After trading for the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and selecting point guard Rob Dillingham, the expectation had to be that he would last more than two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, the now 21-year-old didn’t even last two full seasons before being traded to the Chicago Bulls.
In a recent episode of the Dane Moore NBA PodcastMoore and Britt Robson sat down to discuss Timberwolves basketball during the All-Star break. On the subject of Chris Finch and Dillingham, Robson didn’t hold back.
“Obviously, Dillingham didn’t work at all. I don’t think that’s really Finch’s fault, to be honest, but it’s a big part of why Dillingham lost his confidence and really didn’t thrive here. Some of it was situational, some of it was coaching,” Robson said.
Many in the fanbase yearned for more Dillingham playing time, but Finch never trusted him enough to allow him more lawsuits.
Dillingham never got extended playing time with the Timberwolves
Dillingham’s tenure with Minnesota came to an end on Feb. 5 when the 2024 lottery pick was part of a deal that brought guard Ayo Dosunmu to the Wolves.
Trading Rob wasn’t unexpected, as he had been out of Minnesota’s rotation since mid-December. Bones Hyland usurped Dillingham in the pecking order, and Finch continued to play 38-year-old Mike Conley over Dillingham, despite the former not producing much.
Robson appears to be right in his claim. Finch certainly played a role in Rob losing his confidence by pulling him after seemingly every mistake and giving him very short stints on the floor. In just one appearance this season with the Timberwolves, Dillingham got 20 minutes of playing time.
It’s also true that it’s never easy for a young player to land in an organization that has championship aspirations like Minnesota does. Finch couldn’t put Dillingham through his growing pains if it was going to cost the Timberwolves a few games.
Overall, in 84 regular season games over approximately 1.5 seasons for the Wolves, Dillingham averaged 4.0 points and 1.9 assists in 10.0 minutes per game. Ultimately, a trade was best for both parties.
Despite being only 21 years old, it was pretty clear that trading in Dillingham was best for both parties. Rob needed a fresh start, while Minnesota needed to find a way to strengthen its position.
Dillingham already has a much longer connection with Chicago. In three games for them, he is averaging 11 points and 4 assists in 24.7 minutes. After a somewhat rough first showing with his new team, Dosunmu has settled down and performed quite well in his next two appearances for the Timberwolves.
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