Minnesota Timberwolves guard gets on the board in a big way in his Chicago hometown
But on Thursday night in his hometown of Chicago, Shannon, a rookie guard with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and two-time All-Big Ten selection at Illinois, finally broke the ice after going scoreless through the Wolves' first seven games of the season.
The moment, which came as Minnesota nursed a 133-115 lead over Chicago with 1:19 to play at the United Center, may not have been dripping with drama. But it surely felt as sweet to Shannon as the finger roll he slipped over the rim for his first two NBA points. The excitement came seconds later – garbage time or not – when Shannon rocketed in front of a lazy crosscourt pass, tipped it forward and scooped it deep on the left wing and, on one dribble, rose up to hammer home a dunk to truly remember:That Shannon and fellow Timberwolves rookie guard Rob Dillingham have played so little has been a source of frustration for some, though Minnesota is a veteran team coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance.
Shannon, who averaged 23.0 points and 2.4 3-pointers as an Illini senior – which included a career-high 40-point outburst in last spring's Big Ten Tournament semifinals – has had to wait his turn since showing out in the NBA Summer League and preseason. The good news: It was Dillingham, after breaking through with his first NBA points on Monday, who assisted on Shannon's first bucket. And both, after each sitting through the Wolves' first five games, have now played in all of the team's last three.Jason Langendorf is a longtime journalist who has covered football and basketball, among other sports, for ESPN, Sporting News, the Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications.
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