Former Illini standout Terrence Shannon Jr. waisted no time in his first NBA summer league game as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves in their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the first quarter, Daishen Nix stole the ball in transition and found Shannon Jr. cutting toward the lane, resulting in a left-handed facial slam over the Pelicans’ Yves Missi. That moment became an instant highlight reel as well as Shannon Jr.’s first basket of the game.
From there, Shannon Jr. was relentless as he helped lead the Timberwolves to a 81-74 victory.
He finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. He also shot 64 percent from the field through 27 minutes of play.
Alongside him was fellow rookie standout Rob Dillingham whom some are anticipating as a potential dynamic first year duo. Dillingham finished the game with 4 points and 5 rebounds.
Shannon Jr. has talked before about wanting to do whatever it took to help finally bring a championship to Minnesota. This first game, albeit summer league, is at least a sign of what can come for what is expected to be a highly anticipated regular season.
No matter what, he can forever establish that his first official basket as a professional was a posterizing slam that will forever live on in the ether.
The Timberwolves (1-0) will play against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at 4:30 CST on NBATV.
Zachary Draves is a contributor to IlliniNow. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/illinois/terrence-shannon-jr-put-on-quite-a-show-in-his-nba-summer-league-debut-01j2mhgdtd9w
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Publish date : 2024-07-12 20:33:27
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