How Terrence Shannon Jr. fits with the Timberwolves | Illini Inquirer Podcast

How Terrence Shannon Jr. fits with the Timberwolves | Illini Inquirer Podcast

welcome into the AL inquire podcast Jeremy Warner Derek Piper and we’re talking about Terence Shannon going number 27 in the NBA draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves want to talk with Derek about being there on draft night and I want to talk to him about the next future orina who could be drafted because I already got a lot of Buzz about some incoming guys but first of all we are happy to bring on the podcast Chris Hine he covers the Minnesota timber ws and has for several years now and he used to cover Illinois basketball Chris we were just kind of reminiscing last line I draft pick you that was your last year on the beat that was a long time ago my a long time ago last first round draft pick I should say last yeah Myers Leonard yeah he was on the team um back when I covered the Ali was like I think it was 2011 2012 like that sort of that sort of range I covered Illinois hoops and covered football for a little bit too and yeah it’s it’s world’s converging uh all over again here well I know you’re busy with free agency right upon us and it was a big draft for the Timberwolves get into that but Chris you’ve been covering timberwol as I said for the Star Tribune up there in Minneapolis um what do you think of this Draft pick from the Minnesota side of this why did this make sense for Minnesota to take Shannon at 27 it makes sense because the Wolves if you watched them in the playoffs they needed a bucket getter and and teren Shannon is a bucket getter and you know I think that’s also why they drafted Rob Dillingham as well I think this fits with kind of what they need right now and especially if you’re going to get an older player in the draft you want want somebody who you know is more fully formed um is going to you know what they’re going to give you from day one and can fill a need on a roster and that’s exactly what the Wolves need they need a little more scoring pop off the bench a little more shot creation um and you know Terence Shannon I think fits that bill for them and you know we’ll see how he kind of fits into the rotation but on paper the the move makes a lot of sense for what he does well and and what the Wolves need Chris obviously in terms of scoring punch 23 points a game that was third in the nation this past year really improved the three-point shot uh in terms of what you’ve gotten familiar with his game how much do you think his scoring translates and where do you think I think transition obviously we look at the NBA the floor spacing I know that uh it was mentioned by their GM I believe that they’re looking for maybe a little bit more of a fast break attack and he can fit into that so uh where do you think he fits in terms of their scoring um just kind of identity yeah I think I think that’s it they they want to play fast they want to have a lot of ball movement and they want guys who are able to to kind of move off of that obviously Anthony Edwards is going to be the focal point of kind of everything they do offensively with with Carl Anthony towns playing a you know kind of the the one B to ants one a so you know those guys are going to demand a lot of attention and are you able to capitalize off of the attention that they generate in the playoffs the Wolves really weren’t able ble to do that on a consistent basis especially against the Mavericks and you know they have some offensively minded players guys like Nas re who come off the bench and score in bunches as well but the more options you have the more kind of spins of the wheel you could give you could give guys on a given night who to find somebody who might be able to go off and give you 15 points Off the Bench or something like that I think that’s what they were missing in the playoffs this year you know they were very close list this team was very close to winning uh the Western Conference this year that that Maverick series was a five-game series but all the games were relatively close except for the closeout game and if they just had another couple of levers they could pull offensively Off the Bench I think that series turns out a little differently for them and I I think Terence Shannon his ability to you know to create and and his strength I think is going to be a big thing for them as well I I really like kind of how he could fit in with with what they got going right now from the standpoint of the the big guard Wing position obviously ant is is the the center piece there uh Jaden McDaniels uh can shoot the three especially I know that Kyle Anderson this is the last year of his contract so just in terms of the options there on the wing at the big guard what does that look like in terms of who Terren might be in competition with and in terms of maybe a year one type of role yeah so I think one of the big questions we do have to to find out is is Kyle Anderson coming back to this team in free agency we’ll find that out in coming days here um I think they would like to keep as many players from this year’s team as possible and that includes Kyle Anderson um who is kind of like a glue guy sort of player for them even though his scoring numbers aren’t the best his shooting numbers aren’t the best but he’s a playmaker he’s a he’s a high basketball IQ guy that they really like so if he doesn’t come back that does I think clear a little pathway potentially for Tan Shannon to get more time if Kyle Anderson’s back I think it clogs up that position like you said um you that kind of that three four kind of position Jaden McDaniels is prone to foul trouble at times so they might need you know players that can come in and fill in for long stretches for him um and they do like to play two of their three big guys usually at one time whether cat goar and Nas Reed usually you have two of those three uh playing the four and the five so you’re looking more at minutes at the three when uh you know everybody’s healthy and Kyle Anderson has kind of been the the substitute three for them off the bench but if again if he’s not there I think that does that does open some things up for them uh in that position especially for Tan Shannon to maybe come in and get some time so if Taran like what’s the best case scenario Chris for for Terrence with minutes and roll next year and then what could be like the worst case like what should be our expectations yeah yeah it’s it’s a it’s a good question I’ve been trying to think about that um the last couple of days like where does he fit in Rob Dillingham is gonna play right away they they they’ve made no bones about that he’s going to have a role on this team so when you look at their roster for those that are unfamiliar with their roster their starting five is Mike connley at point guard Anthony Edwards two uh Jaden McDaniels three Carl Anthony towns for Rudy Gober five behind behind that you have