The Illinois basketball team has been present when it comes to the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
In years past, we couldn’t claim the playoffs too much. The Illini didn’t have a ton of talent in the NBA, and we were pretty much just hanging our hats on Meyers Leonard coming off the bench to make a few surprising three-pointers.
Today’s NBA is different. Illinois has two players on the same team that is trucking through the NBA Playoffs right now. Ayo Dosunmu is out with an injury, but he put on the cape in round one. In round two, it is Terrence Shannon Jr.’s time to shine.
In game one of the series against Victor Wembanyama and the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs, the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves once again played spoiler. The Spurs have homecourt, and a series doesn’t start until a road team wins.
Well, we are one game in, and the series has started. The Timberwolves beat San Antonio on Monday night, 104-102, to take game one of the seven-game series.
Everyone is talking about Anthony Edwards coming back early and giving Minnesota 18 points off the bench. That isn’t the story to me. For me, the story is Shannon.
Shannon has only played 75 games in his two-year career thus far. He only has three starts under his belt, too. In last year’s playoffs, he played sparingly for Minnesota, only getting double-digit minutes when games were out of hand.
This season, Shannon started to get more leash in the playoffs due to attrition. The Timberwolves needed bodies, and Shannon was left standing when the dust settled. He provided a spark to the team in game five, and then he was sensational in game six, starting and winning a closeout game against the Denver Nuggets.
Shannon’s big-time play didn’t slow down in the second round. On Monday night against the Spurs, he once again started and registered one of the best games for Minnesota in the upset win.
In 35 minutes of action, Shannon dropped 16 points, five rebounds, and one assist. What is even more impressive is the fact that with his style of play, he didn’t have a single turnover.
Terrence Shannon Jr. vs. San Antonio Spurs 5/4/2026
— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) May 5, 2026
16 PTS | 5-13 FG | W 104-102 pic.twitter.com/OQJL1rpgF3
Shannon isn’t your stereotypical NBA guard. He isn’t just relying on his three-point shooting. If he did that, he would likely still be in the G-League. Shannon is a downhill, get to the basket type of player. From the jump, he was aggressive against the Spurs, and it paid off in a big way. It put the San Antonio guards on their heels the entire night.
Terrence Shannon Jr. still should provide a spark for the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rest of the series
It has been fun watching Shannon start a couple of playoff games, and he has been one of the main reasons Minnesota is still playing in the NBA Playoffs. It was he, and Dosunmu averaging 21.8 points per game against Denver, that got the Timberwolves this far.
With that being said, the writing is on the wall. Shannon is about to head back to the bench with Edwards now healthy enough to play.
That is okay, though. I think Shannon did two things in the last couple of games. One, he showed that he can be a valuable piece in the NBA. If nothing else, he could make some money this offseason or whenever his contract is up.
Two, I think Shannon proved he can be a spark plug off the bench for Minnesota. They can rely on him to come in and give the team energy on the court.
It has been a fun couple of weeks as an Illinois fan watching two former players come up big on the biggest stage. Something tells me that isn’t ending anytime soon.
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