After just a handful of games, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham continued to see limited time.
The 2024 NBA Draft cycle as a whole hasn’t seen heavy minutes, and certainly hasn’t seen much impactful play thus far. But Dillingham, the No. 8 pick, has probably been more under wraps than any other player in the lottery so far.
He has now played an impressive 19 minutes in nine games this season, making for a confusing start to his professional career.
Despite this, he has managed to shine in the few minutes he has. He saw four points and a pair of assists in the eight minutes he played against the Hornets, shooting 2-for-3 while utilizing the alertness he has long had.
On Friday night, Dillingham scored seven points in just six minutes, hitting all three of his field goals and adding three rebounds and two assists to the mix. He shot the first triple of his career and sank it with confidence. He helped Minnesota advance to the Trail Blazers in a big Western Conference win.
While Minnesota has championship hopes this season, the team would do well to play Dillingham sooner and more often. Despite the fact that rookies are not susceptible to positive impact early. It spent multiple resources to move up in the draft and get him, and was able to utilize his attributes as a proven scorer and passer.
Sending him into the mix earlier this season will likely only help him as the team delves deeper into the season, regardless of whether he sees success in the coming months. Either way, he’s already showing signs of being a potent offensive weapon.
The Timberwolves next play the Heat on Sunday, November 10, a potentially great opportunity to throw Dillingham into the mix as Miami continues to struggle this season.
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