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Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 7:55 am
by Leado01
Glad to see Shannon shake off the rust scoring 36 on 10 of 15 in 21 minutes in Iowa.
I do believe a big part of the inconsistent play we're seeing from the Wolves is wear exacerbated by Finch only really trusting 7 players every night before the Dilly trade.
Suddenly Finch has 9 players he can trust and a bench with an idendity. Will Finch use the 9 to allow for some rest for the starting 5?
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:06 am
by AussieWolf3
My question for Shannon is can he be a two way player, or even more specifically - can he be a do stuff guy?
In the games he's played, if isn't scoring, he has made no impact otherwise. Can he remake himself to be a true role player- play great team defense, make hustle plays, grab rebounds? He's used to being the Sun, the moon and the stars on his teams, but the NBA is a different animal and he's now the 9th man on a contending teams rotation.
Excited to see what he can bring, but he's gonna need to bring it on more than just offense
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:36 am
by AbeVigodaLive
So far... Shannon has been like a AAAA MLB player...
He's too good for the G League and Summer League... but he hasn't found his place on an actual NBA roster.
Yet?
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:48 am
by rapsuperstar31
Ayo might just be his best mentor (even though he's just 6 months older than him.) Shannon needs to learn how to attack under control and finish with both hands.
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 10:12 am
by FNG
Maybe I'm looking at this with glasses that are too rose-colored, but I strongly suspect that the dropoff in TJ's game this season is primarily related to trying to play through an injury. If he is truly healthy now, I think he is going to be good enough to be a rotation player every night. You'll recall we got him much later in the draft than he was slotted to go because of the legal issue he was facing (for which he was exonerated). He was a plus defender in college and excellent finisher. Some of this was because he was simply bigger and stronger than his competition his senior year, but his strength and size translates to success at the NBA level too...like Ju, he will always be able to bully defenders.
What are my concerns about him? Certainly his lack of a right hand. Again there are some similarities here to Ju, but even more so. I also don't like the mechanics of his shot, and think that he is more likely to be a 35% 3-point shooter rather than the better success he has shown so far (40.5 % this season). But he is a monster in the open court, and when he gets a chance to play with guys like Ayo, Naz, Jaden, Donte, Bones, and even Ju who like to push the pace, this team is going to be really fun to watch.
As we look at rotation questions, let's not forget that Finchy has continued to say that Joan is going to get meaningful minutes late in the season. We also know of his fondness for Mike, so we should expect to see him out there at times too. And Jaylen Clark will always be a guy he can turn to. So since Finchy prefers to keep his rotations fairly tight, I think we can expect to see some DNP-CDs on certain nights for players who are worthy of being in the rotation. That is a good thing because it will keep some key players fresh for the postseason, but it will be challenging for the coaching staff to work with players who might feel slighted on certain nights. Like I said though...it's a good problem. I don't think Finchy has ever had 11 players he trusts to put out there on any given night...plus Joan and even Joe. Love the depth of this roster!
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 10:28 am
by rapsuperstar31
FNG wrote: ↑Fri Feb 13, 2026 10:12 am
Maybe I'm looking at this with glasses that are too rose-colored, but I strongly suspect that the dropoff in TJ's game this season is primarily related to trying to play through an injury. If he is truly healthy now, I think he is going to be good enough to be a rotation player every night. You'll recall we got him much later in the draft than he was slotted to go because of the legal issue he was facing (for which he was exonerated). He was a plus defender in college and excellent finisher. Some of this was because he was simply bigger and stronger than his competition his senior year, but his strength and size translates to success at the NBA level too...like Ju, he will always be able to bully defenders.
What are my concerns about him? Certainly his lack of a right hand. Again there are some similarities here to Ju, but even more so. I also don't like the mechanics of his shot, and think that he is more likely to be a 35% 3-point shooter rather than the better success he has shown so far (40.5 % this season). But he is a monster in the open court, and when he gets a chance to play with guys like Ayo, Naz, Jaden, Donte, Bones, and even Ju who like to push the pace, this team is going to be really fun to watch.
