic.twitter.com/kQBLxRt2dz

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 17, 2025

Remember, Terrence Shannon Jr played a lot of college ball. He isn’t as wet-behind-the-ears as others who did not get as much seasoning at that level, like Rob Dillingham. TJ is 24 years old, which is older than Wolves’ superstar Anthony Edwards (23).

Related: TV Voice of Timberwolves Scaling Back Local Duties

But after just two summer league games, Shannon Jr has proven he should probably be sitting with Ant, Naz and his other NBA teammates watching from the front row. Because he is too good to be playing Summer League, which is one reason why the Minnesota Timberwolves have a legitimate chance to win the entire tournament.

Anthony Edwards reaction to the Terrence Shannon Jr. dunk: pic.twitter.com/tc4btzPLOE

— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) July 13, 2025

Those two youngsters aren’t the only big names to represent the Timberwolves this summer. Minnesota needs Rob Dillingham to take serious steps forward this offseason and he’ll be given the chance to showcase where he’s at. Fellow first round pick Terrence Shannon Jr. will join him.

Second year talent make MN Timberwolves Summer League roster

Rob Dillingham looked like he needed much more development than Terrence Shannon Jr. did last season as rookies in the NBA. Both of them are going to get run for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the Summer League circuit in Las Vegas. The roster was made public on Thursday.

The most notable names on the roster outside of the two recent draft picks include Dillingham, Shannon Jr., Miller, and Clark. Each of them got run during different parts of the Minnesota Timberwolves regular season last year.

Shannon Jr. has arguably already outgrown the constraints of the Summer League. He played in 32 games last season for Minnesota and averaged 10.6 minutes per game. He scored just 4.3 points per game, but was a bright spot when the training wheels came off.

Terrence Shannon Jr. in the last 30 hours:

— 24 points
— 11 rebounds
— 7 assists
— 8/17 FG, 2/7 3P, 6/6 FT
— 49 minutes

Not only is he playing with nonstop energy, but he is also playing like a 30-year-old vet. Incredibly bought in on defense, and the offense has looked great. pic.twitter.com/NJUVhV0iAj

— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) February 14, 2025

The Timberwolves saw Shannon Jr. record a career-high 25 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in February, and he poured in double-digits on five separate occasions. With the departure of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Shannon Jr. looks like a prime candidate to pick up extra minutes in the rotation.

It will be interesting to see how both Brenginer and Zikarski fare stateside. The former is expected to join Minnesota this season and could push for minutes as a backup center. The latter is expected to stay in Australia and continue to develop until the Timberwolves need his services.

Related: ESPN Expert Crowns Wolves as 1st Round NBA Draft Winner

Dillingham showed flashes that made him a lottery pick last season. Unfortunately they didn’t translate to consistent production at the NBA level and he was often riding the pine. The Minnesota Timberwolves desperately need a facilitator to run the offense and contribute behind Mike Conley. Dillingham’s opportunity is right in front of him.

The NBA Summer League starts on July 10 and the championship game is scheduled for July 20th. Minnesota kicks off their practices on Monday July 7th and will be led by assistant coach Kevin Hanson.

Minnesota Timberwolves call up Terrence Shannon Jr and Tristen Newton

But while the team may be inactive on the court Sunday, the front office was busy pulling roster strings behind the scenes. Those strings included the call up of two 2024 draft picks, Terrence Shannon Jr (No. 27 overall) and Tristen Newton (No 49. Overall).

NEWS: @Timberwolves recall guard Terrence Shannon Jr. from G League affiliate @iawolves.

Minnesota also transfers guard Tristen Newton from Iowa.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 12, 2025

Of course, Shannon Jr was drafted by the Wolves. Newton, on the other hand, was a 2nd round pick by the Indiana Pacers. He played five games for the team that drafted him, before they placed him on waivers January 1. Minnesota claimed him on January 3.

