The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Illinois standout Terrance Shannon Jr. with the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and also swung a deal to acquire jet-quick Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham from the San Antonio Spurs after Dillingham was selected eighth overall.
The backcourt duo has suddenly inspired hope and optimism for Timberwolves fans as they await the coming of the fall 2024 NBA season and superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards prepares to enter the true prime of his career.
Altogether, the Wolves' draft pick and trade constitute a bold new era for Coach Chris Finch's team and have been widely praised as part of arguably the best draft haul of 2024.
Let's examine each move in-depth and hand out our latest draft grade for the Timberwolves:
Terrance Shannon Jr. (27th overall pick)-
Shannon starred at Texas Tech and Illinois for years. He was one of the most hotly pursued players in the transfer portal before committing to Brad Underwood and the Illini.
By the time his days were up in Champagne, Illinois, Underwood found himself politcking for Shannon's jersey to be hung from the rafters.
Shannon Jr. is a great athlete with an NBA ready body and both physical and mental maturity beyond his years. He will fit in beautifully with the Timberwolves' current roster and will have the privilege of testing his mettle against one of the best young defenders in the NBA, Jaden McDaniels, next season and beyond. It's honestly a huge shock that Shannon Jr. slipped this far and Timberwolves fans should be rushing to the NBA.com online store to buy his jersey because they will love this guy from day one.
The Timberwolves knocked this one out of the park. Expect Shannon to be instant offense off the bench of perhaps a starter early in his career.
Draft Grade: A
Rob Dillingham (8th overall pick)-
The Timberwolves traded draft picks that won't be surrendered until 2030 and beyond to the San Antonio Spurs for Dillingham, a speedy guard from the Wildcats who is capable of providing an instant infusion of youth, shooting and quickness to a Timberwolves lineup that needs more of it.
Wolves point guard Mike Conley Jr. signed an extension recently at 37 years old and could provide tutelage for the shifty Wildcats alumnus next season before handing over the keys to the Wolves' car to the youngster.
Dillingham only started one game for Kentucky basketball this past season indicating the steep learning curve he will have in terms of becoming a 48-minute or even a 38-minute player at the next level.
With a wingspan of 6-foot-5, he plays slightly bigger than his 6-foot-3 frame and is still growing.
Dillingham also has an impressive repertoire of moves from stepbacks to pull-ups and everything in between.
If Dillingham can hold up size-wise at the NBA level and polish his game and body, he will become a steal in this draft. It's quite frankly a shock at this point in time to think that the Spurs sent him to a fellow contender for draft picks so far down the line.
The Timberwolves got an exceptionally talented player who could thrive in Coach Finch's system within the next year or two, but still needs plenty of reps at the next level against NBA caliber athletes. Dillingham's downside is that he is slight of frame and could struggle with durability at the next level because of it. This isn't a slam dunk, home run pick but if Dillingham develops properly then the Wolves will be very happy with this pick.
Draft Grade: B+
Final Timberwolves Draft Grade
Altogether Minnesota did a phenomenal job of adding two major league talents to Coach Finch's pipeline of players without having to mortgage their immediate future.
Both guys will contribute to a future Timberwolves playoff run at some point and both have high-major playing experience against the best college talent.
A fantastic job was done by Wolves GM Tim Connelly with these two draft picks.
Final Draft Grade: A
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