Timberwolves first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. arrive in town

In the concourse of Target Center, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. pulled on their Timberwolves jerseys for the first time.

Like students on school picture day, they waited for the photographer’s instructions to spin basketballs as they took photos in front of a gray backdrop. And, like first-year students, Dillingham and Shannon will have to be quick studies. The pair of 2024 first-round draft picks spent Wednesday’s introductory news conference discussing the reality of being brought in to fill gaps on a championship-hungry team.

“The Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the NBA, so I wouldn’t think I would go to a contender right off rip,” said Dillingham, a 19-year-old guard from Kentucky who was the eighth overall pick last week.

The Wolves traded up to get him, a clear sign they like their chances to contend for an NBA title next year. Dillingham offers dynamic shot creation, a point guard of the future behind veteran Mike Conley Jr. Shannon brings an athletic explosiveness to the Wolves’ offense, which has All-Stars in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

“I’m coming to a winning team with real experience,” said Shannon, a 23-year-old wing from Illinois who was the 27th overall pick. “I’m looking to help them win a championship, just coming in and impacting whatever way I can.”

After the draft, the rookies had the chance to get in touch with their new teammates, many of whom reached out.

“Mike, Rudy [Gobert], Jaden McDaniels, KAT, all of them just hit us just saying it’s going to be a good situation,” Dillingham said. “As long as we’re willing to work, it’s going to happen.”

Dillingham, who averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 44.4% on three-pointers in his only season at Kentucky, was excited to hear from Conley, who will be 37 years old at the start of next NBA season.

“He’s a legendary point guard,” Dillingham said. “He was just telling me it’s a great fit and a great spot for me to learn.”

Shannon — who, three months earlier, won the Big Ten tournament and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award on the Target Center court — is ready to play alongside Edwards.

“It’s a lot of players that are exciting, including Ant, probably the best two-way player in the NBA,” Shannon said. “With me playing the position that I am, that’s what I want to be like: being considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA.”

Shannon, who turns 24 this month, enters the league older than Edwards, 22. Shannon started his college career at Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois where, in his fifth year, he averaged 23 points per game and helped the Fighting Illini reach the Elite Eight. In June, Shannon was found not guilty of rape and aggravated sexual assault in an alleged incident at a Kansas bar in September. During the legal process, Shannon was suspended by Illinois but sued and won the right to continue playing.

When asked about the past year, Shannon said, “It made me a better leader. I just gravitated toward my team and my coaches more, my family.”

On Wednesday, Wolves coach Chris Finch and President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly sat beside the two rookies, who could fill gaps pretty quickly.

“There’s roles to be had, roles to be earned. But we also know what they look like and how specific those are,” Finch said. “That’s where we’re going to start. If you can nail that, we try to grow everyone’s game from there.

“It’s a great place to learn that is aided by incredible vets,” Finch said. “Not just what they can teach the players on the floor, and learning how to be a pro. How you prepare, schedule your routine, how you eat, sleep, how you get your mind right to play or not play and handle all the successes and failures that come in between those things.”

The rookies threw out first pitches at the Twins game Tuesday, then got a chance to walk around Target Center on Wednesday, but “it won’t feel real until we start actually playing with the guys and doing everything with the guys every day,” Dillingham said.

“Whatever we can do to make [the team] better, even if it’s the little things. Well, it’s going to be the little things. That’s what we’re going to do.”