The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Terrance Shannon Jr. with the 27th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The draft stock of former Illinois standout Shannon varied widely. He had been considered a first-round lock until he accused with rape after a September 2023 incident in Douglas County, Kansas.
The Chicago native and Lincoln Park alum was accused of committing sexual assault last September while visiting Kansas for a football game between the Illini and Jayhawks.
On June 13, he was found not guilty by a jury of all charges. After the arrest in December, he was suspended by Illinois for six games, but a federal judge reinstated him to the team, saying that his civil rights had been violated.
Shannon played three seasons for Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois for his final two collegiate seasons.
This season as a fifth-year senior, he helped lead the Illinois to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion UConn. Shannon ranked third in the nation in scoring (23.0 ppg) in 2023-24 and broke Illinois’ single-season scoring record with 736 points. Shannon was voted first-team All-Big Ten and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.
The Bulls have started the process of slowly turning over the roster after three years of continuity, and added a promising wing in G League Ignite’s Buzelis.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas finally seems ready to climb down the hill of continuity that he spent the last few seasons dying on.