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‘Not selfish’ Rob Dillingham says ‘whole new game’ is emerging for him at the Minnesota Timberwolves

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 7:40 PM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves spent heavily to land point guard Rob Dillingham in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he seems finally ready to break out this season in a bigger role.

During the 2024 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded a distant first-round pick and a pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs in order to land Rob Dillingham with the eighth overall pick.

Dillingham was expected to be a project player, although the long-term outlook was that he could eventually replace the aging Mike Conley as the starting point guard and be the backcourt running mate for Anthony Edwards.

While Dillingham has shown some flashes, he didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself in his rookie season. However, in a larger role in the Summer League, he has stepped up.

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Rob Dillingham is flashing playmaking chops

Ever since he came out of the University of Kentucky, Dillingham has been touted as a solid facilitator with some major turnover concerns.

In the Summer League, he has shown a willingness to give up the ball, both to his teammates and opponents, averaging 6.3 assists and five turnovers per game.

Still, the game is slowing down for him, and he claims that he is ready to take the next step.

“It’s a whole new game for me, honestly,” he said. “Whether people see it or not, like, it’s a whole new game for me.”

In college, Dillingham shot a lethal 44.4% from 3-point range. He is yet to find the same success in the NBA, although his playmaking finally seems to have caught up, even if he is turnover-prone.

“I’m going to just keep playing my game and keep trying to get better every day,” he promised. “And whether that’s facilitating, being more of a point guard, playing defense, guarding full court, literally anything.”

While he is far from perfect, Conley has one year left on his contract, giving Dillingham a bit more time to find his footing, and there is reason to be optimistic.

Dillingham has shown slow improvement

Is it easy to see Dillingham being a star in the NBA? Absolutely not, but with Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden Daniels, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert locked in long-term by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dillingham doesn’t need to be elite; he just needs to be a solid facilitator.

Based on his improvement, it’s easy to see him being exactly what the Wolves need, provided that he avoids another cold streak like he had to finish last season.

Span	GP	PPG	APG	RPG	TOV	SPG	FG%	3PT%
Summer League 2024	5	13.6	7.6	4.2	3.4	1.0	36.0%	30.8%
Pre All-Star Break	31	5.9	2.5	1.2	1.3	0.4	45.6%	37.7%
Post All-Star Break	18	2.1	1.2	0.8	0.7	0.5	38.1%	15.4%
Summer League 2025	3	15.3	6.3	2.7	5.0	2.3	37.0%	41.7%