As we look at rotation questions, let's not forget that Finchy has continued to say that Joan is going to get meaningful minutes late in the season. We also know of his fondness for Mike, so we should expect to see him out there at times too. And Jaylen Clark will always be a guy he can turn to. So since Finchy prefers to keep his rotations fairly tight, I think we can expect to see some DNP-CDs on certain nights for players who are worthy of being in the rotation. That is a good thing because it will keep some key players fresh for the postseason, but it will be challenging for the coaching staff to work with players who might feel slighted on certain nights. Like I said though...it's a good problem. I don't think Finchy has ever had 11 players he trusts to put out there on any given night...plus Joan and even Joe. Love the depth of this roster!
Almost all of us thought Shannon could slot right in for the departed NAW. Surely all of us couldn't be wrong right? I hope you're right and it was just an injury issue. Although he has had feet and ankle issues both seasons which is concerning as well since he hasn't played that much.
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 10:33 am
by 60WinTim
I don't agree that Finch has 9 "trusted" players. I think there are different tiers of trust.
Last year, he had 8 "top tier trusted" players: the starters plus NAZ, Donte and NAW. He then proceeded throughout the year with a poo-poo platter of "next tier trusted" players: Minott, Shannon, Dilly and Clark. And that is what he cycled through for that last .5 player in his 8.5 man rotation.
Fast forward to this year, Finch lost NAW from his "top tier", and while he will never admit it, Conley fell out of that "top tier" as well. His "top tier" was now down to 6 players. Dilly managed to play himself out of the "next tier", and Shannon was forced out by injury. That leaves just Clark, Mike and Bones as the "next tier" to fill out the remaining 2.5 man rotation. It's actually a testament to how well the top 6 players have played to put the Wolves in their current position in the standings!
Here we are at the All-Star Break. Ayo is clearly in the "top tier", and Finch has used him as such. Bones' emergence since December has mostly secured his place in the "top tier" as well. That gives Finch his 8 "top tier trusted" players. And his poo-poo platter of "next tier trusted" players is expanding as well: Clark, plus the returning Shannon, plus the return Conley, and the development of Joan.
Having laid that out, there's plenty of room for opTIMism for the Wolves coming out of the All-Star Break to go on a significant run!
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 10:56 am
by Leado01
I'm very OpTIMistic that Shannon will garner trust in his return.
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 11:07 am
by FNG
I see it different, Tim. I agree there were only 8 guys Finchy truly trusted during the regular season last year. But while our board here has mostly lost confidence in Mike, Finchy clearly still has him in his top tier. It's clear from the way he talks about him, the 18 MPG he gave him, and how he is bringing him back. And if TJ is healthy like he was in the playoffs, I have him in the "Finchy trusts him" category...heck, he played him 16 minutes in the final game against OkC! And while Bones was clearly not in the circle of trust last season, his hustle and shooting have moved him into it this season...we know he doesn't give a guy almost 20 MPG like he has this month unless he's earned his trust. I'll give you Clark...he seems to play only out of necessity recently. But I still think Finchy regards him higher than the unplayable cast of characters he had last season outside of the top 9 last season (including Clark). In my opinion that makes 10.5 guys Finchy has no hesitation putting out there this season (plus Joan to some extent) compared to 8.5 last season. And 2 more trustworthy players over last season is makes a big difference for our coaching staff.
Re: Shannon' Return 9 Players
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2026 1:22 pm
by Wolvesfan21
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:06 am
My question for Shannon is can he be a two way player, or even more specifically - can he be a do stuff guy?
In the games he's played, if isn't scoring, he has made no impact otherwise. Can he remake himself to be a true role player- play great team defense, make hustle plays, grab rebounds? He's used to being the Sun, the moon and the stars on his teams, but the NBA is a different animal and he's now the 9th man on a contending teams rotation.
Excited to see what he can bring, but he's gonna need to bring it on more than just offense
Exactly, thats what even semi bugged me last year when he was scoring great. Would he start playing up to par on defense and rebound? I actually thought that would come around this year and so far it hasn't. Can we blame the injury? Maybe?
Certainly guys have survived in the NBA being one trick ponies, but they don't make much and get little playing time. He needs to for sure up his weaknesses overtime, and considering his age. He better get on it now.