Rob Dillingham is finding his groove with the Chicago Bulls. He is one of the newbies who came to Chicago as part of a series of trades. Dillingham came from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ayo Dosunmu.
Furthermore, Dillingham is virtually celebrating the Bulls' playing style, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. He contrasted the approaches of Billy Donovan and Chris Finch. Essentially, Dillingham likes getting the ball more and doing something with it.
“Just two different styles of offense — not as much holding the ball [with the Bulls],” Dillingham, 21, said of the difference between Finch and Donovan. “Just, like, get off the ball. And, really, in Minnesota, it was, like, every possession.
“I mean, every possession matters here, but you’re going to mess up. Over there, not everyone could mess up and keep playing. So [it was] just the opportunity and the pace of the game, just the playing styles.”
What Billy Donovan expects from Rob Dillingham
Donovan recognizes the potential Dillingham has; he wants him to embrace it, particularly given his ability to score.
“He’s the one guy who, off the dribble, can really get by people and get into the teeth of the defense,” Donovan said. “That’s a real great positive. But the decision-making, the shots he’s taking, are not sustainable, and I told him that.”
“His job and responsibility is to generate shots for guys when he gets [inside], and to understand the shots where he has angles and can shoot a high percentage on and the shots he can’t,” Donovan said. “It’s not like I’m giving him free rein. We need him downhill, but he also can’t be jumping off two feet, getting caught in the air, trying to shoot over guys [or] trying to throw passes that aren’t there. He’s got to clean that up, and we’ve got to help him do it.
“What I don’t want him to do is not be aggressive or be afraid to attack. He has to attack. He just has to make better decisions, and I think that will come in time.”
Dillingham cited his performance against the Boston Celtics on Feb.11. He scored 16 points and dished out seven assists in a 124-105 loss. He said it was his first time playing against Boston, and now he knows what it takes to excel against them.
“[Last week] was my first time playing against the Celtics and actually having the ball in my hand,” he said. “If I play against the Celtics three, four more times, [then] by the time I play them the fifth time, I’ve already played them so many times that I know how to play against them. It comes with experience, studying film and taking that into the next game.”
Currently, the Bulls are 24-31 and are in the midst of a six-game losing streak before the All-Star break. On Thursday, Chicago will play their first post-All-Star break game against the Toronto Raptors.
