Minus Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu on Saturday, obviously, the Minnesota Timberwolves were quite shorthanded against the Detroit Pistons. Others would need to step up for them to have a chance. 

One player given a larger opportunity was Terrence Shannon Jr. Unfortunately, in what has been a disappointing second season, the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft wasn’t able to take advantage.

It continues to look like Minnesota may need to seek out a replacement for Shannon Jr. in this June’s draft for someone better suited for their roster. 

Shannon Jr. continues to make little impact in his second season 

Saturday marked the first time that Shannon Jr. was in the starting lineup all season in what was his 35th game. He made one start as a rookie on February 28 last year, a game where he took 16 shots and scored 17 points.

TSJ had a much higher usage rate in his first career start than his second. A late 3-point play on Saturday when the game was already out of reach for Minnesota made his final line look slightly better.

Playing 25 minutes, Shannon Jr. finished with just eight points, three rebounds, and three assists. The main issue is that in a game where the Timberwolves’ offense had little going for it, the 25-year-old just wasn’t very involved to help put some points on the board. His inability to handle the ball with his right hand remains a key concern.

It was a rare chance for Shannon Jr. to see extended playing time where he could showcase why he should be utilized in the postseason. Since returning from a left foot injury, this was just the fifth time in the 18 games since he came back that he received double figures in minutes. That is the same number of times that Chris Finch just didn’t play him at all since he has been cleared to play.

The reason that Shannon Jr. would play is because of his work on the offensive end. That is the reason he was a first-round pick. With just eight regular season games remaining, though, he has only scored 10+ points 5 times in 2025-26. 

As a five-year college player, Shannon Jr. entered the league as one of the older rookies; he’s even older than Ant-Man. He should have been more NBA-ready because of that. The Wolves already moved on from their other 2024 first-round pick, Rob Dillingham, who is more than four years younger than TSJ.

Even if Shannon Jr. remains on the roster next season, Minnesota could look to draft someone who could leapfrog over him in the rotation.