Facing severe salary pressure, will the Timberwolves allow the backcourt rookie to take over the position of the powerful sixth man?

According to the views of Bobby Marks, a well-known ESPN reporter, Minnesota Timberwolves' substitute backcourt player Nickeil Alexander Walker may become a potential victim of the team's lineup adjustment this summer.

Marks said: Judging from the playoff situation, Timberwolves' backcourt rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. is already ready in the lineup, and he is essentially the candidate to replace Alexander Walker. The Timberwolves hold two first-round picks (top 31 picks) in the following draft, and they must select the right players in the draft. Because considering the continued increase in the total salary of steals, the Timberwolves can achieve sustained success in the next few seasons only if young players gradually improve and grow into high-level rotation players. In order to alleviate the current salary pressure on the team, they had to choose to send Alexander Walker away.

In the NBA regular season this season, Walker maintained full attendance in 82 games. During his 25.3 minutes of playing time per game, his average of 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks. He also had 1.2 turnovers and 1.7 fouls. His shooting percentage was 43.8%, three-point shooting percentage was 38.1%, and free throw shooting percentage was 78%. In the playoffs, Walker played 15 games in total, with averaging 20.6 minutes per game, averaging 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.3 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers and 1.6 fouls. His shooting percentage was 38.9%, his three-point shooting percentage was 34.9%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 88.2%.

In the NBA regular season this season, Shannon played 32 games in 82 games, averaging 10.6 minutes per game, averaging 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks, and 0.5 turnovers and 0.8 fouls. His shooting percentage was 48.2%, a three-point shooting percentage of 35.5%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 81%. In the playoffs, Shannon played 9 games in a total of 15 games, averaging 6.3 minutes per game, averaging 4.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.4 steals, 0.3 turnovers and 1 foul, with a shooting percentage of 48.1%, a three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 100%.

Judging from the playoff situation, Walker has fully demonstrated his neural knife attributes, and his performance is somewhat unsatisfactory. He cannot maintain his level at a normal level in every game, which has also largely led to the team's lack of competitiveness in the Western Conference Finals. On the contrary, Shannon's performance in the Western Conference Finals was eye-catching. His impact and explosive power were quite good, and his ball-holding offensive ability also made everyone look forward to his future. Maybe next season, Shannon will really have a chance to take over Walker's role and become an important rotation player for the team?