Before the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, I had the chance to ask Rob Dillingham how much it meant to him that the Wolves had an opportunity to earn rotation minutes after they largely benched him in his rookie season.
“I’m extra happy to play, but also it means that much more to me because I haven’t played,” Dillingham said.
“It’s a positive and a negative,” he continued, “but at the same time, adversity comes with everything. So if you keep trying at it, you’re going to overcome it.”
Dillingham got plenty of time in the preseason to show he has grown from his rookie season. However, while he showed aspects that the Wolves should be excited about, he also displayed some of the same struggles that have left the coaching staff hesitant to play him. As Dillingham said, much like his situation has both positive and negative aspects, his game continues to exhibit the same dichotomy.
Still, Dillingham produced highlights. He averaged 10.7 shots per game, making 45.3% of his attempts and shooting remarkably well from 3-point range, going 8 for 17 over his six games. Dillingham also looked noticeably more confident in his shooting ability. He built his confidence over the course of a calendar year of work with his developmental coach, Pablo Prigioni.
He stayed late at practice from last October through May and into the summer.
Still, his shot isn’t perfect. Dillingham jumps too far towards the basket, rather than going straight up with the ball, and he uses a lot of his upper body to lead into the shooting motion. The consistency of his release is noticeably better. He shoots the ball from the same spot in his motion far more often.
That progress has theoretically given him more confidence, which may be the reason for his hot preseason shooting. For Dillingham to make an impact, he must knock down the open three-point shots that Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle will generate for him.
Shooting aside, the Wolves have often praised Dillingham for his defensive effort. While he may never be a lockdown defender due to his size, his intensity and willingness to fight have consistently shown up in the preseason. It’s something Naz Reid spoke on Monday before the season opener as being his favorite thing about playing with Dillingham.
“I think the biggest thing for me, though, is even on defense, he might be small, but just seeing him try, that’s the biggest thing,” said Reid. “He’s not going to back down just because you’re taller or bigger. … He has heart.”
The spirit Dillingham plays with creates a pathway for him to be a capable defender. Being able to harass ball handlers around screens, playing solid off-ball defense, and fighting for rebounds are all ways for Dillingham to make an impact on that side of the floor, despite not being able to lock up an opposing player like Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
However, the through line with all of those things is that they take a lot of effort to do consistently, and often don’t show up on the stat sheet.
Dillingham’s biggest question mark is probably his turnover-prone play. However, he has shown positives in this area. He played three games in which he had only one turnover per game. Meanwhile, he dished out 19 assists. Focusing on only these three games, Dillingham’s 6.33 assist-to-turnover ratio is sensational. Particularly against the Guangzhou Loong Lions and the Chicago Bulls, Dillingham looked in control and comfortable.
However, we must acknowledge the other three games in which Dillingham had 12 turnovers and 20 assists, a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio. In these games, Dillingham looked much the same as he did in his rookie season, loose with the ball, occasionally hesitant, then overconfident in his passing abilities at other times. In a three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of the final preseason game, Dillingham had three turnovers. While the clip below highlights the Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe, Dillingham appears multiple times having turnovers leading to Edgecombe baskets, and Dillingham’s lack of size is on full display.
The biggest question for Rob Dillingham this year is whether he can control his turnovers effectively enough to avoid losing playing time. Which, to be clear, is what will happen if Dillingham has three turnovers in a three-minute span in the regular season. The conundrum for the Wolves is how to develop Dillingham so that he can receive valuable in-game reps without potentially losing a game due to the struggles he will inevitably face.
Ultimately, after the preseason, Dillingham finds himself in a similar spot to where he was in summer league and at times during his rookie season. Several positives theoretically could help the Wolves. Still, some negatives could hurt the team in the short term. Perhaps Dillingham said it best before the preseason game against the Pacers.
“Adversity comes with everything,” he said. “So if you keep trying at it, you’re going to overcome it.”