In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves made one of the biggest moves of the night, trading up in the top 10 to grab Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.
During the draft, Dillingham earned acclaim, averaging 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Wildcats. Some wondered if he lost ground because the team didn’t necessarily need guards, but the Timberwolves took San Antonio’s spot at No. 8.
Fresh off a Western Conference Finals appearance, the Timberwolves decided to spend some future assets to invest in the future, and rightly so.
It’s no secret that the Timberwolves’ current core is somewhat on the sidelines. Stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have already signed fixed-term contracts, and star defender Gobert isn’t cheap either.
In Dillingham, the Timberwolves have at least one sure talent alongside Edwards who will remain with the team for the foreseeable future. And should provide a solid offensive option in the backcourt.
The team got a small taste of that in Summer League, where Dillingham often showed off his talent. In five games, he averaged 13.6 points per game, shooting just 36 percent from the field, but still managed to add 7.6 assists per game, which ranked fifth among all Summer League players.
At some point the team will undoubtedly need to reshuffle its roster, and having a back four stalwart like Dillingham will be a major asset going forward.
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