Newton hasn’t played in an NBA game since December 4, Shannon Jr hasn’t gotten in for the Timberwolves since December 23, when he got two minutes vs the Atlanta Hawks. Terrence Shannon Jr has played only four G-League games with the Iowa Wolves this season and the latest two came late this week on Thursday and Saturday.

Shannon Jr tearing it up for Iowa Wolves

The results were much like what you would expect out of someone who still hopes to be a legit wing in the NBA. The 24-year-old Shannon Jr went for 47 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on Thursday, before going off for another 33 points, 5 rebounds on Saturday.

Terrence Shannon Jr. was RED-HOT in the first-half! 🔥

The @Timberwolves first-round draftee posted 24 points on assignment with the @iawolves on ESPN+. pic.twitter.com/Kn88GRgnmY

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) January 10, 2025

He also turned the ball over 7 times in the latter matchup, but that didn’t stop the Minnesota Timberwolves from rewarding their first round pick with a call up for Monday’s NBA contest vs the Washington Wizards. As mentioned, though, Terrence wasn’t the only rookie to get a call up to the big leagues today. They also transferred the contract of Tristen Newton.

Related: The Minnesota Timberwolves Need to Make Another Blockbuster Trade

The 23-year-old UConn alum has spent most of his rookie year in the G-League. He spent November through December with the Indiana Mad Ants, before playing his last three games with the Iowa Wolves. It’s been a slow start. Newton is averaging just 1.3 points on .361 shooting, in his three appearances.

Fast Forward a couple of months and the Wolves are struggling to stay above .500 and we are finding out that Karl-Anthony Towns was more important to what this team did both on and off the court, that they are really struggling to find the right vibes around his replacement, Julius Randle.

On Thursday, Minnesota lost their second-straight game. They are now 17-16 and Ant is growing so frustrated that he might have to start turning down postgame interviews, for his own good. Next up, the Timberwolves will play in Detroit against the Pistons on Saturday. On their day off, they have been moving a shaking the roster in some interesting ways.

Terrence Shannon Jr lands in Iowa… for about 7 hours

This morning, they designated 1st round rookie Terrence Shannon Jr to G-League Iowa, which isn’t out of the ordinary for a No. 27 overall pick who isn’t seeing any playing time in the NBA. What was weird came about seven hours later, when they recalled the former Illinois star, before he could even play a game with the Iowa Wolves.

NEWS: @Timberwolves assign guard Terrence Shannon Jr. to G League affiliate @iawolves.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 3, 2025

NEWS: @Timberwolves recall guard Terrence Shannon Jr. from G League affiliate @iawolves. https://t.co/BsPV6s7mdx

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 3, 2025

As a rookie, Shannon Jr has appeared in 10 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is averaging 1.5 points and .2 rebounds in those games. Terrence has played only two games down in the G-League. There, the 24-year-old is averaging 33 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, in 38 minutes per game.

Minnesota Timberwolves sign Tristen Newton

But sending Terrence Shannon Jr to and from Des Moines weren’t the only roster moves made by the Wolves on Friday. They also signed another rookie guard, according to Dane Moore, 2nd round pick out of UConn, Tristen Newton, who was recently waived by the Indiana Pacers.

Related: Does a Jerami Grant for Julius Randle Trade Make Sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves?

In 5 NBA games, Newton has struggled to find his footing in The League. He’s scored just one field goal all season, to go along with one assist. In total, he has played just 8 minutes. Most of Tristen Newton’s professional basketball experience so far has been played in the G-League.

If you haven’t seen Tristen Newton play before, here are his offensive possessions from a game against the Iowa Wolves back in November. https://t.co/eSKYkuuthQ pic.twitter.com/WalQtjb4dP

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 3, 2025

The 23-year-old 6-5 guard has 10 games under his belt for the Indiana Mad Ants in 2024-25. There, Newton has played 36.1 minutes per game, scoring 17 points per night, while adding 5.9 assists and an impressive 6.8 rebounds. Tristen was the No. 49 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Terrence Shannon Jr. headed back to Minnesota Timberwolves

If it feels like Terrence Shannon Jr. wasn’t in Iowa for very long that’s because he wasn’t. Sent to the G-League earlier this week, the 2024 first round pick is on his way back to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With both Rob Dillingham and Naz Reid suffering injuries against the Toronto Raptors, Chris Finch needs more options.

