“With the 8th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select Rob Dillingham from the University of Kentucky.” This was a sentence many fans and analysts were predicting but were still ecstatic to hear once it happened. However, the plot twist of the night that caught many off guard was the Spurs trading Rob Dillingham to the Timberwolves for a 2030 unprotected pick and a 2031 unprotected pick, which essentially are middle school hoopers at this moment. With the Spurs’ overwhelming need for not only a scorer but a point guard, trading a young prospect who checks both boxes and with such high potential is still a head-scratcher. However, we are not here to talk about how the Spurs made a move they will likely regret in the future; we are here to talk about how the Timberwolves committed highway robbery by trading up for Dillingham and why he will fit in great with the team.
Whether you call making the conference finals a successful season or not, you cannot argue that the Timberwolves are coming off a great season and put the league on notice that a new era in Minnesota began and they are here to win it all. Anthony Edwards did not take it easy on his opponents, likely being the standout memory from the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs. However, you could see Ant began to slow down some in the conference finals, along with a combination of Dallas really keying in on him throughout the series. Ant was not playing unbearable by any means, but he was definitely in an adjustment period throughout the whole series, and based on the roster, the Timberwolves did not have any guards to defer to for primary ball handling and definitely not for scoring. That is why the Timberwolves traded up for Rob Dillingham. If the term ‘walking bucket’ was a company, Rob would certainly be in the conversation for being the logo. Rob is what you call a three-level scorer, but what makes that even more dangerous is his three-level scoring can happen in multiple ways.
He can score in isolation by putting a move on his defender and pulling up midrange, or using his admirable finishing ability to attack the rim for a bucket, or the coach can draw up a play for him to come off a screen to knock down the open three. Not to mention, he can be the player who is spotting up for the shot off the swing pass or as the defense collapses on Anthony Edwards as he attacks the basket. Simply put, Robert is a great scorer who has a real chance to be known as one of the most prominent scorers around the league as he develops. However, there is one misconception I have noticed that the casual fan and basketball media have been insinuating at times: the narrative that Robert is simply a guard who can score really well and not create for his teammates. Because of his unique journey and what role his time at Kentucky called for, people are unaware of Robert’s passing ability and not only his passing ability but his urge to create for his teammates. From my perspective, Robert is a pass-first point guard who scores at such a high level and with such a special aura that people forget that he is a true point guard. Rob Dillingham’s record-setting performance of 12 assists in the 2019 Junior Nationals carried over to his stint at Kentucky, where he finished second on the team in both scoring and assists while averaging the fifth most minutes off the bench for the Kentucky Wildcats. Yes, Dillingham averaged the third most points per minute as a freshman in SEC history, but he also recorded a 2:1 assists-to-turnover ratio, even having a point in the season in which he played 140 minutes and only committed 7 turnovers, with a season-high of nine assists, even in a role that needed his scoring more than anything.
Another thing that stops some talented players from getting drafted or keeping a spot on a team is maturity. That is not a problem with Rob. He did not get to play in the HS McDonald’s All-American game, and we saw how he handled that. He joined a Kentucky team that many predicted would win it all, and the team struggled, and we saw how he handled that. Even with being one of the most talked-about NCAA players throughout the season on a team that struggled to find its consistent rhythm, Dillingham embraced his role off the bench and thrived in it without any reports coming out about him putting himself over the team.
Very similar to Anthony Edwards, Robert Dillingham simply loves basketball and wants to help his team win. That is why I am able to ignore the questions about his size because I know at the end of the day that is not what matters. In February, the NBA had 25 players 6-2 or shorter that played in at least 40 games last year, with only three of those 25 playing less than 15 minutes per game. Three of the top five postseason scorers were 6-2 or shorter. Jalen Brunson and Kyrie were two of the best players throughout the postseason, maybe you could even argue the season standouts in general. Specifically, being on a team that had eight rotation players 6-4 or taller and with a four-time DPOY, I trust that the Timberwolves will put Rob in the best situation to thrive. While only averaging 1.0 steal in his season at Kentucky, and being a player who takes one too many gambles on defense at times, Rob is a player who takes pride in defense and gives great effort on defense, and he made it known post-draft that defense was at the top of his agenda this offseason.
Lastly, one of my favorite things about the Minnesota fit that a lot of people are missing out on is having Mike Conley as a vet! Mike Conley is an ‘undersized’ guard who has found a way to thrive his whole career without people ever questioning him. It only took one year for the Memphis Grizzlies to hand Mike Conley the keys to lead the team, which turned out to be a great decision. Mike Conley had his time leading the team as the young player, and he has had his time helping young stars like Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards become the best versions of themselves. He will be vital to helping Rob understand the game on another level: how to not only have longevity and success in the league but do it at a high level, how to be a threat on the defensive end as an “undersized guard.” I won’t be surprised to see Rob using Conley’s cutoff dribble moves or becoming one of the best midrange scorers league-wide. More than any other move, I hope to see Rob adopt Conley’s floater. In the history of the league, not many guards have had more success with the floater than Mike Conley. Some have given Rob the comparison of Tyrese Maxey and that is a valid comparison, however it’s a combination of players that I see in Rob’s game and he just happens to have some sort of relationship with them. Rob’s relationship with an all-time scorer Jamal Crawford and generational point guards Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul while also having Anthony Edwards being able to give the perspective of a new star in the league, Rob is destined to develop not only his already impressive skills but his IQ of the game. With Ant, Rob, Naz, and Jaden all being 24 years or younger, it’s going to be amazing to witness that core develop together, especially with KAT, Gobert, and Conley as some of the key vets. This team compliments the shifty bucket getting playmaker extremely well. The Timberwolves have made it abundantly clear that they have confidence in Rob’s potential, so the balance of opportunities to make an impact but a team with direction and foundation that will allow Rob room to grow as a player is what all young players desire. I will be glued to my screen to watch this exciting young roster play in the coming season. Timberwolves have constructed a really competitive roster and absolutely got them a good them one with the passionate shifty bucket-getting point guard.
Wildcard TV 
Leave a comment