Rob Dillingham ready to make the most of his chance with the Wolves

The way things stand in early July, the Timberwolves appear destined to run out the same starting lineup — Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert — when the 2025-26 season begins.

While Nickeil Alexander-Walker was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, the three obvious players expected to play big minutes off the bench again next season are Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. Then there's Rob Dillingham, who could find himself in a regular role — so long as he shows he's ready.

"I do feel like a chance is coming, so it's up to me to make the most of it," Dillingham said Sunday as the Wolves prepare for the Las Vegas Summer League.

Dillingham, 20, flashed as a rookie after being selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He played sparingly and was rarely on the court when the game was on the line, but his speed and ability to score was on display whenever he did get on the court. The Summer League will give him a chance to show what he can do with a bigger workload.

"The amount of basketball I used to play to what I've been playing now, it's like you work out a lot and you don't get to show it and so you feel anxious a little bit. A lot," Dillingham explained. "I'm just anxious, honestly. Not that I'm not confident — I'm always confident — I'm just anxious to play."

The fact that Minnesota didn't make a trade for an established point guard is an indicator that the team has faith in Dillingham taking a big step. However, is Dillingham capable of running the offense, hitting open shots, playmaking, and defending bigger guards?

"I think Rob has a good feel now for what the NBA is like and what we need him to do. I liked his defensive growth more than anything," head coach Chris Finch said after the 2024-25 season. "I think offensively he's gotta figure out how to simplify his game. He's got the ability to get to the heart of the defense and create pace and make plays from those spots on the floor. We desperately need that."

The Wolves open Summer League play at 2:30 p.m. CT July 10 against the Pelicans. That'll be Dillingham's first opportunity to show his growth from Year 1 to Year 2.

"We need him to run the team," said assistant coach Kevin Hanson, who is operating as the head coach in Vegas. "We want him to defend at a high rate. He can't be a minus. We want him to be a plus out there defensively."

Minnesota's style of play doesn't demand that a true point guard is running the offense. In fact, there will undoubtedly be more trips down the court where Edwards and Randle are the playmakers. But Dillingham, in order to get in the game, is going to have to defend and hit open shots when Edwards and Randle find him.

If he can do that, then his elite speed and ball-handling will be an added bonus on the floor.

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