NEWS: @Timberwolves recall guard Terrence Shannon Jr. from G League affiliate @iawolves.

In two games with Iowa, Shannon Jr. averaged 33.0 points on 46.7% shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 23, 2024

With the Timberwolves, Shannon Jr. has played in just four games this season. Finch has routinely kept him at the end of the bench and he hasn’t seen any notable amount of run. It’s possible that the injuries elevate Shannon Jr. up the rotation rankings, and he definitely helped himself in the brief G-League stint.

Terrence Shannon Jr.'s 2nd G-League game:

– 32 points
– 4 assists
– +18
– 8/21 FG, 2/6 3P, 9/9 FT

Grand Rapids was ultra-physical with him all night, but TSJ remained aggressively attacking all night. Another very productive showing.

Wolves (6-1) 121, Gold 112 pic.twitter.com/WRHTopjxOs

— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) November 23, 2024

It’s obvious that Minnesota needs to shake things up. Both Mike Conley and Donte DiVincenzo have been horrible to start the year. Shannon Jr. could assume some of the minutes that both of them have been eating up. It would be fair to say that he could take on the minutes Rob Dillingham had been allocated, but Finch put his top rookie in just eight games for an average of less than six minutes each.

Related: Report: NBA Teams View Discontent Minnesota Timberwolves Guard as Possible Trade Candidate

The Timberwolves are only going to go as far as Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert will carry them this year. That said, the big three could use some help and the roster has struggled to gel in the post Karl-Anthony Towns era. Maybe Shannon Jr. is capable of providing that spark. It can’t hurt to try and find out.

Back during the June draft, the Wolves swung a huge trade into the top-10, where they selected Rob Dillingham (Kentucky). Later in the round, they selected wing Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois). At the time, both players were touted as ready-made NBA talents by Connelly. So far… that has not been the case.

Terrence Shannon Jr. sent packing by Minnesota Timberwolves

Through the first few weeks of the season, Shannon Jr. has played in just four games. He’s scored just four total points, in 3.8 minutes per game. So after not logging a minute, in any of the past five contests, the Minnesota Timberwolves are sending their No 27 overall pick to G-League Iowa.

NEWS: @Timberwolves assign guard Terrence Shannon Jr. to G League affiliate @iawolves.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 19, 2024

Chris Finch runs a relatively tight rotation. Even with Conley struggling out of the gate, Dillingham hasn’t been unleashed either. The Kentucky product has played in just seven games and has averaged less than six minutes each night out.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Reveal New (Part II) City Edition Uniforms

His handles and passing ability are the calling card, but we have yet to really see it. Finch may be inclined to give Dillingham more run before a similar assignment, but that remains to be seen. If not, it makes sense to send him down too. These rookies aren’t developing on the bench. They need to play.

Terrence Shannon Jr.'s first bucket of #NBA2KSummerLeague is a HUGE poster slam 🤯

Pels-Wolves | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/2XSUiIeQXn

— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2024

Rob Dillingham continues to show promising defensive IQ and aggression, particularly in PnRs. The biggest thing: he hasn't looked like a glaring liability in his short stints.

Probably waited too long collapsing the paint on the 2nd clip, but still a good possession. pic.twitter.com/VXERdf56UL

— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) November 18, 2024

Ultimately this Anthony Edwards-led team is in win-now mode. After coming up just short of the NBA Finals last season, they are seeking an opportunity to play for a championship. Rookies are along for the ride, but easing them in with games on the line is tough. We’ll see how both players progress as the regular season draws on.

Related: Wait… Anthony Edwards is Shooting How Many Three Pointers?

It’s still more than likely that Shannon Jr. finds his footing through G-League development more than the Bronny James charade should yield.