Nas Reed as the backup four five you have Nel Alexander Walker who’s a backup kind of combo guard Off the Bench he so he’s more of a onew can move up to the three um Kyle Anderson was their eighth rotation guy last year in the three4 slot so they’re probably going to try to bring back Monte Morris uh who’s more of a combo guard and Jordan mcglaflin um also a point guard so if there is a pathway two minutes for Terence Shannon it is if they don’t bring Kyle Anderson back I think uh we’ll see who else they might sign a free agency but their options are limited when it comes to free agency they don’t they won’t have any mid-level exceptions they’re going to be a a second apron salary cap team which carries with it a lot of roster building restrictions that’s why they moved up in the draft to get Rob Dillingham it’s one of the few Avenues they had to make an impact on this roster so I do think depending on the moves they make if Kyle Anderson is here that could create a potential pathway for for Terence Shannon to get playing time the worst case scenario is Kyle Anderson is back because that means that their top eight players from last year are back plus Rob Dillingham as the ninth guy uh that they’re probably going to be penciling in and so Terence Shannon would be kind of the the 10th guy I guess in that the 10th 11th guy for kind of fighting for that you would need to see some injuries um you know if if Dillingham got off to a slow start maybe you could move up into into those kind of minutes um so I think that would be maybe the worst case or best case here as Kyle Anderson doesn’t come back for for them in terms of his playing time yeah great breakdown of that um Tim Connelly obviously you had to do research on Terence Shannon everyone that’s listening to this podcast knows about the legal ordeal you know how it ended up I thought Jay bis did a really good job on the broadcast of breaking down the facts and the context of all that but Tim connley the GM of the T wolves kind of came out and had strong words about it so what did he have to say about this and just the process of kind of vetting everything around Teran Shannon given the last year yeah he called it um he had a very strong statement after the draft he didn’t shy away from it and he said it was a shame that essentially this was a a mark on tan Shannon’s career was his statement um so I think you know people in Minnesota and I wrote a little thing for our website today just to kind of catch people up on the the facts and everything that happened over the last several months here um but one thing about Tim Connelly that I think is helpful to know is from day one whether it was in Denver or or here in Minnesota he has prided himself on drafting people who are good locker room fits and and guys of good character um so he definitely did his research when it came to tan Shannon Jr he would not have taken him if he didn’t think that this was somebody who could fit into the culture of the Minnesota Timberwolves that’s how I’ve known him to operate in his now three Summers um as Timber Wolf’s boss and president so that I think you know if you know a little bit about how he operates that’s kind of his thinking and and kind of the kind of the way that he went about his business in this draft process Chris it’s been a long time since an Alina player has won an NBA championship uh obviously the t-wolves last year at the doorstep of the finals going to the Western Conference Finals what do you think the potential is that maybe during this first two to four year window for for Terren with the with Minnesota that they could be part of a a championship level team well listen this is an organization that is pushing all the chips into the center of the table and they’re they’re not even just pushing all the chips they’re going back to the window to get more chips to try and and put more in the center of the table right now um that’s where this team is at that’s where they feel like they are they are uh confident that they are a contending team that they are a couple moves away from winning a title a couple pieces here and there this is why Rob Dillingham is on the team this is why Terence Shannon is on the team because both of those guys give them something that they were lacking or could give them something that they were lacking I think you’re looking at this year coming up and potentially the year after as the as the maximized kind of window as long as ownership is willing to pay the the luxury tax so I think it’s probably a two-ish year window um depending on also maybe you know the health of like Rudy gobear how much he you know declines as he enters his 30s here uh Mike connley and how well he’s able to to maintain at 36 years old uh the starting point guard for the team and how well you know a Rob Dillingham and at Terence Shannon come along in their first year or two in the NBA so this is a this is a time in Minnesota Timberwolves history unlike any other um this franchise has had a lot of losing throughout the decades you know they’re they’re they’ve made only a handful of playoff appearances since the Kevin Garnett years um their first playoff win came this year playoff Victory Series win came this season in in 20 years um so this is this is an organization it’s a fan base that’s super optimistic about this team right now they’re excited about where this team is going and Terence Shannon is is going to have a chance I think to to show what he’s got you know this if he is a a truly Elite scorer this is a team and a situation where I think he’s going to get the best opportunity to show that and if he does they will play him um because this is a team that winning matters right now it is not about developing younger Talent OR talent that might be higher on the pecking order because of draft stock if he goes out there and he earns it and he shows it this team will play him and he will get minutes Chris as you can imagine I was at terrence’s draft party expressed a lot of excitement playing for a team headline by Anthony Edwards one of the brightest young stars in the league you to be around him on a daily basis what’s it like covering a guy that has as much Carisma and Swagger probably as anybody in the NBA right now yeah that’s those are the words that you you often hear associated with him he’s he’s a very positive uplifting teammate that’s the word you always hear uh in an around the team he he is 22 years old um but I think he is the emotional heartbeat and leader of the team even though there are several guys who are older than he is that play significant roles on this team he is the guy who uplifts everybody in the lock room he brings the energy at practice every day and he’s got the ball in his hands at the in the key situations right now so he is he is the the leader on this team uh or at least one of the leaders on this team and you know this fan base has taken to him in a way like I’ve never really seen a fan base take