Former Illinois All-American guard Terrence Shannon Jr. could be the first Illini player in the Brad Underwood era to be selected in the first round of the draft.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

June 26, 2024

CHAMPAIGN  — Terrence Shannon Jr. could end a drought of a dozen years if he hears his name called on Wednesday night in the 2024 National Basketball Association Draft.

The last time an Illinois player was a first round pick in the professional basketball draft was 2012 when Meyers Leonard went No. 11 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers. Shannon, who was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the league’s coaches, media contingent, and The Associated Press, led the team in scoring, ranking second in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA at 23 points per game.

The 6-foot-6 guard projects as a first round selection when the draft begins at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

During the pre-draft process before last season’s draft and before Shannon Jr. elected to return for another year at Illinois, the Chicago native was told by NBA personnel that they’d like for him to use the 2023-24 season to work on his perimeter shooting and the use of his right hand dribble penetration in addition to his dominant left hand and his defensive prowess. Shannon managed to improve his three-point shooting from 32.1 percent to 36.2 percent and his turnovers (per 100 possessions) from 4.6 to 3.4.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said to local media on Monday morning inside the Ubben Basketball Facility. “The improvement speaks for itself. Where he goes I don’t know.”

Underwood hasn’t been able to boast a first round selection from any of his college rosters as a head coach with Oklahoma State point guard Jawun Evans and Ayo Dosunmu both being picked early in the second round. For Underwood’s continued rebuild of the Illini basketball brand, a first round pick would be just another resume line as he continues to look for nationally relevant talent at the high school and transfer portal markets.

“There’s been a lot of (NBA) teams that have been around here throughout the spring doing their research, talking to everybody in town,” Underwood said. “They’ve all found out the same thing — what a wonderful young man Terrence is and what a great teammate he is.”

In the hours leading up to this draft, which several national analysts have said could be the most unpredictable due to the perceived lack of top-end talent amongst the projected lottery picks, the latest talk about Shannon Jr., who was found not guilty of felony rape and aggravated sexual assault by a jury in Douglas County, Kansas on June 13, has continued to see the former Illini guard rise among prospect rankings.

“I think this draft is better than what a lot of people think. I do think he’s going to be in the first round for sure. Some people have said maybe as high as eight or 10. I don’t know,” Underwood said on Monday. “We’ll go up Wednesday (to Chicago) and support him and spend some time with him. Really excited about that.”

Several national outlets including ESPN and The Athletic have the Chicago Bulls, Shannon’s hometown franchise, eyeing the possibility of taking an Illini player for the second time in the last four years. In a similar way to Dosumu watching himself in an in-city celebration get drafted in the second round in the 2021 draft by the Bulls, Shannon will be having a large party in Chicago to watch the draft.

Once Shannon was reinstated after filing for an injunction in federal court in Springfield, he led the Illini to 29 wins, a Big Ten Tournament title and the program's first appearance in a NCAA Tournament regional final in 19 years by averaging 27.9 points in seven postseason games.

“When I watch Shannon just decide he’s going to go (toward the basket), like there’s another level of (expletive) to his game where it’s not the adventure with the basketball that it is for some of these other guys,” Ringer host/analyst Ryan Russillo said on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ on Sunday.

Nearly a year ago, Dosumu agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract to return to the Chicago Bulls as a restricted free agent after he made the NBA All-Rookie team and developed into a key rotational guard for the Bulls in two NBA seasons.

In his final mock draft released Wednesday morning, The Athletic analyst Sam Venecie said “Shannon’s name is the one I’ve heard most associated with the Bulls over the last 48 hours”. However, IlliniGuys.com analyst Brad Sturdy stated last week that Shannon has gained interest with the Lakers and Knicks after working out for both teams since the not guilty verdict in Kansas ended any off-court character concerns for professional personnel. Despite surrendering six first round picks in a trade confirmed Tuesday evening to acquire Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges, the Knicks still own the 24th and 25th picks in the first round of tonight’s draft. The Lakers own the 17th selection in tonight’s draft and are slated to have the No. 55 pick when the draft picks up Thursday night with the second and final round.

The consensus on Shannon, who turns 24 years old in late July and signed with the Klutch Sports agency last month, is that he could use his ability in transition and his defensive skills to find a consistent role in the NBA for several years.

“I think defensively he’s a stalwart,” Underwood said. “His athleticism. His physicality. I think the one thing that everybody will fall in love with very quickly is his competitive spirit. If you’re playing Uno with him, he’s trying to rip your head off. Let alone on the court.”

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