'You're definitely gonna see him more': Terrence Shannon Jr. brings energy in Game 3

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori told Terrence Shannon Jr. to be ready to start the second quarter ahead of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Man, was Shannon ever ready.

The Timberwolves rookie got to the lane for an and-1 and the first points of the quarter. He knocked down a jumper. Then he broke free for a transition layup. Shannon got to the free-throw line again and made a pair from the charity stripe. In his 4-minute, 10-second shift in the second quarter, Shannon scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting and picked up a steal.

Minnesota, which was already up 20 at the start of the quarter, expanded its lead by six by the time Shannon subbed off.

"We knew that we would need him this series, and coach obviously has a lot of trust in him," Julius Randle said after Minnesota's 143-101 victory. "For him to be ready for his moment and come in and give us the lift he did, he brought a lot of energy to the game and intensity. He was just a huge, huge boost for our team today, so super happy for him."

Shannon finished his night with 15 points — more than MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 14 — two rebounds, an assist and a steal and had a plus-minus of plus-11 in 13 minutes. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said he'd been wrestling with getting another player in the rotation during the playoffs. In Game 1, Finch gave Jaylen Clark a brief stint. On Saturday, it was Shannon, who delivered in such a manner it might be difficult to keep him off the court heading deeper in the series.

"You're definitely gonna see him more," Finch said of Shannon. "First thing, to be good in this league, you got to keep doing what you've already just done, so we just want to see more of the game. But we know either way, whether the shots go in, or he scores or doesn't score, he's going to bring energy and competitiveness. That's what we really love about him."

The season has been a bit of a journey for Shannon. The Wolves selected him with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of last year's NBA draft, and all the measurables would say he was an NBA-ready player. He turned 24 in July and had the age, experience and the body for the next level. Not to mention he was coming off a college season at Illinois when he was the nation's third-leading scorer at 23 points per game. But he joined a team coming off a Western Conference finals run.

And then came the stunning preseason trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks and brought Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota. Finch's early-season priorities had to be integrating them into the fold. Shannon only saw end-of-bench minutes until February, when a slew of injuries hit the Wolves. That brought consistent minutes, and Shannon kept himself in the rotation even when everyone returned, at least until the rotation tightened in the playoffs.

"I knew when I got drafted here, I got drafted to a good team," Shannon said. "I knew I was gonna have to work my butt off to get into the rotation, or even to get minutes. ... I just go again with a smile on my face every day, cheer these guys on and be the best teammate I can be. When my time come, it comes. Just taking advantage of each day. I feel like that's what you got to do. If you dwell on anything, you ain't gonna get nowhere."

When Shannon's time comes, like it did on Saturday, what does he do?

"Just be myself," he said. "That's my game: attacking downhill, getting in the paint and making the open shot."

Shannon did a pretty great job of that Saturday night, and his teammates were thrilled to see it, knowing what the work he puts in every single day. Naz Reid, for example, was once in a similar position as a young player fighting to earn minutes.

"He's always ready," Reid said of Shannon. "He's always up. He's never in his feelings or down, never upset, he's always williing to be in the gym. I think he's excited when he's in the gym, so it's fun to see. ... You kind of get the chills because I was in that same situation, and kind of trying to coach him as much as possible, but his game speaks for itself."

It sure did on Saturday.

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