to an athlete just in my personal experience covering Sports um so it’s it’s a fun experience it’ll be interesting to see how how they all kind of play off each other how they share the ball and and I think Anthony Edwards at at times last year looked Gass so somebody else that could take the scoring Reign that could just take the ball and go get a bucket I think that helps the Wolves overall and helps Anthony Edwards in the long run as well when he doesn’t have as much offensive responsibility so teammates love him everybody loves playing with ant that’s one thing you you hear across the locker room because he’s just such an an an uplifting guy to all of his teammates and an absolute scene stealer uh in the movie Hustle by way natural natural acting Talent although you know some people will say how much was he really acting in that movie you know the the trash talk is something that you get a little bit with an to but but he but even with Trash Talk he does that in like a a funny way like think of the moment in the playoffs when Kevin Durant was just like laughing as anunt was like trash talking him like that’s that’s that’s kind of who Anthony Edwards is it’s crazy like he is a a a full-blown Superstar and Chris I know you’ve announced this you’re writing a book uh about Anthony Edwards so it’s a loaded question you covered some of it but what stands out most to you about his rise to stardom and he’s the number one pick but I don’t know if anybody thought this was going to happen by age 22 I mean he’s a year younger than tan shanon right right that’s what’s kind of crazy about this old draft process right is like Anthony Edward has been in the league four years and he’s year younger than tan shanon yeah yes so just what’s what’s what’s really stood out to you about this rise for him you know he came in with a lot of question marks but it seems like every year he has gotten better like this was his first all NBA appearance this year last year was his first All-Star appearance and it just seems like he’s had this natural buildup that almost seems like we should have seen it coming in a way you know I I he he had this ceiling and he’s capitalized on it I remember like the draft comps when he was being drafted it was like Dion Waiters and and and players like that right G right yeah stuff like that like it kind of like volume scores empty almost like empty calories in a way right but that’s not what he has become and I think when you see his work ethic you understand why it it’s an interesting phenomena he’s a very hard worker but I think that there are still some things that he doesn’t know about the NBA or how to improve in the NBA like he said this year he wasn’t conditioned to play uh to go to Mid June um and he’s going to have to alter his conditioning as a result of that and I think every year he tries to add to his game he’s adding he added a mid-range game over the last couple of Seasons here he is very determined and I think has been since day one to show people that he is a good shooter he came into the league as a lot of question marks around his shooting and he is I think of all the things that he has prided himself on he has wanted to show people that I am not just somebody who uses my athleticism to go to the bucket and do all these highlight re dunks and and things like that I can shoot the ball and that makes me even more dangerous and I think he’s really worked hard over four years to become a good shooter and I think he he was improving his three-point percentage before a late season slump but he he has a very focused and determined mindset behind kind of the the SM and the joking and the trash talking there is a there is a competitor that’s in there as well well I think a lni fans a lot of them are becoming Timber woles fans and there’s nobody better to follow than Chris Hine at the Star Tribune who covers the timber woles F on Twitter at Christopher hin Chris it’s great to to see you catch up with you again man and uh good luck with the book and Aline of fans will be paying attention appreciate it thank you Jeremy appreciate it all right good stuff there from Chris hin Derek Piper um what do you make of the fit for for Terence Shannon to the Minnesota timberwol because I just love that was going to a contender if he was drafted by like the Washington Wizards at 26 I know that think they traded out of it but if he was traded there I wouldn’t have liked it I like the Fit For A team that needs to win is g to play the guy who helps them win I think Terren can be a rotation player on a good team yeah I absolutely love it selfishly it was the spot that I was rooting for going into the draft because I just love watching Anthony Edwards that much and want to hold on to that bandwagon have even more reason to uh to jump on there but yeah I mean a team that just made the Western Conference Finals should have a great window to make this a a number of years thing with Anthony as that centerpiece and they showed that they can make some things work obviously with Cad and Rudy goar and Jade McDaniels has shown to be a nice piece as a shooter and they do need as Chris was saying that second unit to have some more scoring punch uh and to have guys that can take some of that pressure off of of ant from A scoring standpoint I also think that you can never have enough big athletic Wings especially as you look at from a defensive perspective this is already one of the best defenses in the NBA a large part you have the defensive player of the year with Rudy goar that Rim protection and just have some athletic dogs on the perimeter I think Terren will fit into that mode and uh just being able to match up with there’s a lot of star power at that position in this league so um we’ve seen IO kind of be able to come into the NBA understand his role is different and buy in more defensive intensity and urgency at that end of the floor I think the teren will do the same thing so yeah coming off a season where only goes the Elite 8 teren has done a lot of winning even a Texas Tech on the sweet 16 being in a winning situation and I think for for atanta fans out there the opportunity to see him regularly I mean they’re going to be on how many TNT ESPN Prime Time games chance to watch Terren very consistently no it’s awesome um and one of the things I think about is you brought up defensively Anthony Edwards had to check luuka donic uh in the Western Conference finals and and that hurt them because he was gassed just absolutely Gass I mean we saw with terance it sometimes like when you got to guard the best guy and be the engine of the offense that can be really really difficult to handle so um I I’m I think he’s a good fit there that he can play late in games and maybe defend one of the better players in the NBA and kind of give Anthony Edwards a little bit of a a breather on that end of the court so I think he’s got great value if they don’t bring Kyle Anderson back I think that’s but um