Terrence Shannon Jr. studies the scouting report and relays details he sees to his teammates throughout the game. He stays ready, knowing the Minnesota Timberwolves could call him into action at any time. That’s the life of a second-year bench player in the NBA.
Still, nothing could have prepared Shannon for what he saw in Minnesota’s 112-96 Game 4 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Nobody could have predicted Donte DiVincenzo, who played 82 games this season, leaving the game with a ruptured Achilles tendon a minute into the game. Few would have given the Timberwolves a chance after Anthony Edwards hyperextended his knee, an injury that will keep him out for weeks. The Nuggets probably didn’t have Ayo Dosunmu going off for 43 points in their scouting report.
Still, Shannon stayed ready and got his chance. He played only seven minutes and scored three points, but he may play a larger role in this series. The Wolves will have to figure out how to close out the Nuggets without Edwards and DiVincenzo, and Game 5 is in Denver.
David Adelman’s scouting reports will probably feature Dosunmu. He’ll tell his team they must respect Jaden McDaniels as a scoring threat after he went off for 20 points in Game 3. They’ll have to account for a big Bones Hyland game, Julius Randle’s bully ball, and Naz Reid’s shooting when his shoulder isn’t bothering him.
However, Shannon should have a more significant role after Saturday night’s game. With Edwards and DiVincenzo out, Minnesota’s depth becomes more one-dimensional. Assuming Dosunmu becomes the starting point guard, the Wolves’ starting lineup should look like this:
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Bones Hyland
- Jaden McDaniels
- Julius Randle
- Rudy Gobert
Dosnumu and Hyland should share the point guard duties, while the Timberwolves run the offense through McDaniels and Randle. Gobert anchors the defense. However, that means many of the bench players are one-dimensional:
- Naz Reid – offense
- Kyle Anderson – defense
- Mike Conley, 38, organizes the offense but is limited because of age.
- Jaylen Clark – defense
Joe Ingles, 38, is almost a player-coach, like Conley. Joan Beringer, 19, is a hyper-athletic big man who could become a foundational player, but he’s not ready for playoff basketball. Julian Phillips, 23, is a flyer Tim Connelly took in the Dosunmu-Rob Dillingham trade.
Shannon is the only two-way player on Minnesota’s bench. Now that he’s recovered from his foot injury, he’s an explosive scorer who can play defense. Chris Finch will deploy Reid if he needs offense, Conley and Anderson situationally, and Clark if he needs a wing-stopper. But he must lean on Shannon, 25, to play meaningful minutes as a two-way player.
The Timberwolves had a lot to play for, but they don’t have anything to lose. They’d like to advance and stick around in the playoffs long enough to get Edwards back. The Wolves would also love to have DiVincenzo watch them win from the bench.
Ultimately, they’ll have to be creative to eliminate Denver. That means leaning on McDaniels and Randle for scoring. It means unleashing Dosunmu and Hyland if they’re rolling offensively. However, it also means trusting Shannon, who hasn’t played much this season.
Shannon won’t be the biggest factor in Minnesota’s series against the Nuggets. However, his minutes will matter because the Wolves are shorthanded and still have an opportunity to win.
It’ll be tempting for Finch and his staff to monitor things closely with such a small margin for error. Closing out Denver without Edwards and DiVincenzo won’t be easy. Still, the Timberwolves love chaos. Now, they must embrace it by trusting players like Shannon to step into more meaningful roles.
