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The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked many when they got Rob Dillingham from Kentucky in the 2024 NBA Draft. A lottery pick, Dillingham was originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs but had has draft rights traded to Minnesota. Adding a lottery pick to a Western Conference Finals team is a no-brainer, but Dillingham hasn’t been able to crack the rotation so far. But Timberwolves veteran Mike Conley had strong advice for the rookie.
“He’s doing great. I’m just trying to keep him sane,” Conley said. “I know he wants to play right away. We know what he’s capable of doing and all the things he can help us with when he gets an opportunity. So I’m just trying to stay in his ear and preach to him, how important he is for our team and going forward.
“Things that he can pick up from moments he’s not playing, learning our plays, learning out schemes, learning other team’s schemes. . .I promise you he’ll be ready when his time comes.”
Rob Dillingham was the No. 8 overall pick by the Spurs but was immediately traded to the Timberwolves. He was considered one of the top guard prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft. Even if he currently in the Timberwolves rotation, Mike Conley is a good mentor to learn from.
Rob Dillingham’s path to the Timberwolves
Dillingham declared for the NBA Draft after only one season at Kentucky. He came off the bench for the Wildcats, but many believed he was NBA ready.
During his lone season at Kentucky, he appeared in 32 games at a little over 23 minutes per game. He averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 47.5 percent shooting from the field, 44.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 79.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Dillingham has yet to appear in a game for the Wolves this season. It shouldn’t be too surprising though. The Wolves are a veteran team looking to contend in the Western Conference this season. He had a decent preseason though.
Through five preseason games, Dillingham averaged 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 33.3 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point line and 100 percent from the free-throw line.
Dillingham began his high school career at Combine Academy, and was supposed to end up at Kanye West’s Donda Academy but the school closed up and the team was never able to play. He finished his high school career at Overtime Elite.