you know obviously Rob Dillingham was a huge swing for them to trade two future first round picks to to kind of move up and because they’re limited cap wise so they had to they got to hit on these picks because they’re cheap and the rest of their roster is not going to be cheap especially when ant signs his extension like he’s he’s not gonna be cheap anymore so um they got a hit on those guys and that means teren being a rotation player and maybe it’s even beating out nikil Alexander Walker whether it’s this year uh next year whatever it is so I love the fit and him and ant I think are going to get along I think those guys are just kind of wired the same way D I would love to see them in practice together and they’ll probably match up quite a bit the trash talk will certainly be there and yeah I mean just the the Alpha Dog mentality the the toughness the grit the athleticism and uh those guys running side by side and transition would be a lot of fun to see as well so I mean those guys can definitely share the court which will be awesome and yeah I agree I mean you look at Kyle Anderson I know it’s a different role in terms of of teren because you look at his assist numbers were pretty good his shooting numbers were not he’s not much of a scoring threat um does do some of that little things type of hustle plays rebounding defense that’s 23 to 25 minutes a game that he played Off the Bench and if he’s not there that does open the door pretty wide open for Terrence but that’s a good point on on Alexander Walker someone that he’ll be in competition with as well and yeah I mean I love the Dillingham pick because he comes in with bucket getting potential they need be there Kobe white right like that that’s kind of what I imagine for him yeah they need a ball handler behind uh Conley who’s 37 years old and need to be able to have maybe some point guard potential in the future so really fun team they were awesome to watch last year and even more of a reason now with uh tsj on that Squad oh and sick uniforms that’s right those throwback te- wolves are amazing yeah I don’t know like back in the day when Garnett and Marberry had those jerseys that were kind of cartoonish like we thought they were really cool like the ones they have now like the ones that um they they had when they were originally a franchise those were unbelievable was Kendall Gil in those back in the day might have been yeah I think he was um those those are really really sweet jerseys but uh you were at the draft party Derek and just being at some of these the Brown Brothers tip Ryman you know Joey’s been at these um you were at iOS these are some of the coolest moments uh to be a part of because we get to kind of cover these guys coming in and then realizing their dream it was really cool so you were one of the the few people that were in that room what was it like to be in that room when when Terrence got the call because I’m sure it was getting a little angsty there it was it definitely was um it’s special to be like you said in in the room as one of the select few getting to be there and we get to do a lot of cool things uh on this beat uh to be able to cover big games and and be around the programs and I know I you it’s well documented I very much enjoy the a circuit and getting to see some of these guys early and that whole type of thing but uh you can’t really top this because you know it’s accomplishing a lifelong dream and seeing all what it means to the people close to them um from all different walks of life from different periods of other life you see with Terrence he’s got people um that knew him in high school U Chris Beard’s there from Texas Tech along with one of his former assistants and then obviously Brad Underwood a lot of representatives from the program so um even uh Angel Reese too was a surprise kind of like super guest there uh for Terren as well so which by the way Chico athletes Q rating she’s she’s very quickly among the top I me bet it’s kale Williams right now yeah I don’t know if you put another bear in there because I don’t know if Jaylen Johnson’s quite Angel Reese level um Conor might be up there I guess Conor Bard DJ Moore I don’t know if there’s a CB or white socks on that list to be honest with you so uh Angel ree pretty high up there pretty big celebrity in Chicago to be up there man she is yeah I didn’t let her know that between her and Caitlyn Clark in the Rivalry I’m kind of siding with the big 10 and Caitlyn but you know I didn’t pass that along to her at all didn’t want to stir up anything but yeah I mean it was a really cool spot the joy District near the Riverwalk in Chicago which man what a perfect day it was to just kind of be walking around and uh The Vibes were very much Immaculate heard about summertime shy I’ve never really experienced it all that much uh it was great and U just three-level bar after getting drafted went up to the rooftop uh to interview him but yeah I mean the as you get into that the the meat of the kind of the mid to late first round I know I I told you before we started recording this when the Bulls came up at 11 there was a lot of buzz in the room and a lot of people starting to really turn eyeballs to Terren and uh Joey had showed me he had uh Shams on the alerts so it had already been released that it was going to be uh modest and uh I don’t know if people in the room weren’t following Shams or really wanted to kind of have that authentic experience which I am for because sometimes those guys tweeting on uh about the picks can ruin the the suspense but but ter would know before Shams right like Terren would have gotten the call and everybody in that place would have got it by the way I I personally would have liked Terren on the Bulls because I would have been able to watch them all the time right and I think having iow and Terren on the Bulls would have been great for Illinois as a brand at the same time it would have made no sense as a bulls fan we had to take an absolute huge swing on a guy who could be a star in a couple years right ter is built for a contender right now I didn’t think it was the best fit for Terrence to be honest with you because they got IO um they have some some wings there obviously a lot of things are going to be uh go down the line here so Terren could end up being a better player than misis right um and he is right now he certainly is a better player right now the mod he’s also four years older but that wouldn’t have made any sense to me when it got to like pick 23 and was it Dylan Jones um and somebody else went off Aj Johnson Johnson for the bucks yeah to some of these tenders I’m like what are we doing now and and I get it dton connect’s old teren Shannon is old but I I think think the T wolves and Lakers two playoff teams got got two steals there because I think those players are gonna make an impact on a playoff team fully agree and that was part of the the nerves I think for me personally and I’m imagining some