Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Rocks Huge Slam in Another Career Night

Shannon's NBA career high lasted all of one game, as the former Illinois All-American torched the Lakers on Thursday

Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) drives against Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Terrence Shannon Jr.’s total NBA points through Feb. 1?

Fifteen.

Shannon’s point total Thursday night?

Twenty-five.

Until very recently, Shannon had bounced between the G League – where he dominated, averaging 36.5 points per game – and the Minnesota Timberwolves, with whom he was playing only garbage-time minutes, stuck behind one of the deepest guard rotations in the NBA (including superstar Anthony Edwards and veteran Mike Conley).

But due to injuries, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has been forced to dig deeper into his bench – and he just so happened to pluck out a gem in Shannon.

All month, Shannon, a former Illinois All-American, has worked his way up Minnesota's depth chart, starting with a pair of DNPs on Feb. 1 and 3, and ending with a career-high 29 minutes Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Even with the return of Conley on Monday, Shannon played good minutes in an overtime win against Oklahoma City, setting career highs in scoring (17) and rebounding (10).

In the Timberwolves' next contest, against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers, DiVincenzo reentered the lineup, leaving Shannon’s role unclear.

Shannon wasted no time bringing it into focus, leading the Timberwolves with a new career high of 25 points, on 9-for-15 shooting, coming off the bench.

TJ IS TAKING OVER. pic.twitter.com/MOTyqzpGo5

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 28, 2025

And, per usual, no career night for Shannon can come without an exclamation point – and Thursday night’s came early in the fourth quarter.

With his squad trailing 89-75 with 10:00 left in the fourth quarter and in desperate need of a momentum-shifting play, Shannon came to the rescue, streaking through the open court and receiving a bounce pass from fellow first-round pick Rob Dillingham before throwing down a rim-rocking jam.

THROW IT DOWN TJ. pic.twitter.com/5IARvg3Cdg

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 28, 2025

While Shannon’s 25-point performance wasn’t quite enough to beat out James’ 33 points and 17 rebounds and Doncic’s 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 111-102 Lakers win, his contributions sent a clear message:

Shannon can not only compete at the highest level – he can dominate.

The Timberwolves (32-28) now head to Salt Lake City in a golden opportunity to get back on the right side of the win column against a 14-44 Utah Jazz squad on Friday.

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