Minnesota Timberwolves Rookie Rob Dillingham to Debut on Massive Stage Against Lakers

The Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham is set to debut on a massive stage against the Los Angeles Lakers against fellow rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James Jr.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Rob Dillingham arrives before the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to leap into a top-three seed out West and march their way to the Western Conference Finals a year ago behind budding superstar Anthony Edwards and their frontcourt duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.

This offseason, the plan was simple: Run it back. Another year of experience under their belts and more development from Edwards is what the Timberwolves appear to be banking on.

As the 2024 NBA offseason unfolded, the team only made one massive splash trading for Rob Dillingham on draft night who many raved about predraft including Draft Digest's Derek Parker.

"He’s a prolific scorer, one of Kentucky’s best, and his size has hardly mattered in that regard. He’s lightning-quick, possesses a speedy first step capable of generating paint touches with ease and is exceptionally smooth when getting into his jumpers," Parker wrote for Draft Digest.

The Kentucky product is set to make his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT during Oct. 22's NBA opening night - headlining game two of the 2024-25 campaign. This debut comes against LeBron James, Bronny James Jr. and Dalton Knecht.

Dillingham was the Timberwolves' biggest offseason acquisition for a team that battled for the No. 1 seed out West until the final day in the regular season and ripped off 56 wins a year ago. The organization leaped into the top ten to select the scoring guard - signaling the team has a plan to use him in the regular season.

This is a massive debut contest for Dillingham and the Timberwolves under the bright lights of the Crypto dot com arena.

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