others were sharing it and I kept Brad every once in a while would walk by and he’d be like hey what do you think who who’s going here type of thing and uh as connect fell that you’re thinking of the realm of the Wings right so connect was supposed to go prior to 17 because really 17 was thought to be maybe the starting point of the window for Terren to the Lakers you had the clutch Sports Connection uh but Dalton slides that means Johnny Fury goes later I thought that Fury he was mocked uh by the to the magic at 18 in a couple of different places he goes he ends up lasting longer than Terren right second round yeah yeah so that was one I’m like oh no if he then goes later in that second round at a spot that was looking at Terrence it could be a situation where he’s in the second round which because of the new structure would be draft part’s over he’s not picked is there gonna be another one the other night so as it got later into the night the ner espe as reporter especially as your reporter like oh man like are we gonna be able to come back like I know that’s a concern I got nervous when Milwaukee didn’t take him because I I think you and I both had heard that Milwaukee might be his his floor uh but Phoenix traded out at 22 was like ah maybe he can come back at 28 the Knicks I still thought had a chance even though they’ gotten a couple big wings here and they kept an and Obi gave him all that money traded all their draft picks for Mel Bridges I still thought tibs would love him and potentially make sense so when that didn’t happen when the Knicks didn’t take him I was like oh no but then right away like right as you’re feeling the most angst like could this go to the second round there’s Timber rolles right there just ended it all right and yeah just quick aside the Aline program felt like Milwaukee was the spot where he wasn’t going to go below like if he was going to get picked before then yeah maybe someone even would trade with Phoenix to get in front of Milwaukee because it sounds like Milwaukee really liked him and the thought of obviously win now with Giannis and Dame and everything like that the Nick still I mean it’s been put out there they’re trying to build the to beat the Celtics with those wings and and they got Bridges obviously they brought back anobi but they still could have gotten Terren for that second unit but to not pick him yeah I mean San Vini end up being right I know he altered his M draft there uh within Wednesday he had him at 17 with the bulls trading back but then right before the draft he slots him at 27 to the t-wolves and uh ESPN had him at 30 to Boston so we we knew the window wasn’t over but the time was tick I mean there was four or five picks left and uh it’s crazy how abrupt it is like I I kept looking so where I was it’s kind of like an L-shaped room uh Terren and a lot of the VIPs are up against the wall at some tables and I’m I’m between the TV and Terren I keep turning around because you know that if he’s on the phone him or his agent uh uh Brandon Kavanaugh for clutch Sports if either one of them’s on the phone you got to start paying attention and um it was funny just a couple of times I turned around and teren kind of like you could see his eye and my eyes kind of lock I’m not saying that we were like staring at each other but he he knew I was looking at him and I kind of almost felt bad for him or uncomfortable like he knows the deal like everyone’s gonna be watching him all night long but you didn’t want to just be like oh you’re just locked in on him so every once in a while turn around turn around uh there was a upstairs where a lot of the staffers were for Lana like Adam Fletcher kind of being like the king in the room like he’s just standing over and here’s his big Presence at the top uh Tyler’s there Zack HR a number of different others but when they you could tell they knew the the spots like whether it was La Orlando um you had uh who yeah Phoenix 22 Milwaukee milwauke they would start to walk out and start to really pay a lot of attention but uh I didn’t see the initial call you kind of heard a little bit of a buzz a little bit of commotion behind me it was his agent that got the call actually and then handed the phone to Terrence and then all of a sudden it’s just pure pandemonium it’s like a MH pit around him the tsj chance I I sent out that video on Twitter it was just surreal and you could just see the emotion man I mean that long and and Joey did a great job of of painting the scene and the hug that he had with his mom and the tears coming down his face the hug ultimately has with Brad which is like just as long about a 30 second Embrace and uh just to think about all that he went through and to to get to this point where it was a dream come true um just couldn’t be happier for him and all the people his family too his family obviously went through a ton and uh this was what they they all hoped and it was able to happen there were a couple moments like watching him when he returned to the court where it felt like you know Terrence you obviously we didn’t talk to him all that much so it’s it’s been great that you guys have been able to talk to him after this this draft um but at some point you felt like there had to be a release and I I know on the court he let go of some of that some of the screams like some of that emotion has to come out at some point and he’s done such a great job of not showing that to everybody right and the frustration that that he has to go through and you know the eyes that have been on him everything that’s gone at at him over the last several months it felt like what Joey 37 seconds of hugging his mom just those two having that release had to feel magical for them um that that despite all of that here he is fulfilling his lifelong dream and I thought tranette reading the quote she gave you guys was unbelievable um I encourage everybody to go read Joe’s story about it dererk you got some from her about the basketball stuff like um I thought she was great and it was great to hear from her it was great to hear from Terren because this is the This Is The Human Side of everything they’ve gone through and this has been a very difficult situation for everybody involved and at the end of it Terence Chan still gets to be an NBA player which is great because he is deserving he is definitely an NBA player he’s been an NBA player the last two years for sure yeah and credit to her for taking the time out um Joey and I approached her after talking to Terrence and asked if she would be willing to talk and and she ultimately decided that she she would at first she’s like ah you know uh can I do it tomorrow I’m trying I’m like wrapped up in the emotions I want to think about what I want to say no that’s why I want it that’s why we want it now but I I agree with you thanks for saying that thank you to her for for talking that is that is great because now I can understand why somebody in their situation maybe