The Timberwolves traded their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to San Antonio to acquire Rob Dillingham with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft. However, the former Kentucky guard didn’t play much in his season-and-a-half with Minnesota, and the Wolves traded him to the Bulls ahead of last month’s deadline.
Dillingham tells Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic he was constantly looking over his shoulder playing for a Minnesota team with championship aspirations.
“When you do (play), you gotta play perfect in your opportunity, or you won’t get more opportunities,” Dillingham told The Athletic when asked to describe the pressure he felt in Minnesota. “The pressure really comes from whenever you come out of college or come from wherever; you play freely because you know you get minutes.
“But in the NBA, it’s not like that. It’s you switching your whole mindset to ‘I gotta perform well in these minutes.’ Your whole life, you just played basketball. You messed up, but you learned from mistakes. With me, I’m a smaller guard, so it was way less room for mistakes. And, s–t, you gotta own up to that at that point. So, I feel like the pressure really comes from not knowing when you’re gonna get the opportunity.”
As Lorenzi writes, Dillingham only played 20 minutes in a game once for the Wolves this season. He admits his lack of playing time affected his confidence.
“I feel like if you’re human, you definitely gonna second-guess (yourself) if you working hard at something every day, and then you don’t really get an opportunity,” he said. “You start to question, like, dang, am I really good at basketball?”
The Bulls are in a much different position than the Wolves, having traded away several veterans ahead of the deadline as they pivoted to a rebuild. Dillingham’s game is still a work in progress, but he has already logged 20-plus minutes eight times in his first 11 appearances with Chicago, Lorenzi notes.
“They’re building me up,” Dillingham said of the Bulls’ coaching staff. “It’s more like I can mess up, and they teach me after I mess up, what not to do, why not to do this. … I get to actually perform and learn and watch film here and watch where I play.”
Dillingham suggested to Lorenzi that he received mixed messaging from Chris Finch and his staff in Minnesota. He said he’s looking for “communication” and “transparency,” which he has found so far with Billy Donovan, who wants the second-year guard to improve his decision-making.
“When I know what you want from me or what I need to do, then it’s easier for me to help the team,” Dillingham told The Athletic. “If I’m guessing, then it’s hard. And I feel like since I’ve been here, (Donovan) has done a great job just communicating to me, telling me what he feels like I can do to stay in the league and be a force in the league.”
Dillingham’s interview with Lorenzi is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to The Athletic.
Hope Dilly turns into a baller. Just wasn’t gonna happen with the wolves.
It’s not going to happen anywhere. The guy was terrible from day 1 and no idea how this 2nd rounder for selected top 10.
Not with a middle school girls body and no 3pt shot.
Bro he was 19 relax. He is correct. A championship team should not be drafting 19 year.olds. they can not develop. You have to play and be able to make mistakes. Again he can do that on a championship team. You also don’t learn on a tanking team either. There is a middle ground. He was on one end of the extreme. Expecting a 19 year old to step in and be your back up point guard is wild.
On top of that randle as your number 2 is ball dominant. So he was playing with Conley. Were was the pick and roll. If you get one play ran for you as a 19 year old you can expect to be in a rythm or knowledge of the game at 19,20. This is on the Timberwolves. Shouldn’t have drafted him as a project for 3/4 years to develop.
Rooting for him … hopefully he reaches greater heights than the #7 predecessor
But talk abt a low bar lmfao
Hoping he proves Finch wrong. That dude hates playing young guys
Are you forgetting that he coached and played ant, Jaden, and Naz since they were 20?
Not exactly sure which Bulls coach is supposed to help him with him with his” Decision Making” Considering the bang up job they did with Williams and Coby White and Terry who still can’t figure out which side of the bed to get out of in the morning. And the beds are probably against the wall but yeah, Sure. OK. Donovan can’t even figure out which position guys need to play so sorry if I’m not overly optimistic.
Start him,pat will,kawamura. Tank harder…, then draft another bust…just like patwill…
Yep, Bulls pretty much cornered that 2020 draft. They have 3 of the top 10 picks on their roster, with PWill, Okoro and Jalen Smith. Wiseman and Killian Hayes could be available too.
This is what happens when you draft 19 yr olds.
Warriors blew it with Kuminga and Wiseman. Minny is ready for a run and Dillingham isn’t. Wise to move him now. Not procrastinate like Warriors die. Ayo is a solid young guard who is more ready. And imo a better fit.
Bulls had to do it. Cause they have Giddey. And have the time to wait on Dillingham. This works for both teams.
Just said the samething up top. Only difference JK got more playing time in min. However he was a raw player. And championship teams should not draft projects
Yeah but they didn’t really work with JK. It was my way or the hwy. Can’t be that way with guys you are developing. Cause you may need to build them to trade them. So you only hurt your team.
JK situation is different he got 5k minutes and didn’t improve. Yes he had two good games vs the Washington wizards. He would have played the same with warriors. It’s not about talent with him it’s about consistency. Personally I don’t think he is an all star. But a low end starter/ 6th man.
I still agree a championship team should not draft raw 19 year old. JK and Wiseman were raw 19 year old. Neather had played much college ball. And we’re still needing to develop. Hard to do when you get yanked because a team is trying to win.
Again he also did get playing time with GS though. So his situation is diff. Although I think he can develop a little more. I don’t think there is this all star jumbo that’s going to happen
I agree too. Cause if you want to win now. You can easily trade those picks for young vets. 26-27 yr olds who are ready to help now. Still a mismanagement of talent. Imo Wiseman is a better talent than Mitch. And I have read he is a smart guy. So you could have gotten him to help you after a yr in G-league. Guy never played college lol. Even two yrs learning.
Dillingham prob cost them GA given they have less picks to offer. What a bust that dude was.
I really hope things work out for Dilly. He seems like a nice kid. He wasn’t ready when he was drafted. The Wolves should have sent him to the G-League to develop. I hope the Bulls either give him some playing time or send him down. I don’t know that he’ll ever be a star but maybe he can work into a good role player.
Trade Giddey and Patrick Williams at the draft for picks and expiring contracts to completely start over