The Summer League is a unique context to get a read on young players. The competition level and the different roles teams assign players are not always perfect for projecting NBA development. Still, Summer League success is an important benchmark for fringe rotation players looking to prove themselves in the NBA.
For Timberwolves second-year guard Rob Dillingham, that objective is no different.
The ultimate goal for Dillingham is to prove that he is too good to be playing in Vegas. The increased usage bump and the uptempo, chaos play environment of the Summer League should serve him well.
Dillingham had an inconsistent rookie season. While the Wolves traded up to pick No. 8 in the 2024 Draft to select him, they didn’t use him in the rotation. He played in 516 total minutes last season, which ranked 34th among 2025 draftees. According to Cleaning the Glass, which filters out garbage time, Dillingham played only 442 rotational minutes.
However, nobody should be surprised that the Wolves treated Dillingham’s first year as a redshirt season. The culmination of Dillingham being one of the smallest players in the league and being a young Point Guard is a tough challenge for a 20-year-old. Additionally, if it were not for Chris Finch’s tendency to lean on veterans, who impact winning now over development, Dillingham likely would have had more opportunity to figure things out as a rookie.
There are a few key areas of Dillingham’s game that he will showcase in Summer League that can translate to his second NBA season.
Everything starts with Dillingham’s jumper. He has unique shot mechanics and exhibits a lot more side-to-side sway in his jumper compared to his movement. Every player mirrors their energy accordingly, but because of Rob’s slight frame, he has much more oscillation than usual.
It is easy for Dillingham to flow into his jumper when he attempts pull-up jumpers because his momentum carries his body forward. The variation is significantly more pronounced with catch-and-shoot jumpers.
Dillingham’s sway in his jumper does not detract from his success. It proves that he can get quick shots up within the flow of his body. He just needs to find more consistency from shot to shot.
When Dillingham doesn’t generate momentum on his three-point jumpers, his jumper has a different energy transfer. It appears that he can sometimes rely on his pure body strength to get it up, or the difference in how his right leg moves on the release is noticeable.
Dillingham already had to put on more strength in the off-season as he matures. It will continue to benefit his durability and physicality, but his jumper is an underrated area of growth.
In off-season training videos, Dillingham has already adjusted his mechanics slightly. Still, the real test will be in his on-court live game reps.
Rob Dillingham getting some work in before Summer League next week
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— ⁰⁰ (@BigBlueTega) July 4, 2025
Playmaking feel will be another area of importance for Dillingham. He showcased a knack for assisting teammates at Kentucky, but his continued development within the speed of the NBA game will be something to track at Summer League.
It will be much easier for Dillingham to score against Summer League defenses than in the NBA. Still, Summer League can serve as a good litmus test for whether he is comfortable reading defenses, finding open teammates, and creating advantages as a creator in a more prominent on-ball role.
Limiting mistakes and turnovers, while creating offense for himself and others, is a tall order for Dillingham. It is something that he has demonstrated at all other levels before the NBA; therefore, it is not too far-fetched.
There will be expectations on Dillingham to succeed in the Summer League this season. Still, even if he is taking the right shots, making the right reads, and limiting turnovers, there is a lot to watch for from Dillingham, even if he does not put up gaudy box-score numbers.