wouldn’t want to talk about these things right but you could tell that she did have things to say and it had been a while obviously and uh to finally just be able to to put it into words and and I know there’s always a conversation too of some people are have have fatigue with the the the trial and the case and don’t want it to be about that anymore it is part of the story unfortunately um but I think it just speaks to and I thought Jay bis did a really good job we can talk about that uh of of pain or just kind of just diagramming what went on for people who might have not might not have paid attention but he was very complimentary to Terrence like calling him a lottery pick Talent saying he was in the National Player of the Year conversation saying that um he was impressed by the fact that he testified on his own behalf and maintained his innoc innocence and all that so um I can understand why some people are here are fatigued by and don’t want his draft moment on ESPN for them to be talking about this well people are going to Google teren Shannon and what are they gonna find and I thought Jay BS did a great job of providing the information and the correct context and I thought he was so complimentary of Terren saying he went on the stand he could have had his Fifth Amendment right and not said anything and maybe looked guilty by doing that instead he went on there and he was always saying I’m innocent I’m innocent and he fought for it and he got his innocence right like the not guilty verdict uh so I thought I thought Jay did a really good job I wish they could have gone into more depth about the basketball side of it but it was pick 27 and they were moving on to pick 28 like that that’s where they were at the draft if he was the fourth pick or fifth pick they would have talked more about that but um I thought it had to be said in a national broadcast and I I thought Jay did an unbelievable job of it so I agree with that 100% And to that point as far as his mom goes she didn’t deflect and deny I mean she was talking about like the last n months had been really hard for him for the family and for this was Vindication as you said multiple times and that uh terrence’s character has been called into question and and that and that’s another thing too that I really appreciated and Joey and I were talking about this on the way home it just being back around him being able to talk to him again it it humanized him again it made us remember who he was to to talk to and he has been very consistent he the same guy talking to him on Wednesday night that he was when we first started to get to know him when he came on campus he he’s a a softspoken doesn’t love the Lum the Limelight as you even admit but um just a a very beloved teammate a selfless guy he’s very humble and uh but not afraid to to have fun and crack some smiles here and there as well but uh yeah you could just you could feel for him I know that he had a hard time at he said you know it’s hard to put into words what it meant to get the the not guilty verdict I don’t I don’t I don’t blame him I can only imagine what those emotions were and and everything but yeah I I think that it it was it was great to get his mom’s perspective on everything can only imagine how proud she is and just that what’s been lifted off her shoulders um for all that to to be lingering there and then within this last span of two or three weeks he gets the not guilty he’s going in the rafters and now he’s a first round pick and able to really feel good about moving into this new chap so thrilled for him and and for that family that was well said what a what a three weeks uh it has been with all those things so first first- round draft pick since Myers Leonard there’s been just two first round draft picks at Illinois since Darren Williams and Luther head right like there’s not a long list of first round draft picks um at the University of Illinois there were many of them in the 80s you know obviously in the 2000s there but he’s gonna have his jersey in the rafters der led him to an elite eight ultimately you wrote a little bit about this today so I’ll let you take it first what is Terence Shannon’s Legacy at Illinois I think that number one he’s one of the best players that’s ever put on the uniform in terms of the Season that he had uh being the 23 points a game as high of a scoring averages it’s been since Nick weather spoon you know 50 years ago plus so the dominance that he displayed the athleticism who knows the next time we see a a real eye popping rimrocker like that in transition like that was phenomenal and um yeah I mean a first round pick there there’s You Can Count him on probably two hands over the last you know 40 50 years when you think about yeah there’s Kendall and Nick and Ken Norman uh don’t want to leave anybody out of course cook I’ll get I’ll get the list here yeah so there there’s a number of them but it puts him in rare err and to go into the Rapters I for me too um it’s it’s bridging between the io and Kofi era and seeing what would Illinois be next not not say and we’ve been over this before that we were like oh you know Brad and Company are G fall off a cliff after that we didn’t think that but to get a player of that same caliber um and someone could even argue that he had a better individual season than those guys at their Peak I obviously on paper that would say that they did and he took them farther in the postseason than those guys were able to go yes it needed Marcus Damas Quincy gerer some other guys around him too but yeah to just to to keep the level of of excellence and even take it up a notch uh which is what he was able to do post to all-americans a special window for Illinois to extend it out and to put Illinois in a position now because we see them we talked about it last week with Will Riley to get a a guy like that to to be able to command that type of of talent to go into the future and sell uh all Americans three in the last four years to to sell a first round draft pick for the first time in a decade plus Terren is such a huge pivotal part of that and um yeah I think that it’s it’s helped sustainability and should put Brad and Company a position to continue to do so you’re totally correct about he was kind of the bridge because we were thinking of you know skot Clark Adam Miller could could those guys be be the bridge after that and it ends up being tan Shan and you know some of these other players that have come in the last couple years Marcus deas helps him for a year uh Coleman Hawkins obviously huge part of that but he also got where iow and Kofi didn’t if we’re being honest right like he got to the elite a he got to that second weekend and then took him a step further uh and played the eventual National Championship in the in the Le so that one step away from a final four and I just don’t think we can underestimate how much that extra week plus of visibility means to the program like Brad is talking