You absolutely can, and the process isn’t that different from installing the latest stable version. Here’s how to install prelease versions of Kodi on Nvidia Shield:
To begin with, visit Kodi’s download page and select Android
Next, move over to the Prerelease tab, and  choose the appropriate version (32-bit for older Shields, 64-bit for anything released after 2020
Open your file manager, navigate to the APK file’s download location, and click it to begin the installation process