Minnesota traded a pick swap in 2030 and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick with the Spurs to nab Rob Dillingham with the 8th pick in the draft this past summer. Clearly, they had a vision of Dillingham learning from Mike Conley and eventually forming an elite backcourt duo with Anthony Edwards that will still be elite when those picks come up in 2030.
The speculation was that Dillingham would play more of a sixth man role this season, but early on, he wasn’t part of the team’s rotation. He has seen minutes from time to time, but his last two games have been a glimpse into the future. Dillingham scored 14 points in 16 minutes against Boston on Sunday and followed that up with 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists against the Rockets on Tuesday night.
Mike Conley has missed the team’s last three games with a toe sprain, but he isn’t on the injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Kings. He should return to fill his starting role, so it’s unclear what Dillingham’s role will look like in this game and moving forward. He has clearly earned minutes, but there may not be enough for him to provide value in redraft leagues. It’s worth keeping an eye on their rotation tonight, but luckily, this is a dynasty column. Regardless of what his role looks like for the rest of this season, we can still get excited about his future.
Let’s take a look at his performance against Houston and see what went well and where he has room to improve after the best game of his young career.
First Quarter: 3:25, 0-of-1 FGs, 1 assist
Dillingham entered the game with 3:46 left in the first quarter and didn’t get off to a great start. He immediately got caught on a screen and gave up a triple to Fred VanVleet. His lone assist came within the flow of the offense. He swung the ball over to Naz Reid after a drive by Edwards, and Reid went in for a dunk. Dillingham’s lone shot attempt came when he was tossed the ball with five seconds left on the shot clock, which forced him to take a tough shot. He was able to get to the rim, where he ended up missing a left-handed floater over his Kentucky teammate Reed Sheppard. Overall, the first quarter of this game wasn’t much of anything. Screen navigation was an issue on a few plays, which isn’t surprising for a smaller rookie guard. He didn’t have the opportunity to create much, since Edwards and Julius Randle were both on the floor.
Second Quarter: 4:43, 0-of-2 FGs, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover
Dillingham was subbed out for the final 22 seconds of the first quarter for a defensive possession, but he went back in the game to start quarter two. He started to pick things up in this period, but he still wasn’t able to get any shots to fall. He opened up the quarter with an assist out of a pick and roll with Rudy Gobert, where he was able to find Naz Reid at the top of the key for a triple. Dillingham was able to get Sheppard behind him and recognized that Tari Eason was helping on Gobert’s roll to the basket. He was easily able to slip a pass to Reid, who knocked down a stepback three.
His second assist came a few minutes later. Dillingham had Eason on him, but he was able to use a pair of screens to force Jalen Green to guard him. That’s a much better matchup for the shift guard, and he was able to drive past Green and force Sheppard to help, which allowed him to kick the ball to Nickeil-Alexander Walker, who went right into a pullup jumper.
He had a few other solid plays that didn’t result in any points for Minnesota. Dillingham had a smooth double-cross that he kicked out to Donte DiVincenzo for a deep 3-pointer that didn’t go in. He was able to get a paint touch, draw in a help defender, and then kick out to a shooter.
Dillingham also drove past Sheppard for a right handed layup on the left side that should be an easy bucket for him. It just didn’t go in. He used quick bursts to get around Sheppard and showcased his elite change of pace, which will be highlighted more later on.
His only 3-point attempt didn’t go in, but it was a shot that he should shoot every time. VanVleet went under a ball screen, and Dillingham immediately went into a pullup three. That is a shot that will fall eventually, and when he starts hitting that consistently, teams will have to go over screens. That will open up the floor for him to use his quickness to get a numbers advantage and either get a layup, a floater or an assist.
On defense, the second quarter was a little better than the first, but it still wasn’t flawless. He had a play where he denied Sheppard a handoff and followed him on a cut, but he also allowed Sheppard to get an open 3-point attempt off of a handoff. It wasn’t a huge error, and Sheppard didn’t end up making the shot anyway.
Dillingham’s turnover came on a poor decision to try to toss a lob to Gobert. He had an open floater but decided to toss the ball up, which allowed Alperen Sengun to blow the play up. It was a good thought for Dillingham to get his center involved, but it wasn’t what the defense gave him.
Third Quarter: 4:37, 3 points, 1-of-4 FGs, 2 assists, 1 three
Dillingham opened his third quarter stint by missing back-to-back 3-pointers, though both were decent looks. He ended up getting a third one, which he was able to knock down for his first points of the game.
He followed that up with a play that reminds us that he is still a 19-year-old rookie. Dillingham, clearly amped up from hitting his first shot of the game, hit Dillon Brooks with a snatch dribble, followed that with a…
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