so much recently about the marquee games they play there’s no more Marquee game than than beating Iowa state in the sweet 16 and moving on to the elite eight and then setting up for a match up against Yukon obviously didn’t go well 30 to nothing but uh I think that’s massive and then to become a first round draft pick think of what that means for the sell of the transfers and we get a Marcus damask is getting an exhibit 10 contract from Chicago Bulls is he gonna play in the NBA I have my doubts but he’s getting a chance to do that probably wasn’t gonna happen out of Southern Illinois Quincy garer gets an exhibit 10 contract and after one of his better years as a pro so to sell that in the transfer portal is huge but um Dereck you can count in your head while I go through this I don’t know if listing off these is great podcasting but I do think it’s fun to go through history first- round draft pick since L Henson became the head coach at Illinois so Nick Weatherspoon was the guy before this in 1973 1983 Derek Harper went 11th to the Dallas Mavericks Ken Norman as you said went 19th overall to the Clippers in 1987 then the 89 draft Nick Anderson 11 to the magic Kenny Battle 27 to the Detroit Pistons the next year Kendall Gill goes five overall to the Charlotte Hornets pretty good run there but didn’t have another first round draft pick until Frank Williams in 2002 went 25th to the Nuggets Brian Cook uh in 2003 went 24th to the Lakers in 2005 you had Darren go three to the Jazz Luther had 24 to the Rockets Myers Leonard uh went to the Trailblazers in 2012 and now Terence Shannon was that 10 it’s 11 something like that 11 yeah like it’s it’s not a long list in the modern history of ATA Athletics and now Teran Shan is one of those guys unbelievable you miss Brandon P jimsky though I’m just kidding I think I can claim that one but uh yeah that’s it’s a short list short list for span of 50 60 years that you’re talking about so um he is very deserving of of being again considered one of the best players of a lot of people’s life times and Beyond so um and to sell that to a transfer you have the resources to make it make sense from a a moneymaking standpoint to take a role player at Texas Tech and turn him into a star uh that put up numbers had a peel had allamerican exposure and all of that oh by the way if you’re a Chicago native or someone from the home state That’s Another Log on the Fire his mom was at was courtside at every game at home which was a big deal I know it was a huge deal for I dumu as well and then to be a first round pick to accomplish a dream so uh the Player Development the exposure and to be able to just maximize a talent like that is something that Brad able to go in the portal which they haven’t been having any trouble of having success there but it’s just gonna add to the the strength that they have on that front well and Derek um not a bad time for for Illinois uh because this could be like one of those Min clumps like in the late 80s early 90s they had several first round draft picks kind of back to back to back early 2000s they did maybe the early 2020s uh they get that as well because in Jonathan gavone ESPN’s latest or first mock draft of 2025 I guess it’s second because he had one a couple months ago in February but he’s got kasparis yakas shonis going number 18 and will Riley going what 22 23 in that so two AI in the first round of a draft hasn’t happened since Darren Williams and Luther head so it’s been quite a while but uh yaka Shon us like that high like you know we kind of heard maybe he’s a draft prospect and then gavone when in the commit story says potential first round draft PI work oh maybe we’ve been paying attention to that a little bit more hype train is going on yaka shones and I have heard and I feel like you have heard good things from his first week or two on campus yeah hearing a lot of a lot of Buzz a lot of Buzz for his first few appearances on the court five on five scrimmaging and everything they love his competitiveness his strength the fact that he’s 65200 ready to come in right away and be able to compete with the likes of he’s he’s been guarded by Colin Boswell Ty Rogers and hasn’t to this point really been bothered by them in terms of physicality wise uh and just super skilled uh with his passing ability way he sees the floor only wants to put the ball in his hands a ton and let him make decisions and make plays for others and then I’ve heard a lot about just his composure in the lane when he’s he’s got a lot of different moves that he can hit you with in terms of finishing and and step backs and uh just that he with his size he doesn’t get knocked off or sped up those type of things so um the program has been very very bullish on him here in the early going uh there was some talks I’m comfortable sharing that uh you know one person said you know Brad Brad’s here tonight he’s been at isos he’s gonna be in New York next year uh you know he’s gonna they’ll be a player of Illinois in the draft room uh the green room with the draft so uh I think that it I I think they were obviously lumping in the potential of either kasparis or will uh but kasparis has drawn R reviews so far and I think as evaluators like gavone and San Vini had a lot of good things to say about him right after he committed as they’ve dug into what he did late in his final push uh there in Spain to have that game against eigor and Hugo Gonzalez to thought to be lottery picks uh coming up next year in 25 that that just earned him a lot of respect so he’s played against good competition he’s got a lot of a lot of game to him and Man U illo never had a oneandone draft pick and right now they’re projected to get two next year that’s crazy yeah and by the way in this mock draft Ace Bailey Ruckers number two Dylan Harper Ruckers number three eor de demon uh number nine they have in this mock draft um yeah kasparis they had 18 to the Jazz I’m to the teams really matter right now will Riley 22 to the Nets um Derek Queen 24 out of Maryland just catching up on some names that we got to pay attention to here in the Big 10 so uh that’s a lot Derek um that they they have that kind of talent coming in obviously they got to perform but I do feel better in my mailbag putting both those guys in my starting lineup because uh as much as it pains me to like knock out a Benham Rick house who is like our guy from this transfer class they’ve just they’ve elevated the talent so much and those guys aren’t coming here to sit and Brad Underwood did not bring them here uh to sit not that humous or Trey white or whoever is left out of the starting lineup is um but it’s just teren Shannon I would dumu Kofi Coburn they they allowed Brad Underwood to get to this point where this is where they’re recruiting along with the uh the nil donors of course yeah for sure it’s G to be hard uh hard to pick that starting five right now and and look obviously you’re going to be able to play traditionally always eight nine guys and and there’s just going to be the ability to be flexible and to I’ve said it we talked about it uh within the last few weeks just to have that that competition on the court every day um as soon as will gets here I know that Thomas L still has to make his way over but just to have those battles every day at a number of positions and uh it’s a great thing to have and the speaking of hype dreams Ty Rogers continues to get a lot of a lot of Buzz as well his shot making ability that apparently is flashing you got to see it too much talent there can’t play them all can’t play them all let’s get somebody out of here right like yeah man it’s a fun problem to have when we’re talking about this and it is really kind of just fun to talk about like who you actually gonna start because all the like there’s still a lot of guys like whoever’s coming off the bench whether it’s Rogers or home rck house there’s gon be games those guys play 25 30 minutes there could be games those guys play 10 15 what whatever it is like that’s the kind of team you have now it’s you have so many options versatility and as Brad said last week he was smiling uh he was like this is the fun part like that they have to compete and I I can use that bench he he’s very happy about that accountability ability to ride hot hands and matchups and fits and uh I think also look I know people are going to hammer home that what do what do you do when somebody’s unhappy but the reality is on whatever team usually somebody isn’t happy with their playing time now you’re just elevating the talent the bar of of who that guy might be of how talented that guy might be who maybe in other situations deserves on to be on the floor more but and and look we’ll see how it goes maybe Brad does have to we’ve talked about play a larger collection of guys 20 to 25 versus not as many 30 minutes and it’ll be earned it’ll be a competition there and and that’s what great programs do as they load up on Talent they let it play out and practice and um thrilled to hear what the the will Riley Buzz is going to be because Brad and Orlando Lo absolutely love him I I personally love him having a chance to see him Indianapolis during the live period and um good times for line basb right now good times for sure hey number real quick though that mock draft did they have H Cooper flag going one to the Bulls uh not to the Bulls oh uh let me see who they actually had with the number one they had the Bulls at eight I think we’re giving us way too much credit um because I really do think they’re gonna W wave the White Flag here and actually do a a proper rebuild here Derek uh they have Cooper flag to the Pistons yeah Wizards number two um the other team who start the Nets are going to be terrible I mean I love that trade for them because like hey Mel Bridges is good but hey you got a bunch of draft Capital they got all that draft capital from Durant but they’re gonna be bad for a couple years here the Bulls still have a couple players they’ll keep him afloat um but yeah LaVine still might be here so maybe we do finish like sixth or seventh in this thing but yeah just get get one of those top five picks please we need we need a chance at a star it’s a deep enough draft where you can feel happy about getting yeah one of those top five picks but tror from France is another one like these are the guys that yakas was going up again you mentioned Hugo Gonzalez they have at seven demon at nine tryo at four he’s G up against some really TP competition and looked as good as any of them during the summer yeah he’s played all of them he’s played against all those guys and um this has been a draft that people have said it’s it’s worth tanking for uh it’s going to be very interesting I know the lottery odds I’ve been listening to rillo and and Simmons here recently talking about how have they leveled some of the playing field in terms of the the lottery like 14% as far as that goes the Bulls are due I know that it’s been a while now since the Derrick Rose break that they got and the lottery um man Patrick Williams was really not a break okay like we had like the ninth pick that year like you gave us four in a bad draft okay and then they picked seven for like five years in a row so um let’s see let’s see how it goes I’m I’m excited though for this this draft class and I know Illinois selfishly will want at least one of those guys to spend two years in Champagne um but I will never forget I will never forgive niik amirti for the heater he had that one year where the Bulls were tanking and they won like nine of 10 and then they had to trade him because they were winning because of him uh that got us out of the top five consideration in the Luca draft but we would have gotten two and Tak him baggley anyway so that’s how I get it it’s just how it goes right ah brutal we’re do we are do some some bears luck now the Bears need to pass on that whatever they got going we got that going for us just hopefully we took the right guy I think we did but hopefully we did uh I I will let you go Derek appreciate you hopping on with us it’s uh great job you and Joey covering Terence CH draft party so uh everybody go read what they had to write at Alana inquire.com and we’ll have plenty to talk about here DK coming up uh a little bit of a lull with recruiting maybe a little bit as we get everything set and now we can talk about what will this team looks like for the next five months and speculate and and hear buzz but that’s going to be fun too a lot of fun a lot of fun a lot of action going on and up and wish we could break down the doors and get in there but soon enough soon enough there’ll be a a open workout before a football game and yeah a lot of excitement coming up so uh enjoyed being there on Wednesday it was a privilege to be there and uh you soak up the sun down there in Florida enjoy it man I have if you haven’t noticed I’m sitting out of the sun right now I needed to get out I need excuse uh on my half Ginger skin here so appreciate the time away but uh everybody thank you for listening the elire podcast give us a follow rating review wherever you get our podcast for Derek Piper I’m Jeremy Warner everybody have a great day take care of each other we’ll talk to you next time right here on the alquire podcast

Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Chris Hine joins Illini Inquirer’s Derek Piper and Jeremy Werner to discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting Terrence Shannon Jr. with the No. 27 pick, how he fits in with the NBA Finals contender and superstar Anthony Edwards. Then Piper and Werner discuss Shannon’s draft-night experience, his legacy at Illinois and future potential first-round draft picks for Illinois basketball.

Follow the Illini Inquirer Podcast on:
* Apple: https://apple.co/3oMt0NP
* Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Xan2L8 
* Other: https://bit.ly/36gn7Ct 

Go VIP for 30% OFF: bit.ly/3eGM1NK