Timberwolves' Rob Dillingham Sees First NBA Points vs. Hornets

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham finally made his NBA presence known on Monday.

Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) dribbles up court during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There’s been a myriad of puzzling DNP’s among the 2024 NBA Draft class so far this season. Kel’el Ware continues to see little burn with the Miami Heat, Chicago is wary to roll out Matas Buzelis for long stretches at a time, and there's many more cases.

The most puzzling remains Rob Dillingham, who before Saturday still hadn’t seen a single minute of official NBA action for the Minnesota Timberwolves, even after some decent Summer League and preseason play.

A team not calling on an undersized spark-plug scorer early in his career isn’t unheard of. But Minnesota lacks that punch at times, and even traded a first round pick and future swap in order to nab the former Kentucky guard at No. 8 in the most recent draft.

Against the Spurs on Nov. 2, he finally took the floor, failing to hit his only attempted field goal but dishing two assists. He played only three minutes.

In Monday night’s league-wide action, Dillingham finally and officially made his mark at the professional level.

In just eight minutes versus the Hornets, Dillingham scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting — none of which came from beyond the arc — and added another two assists.

For his first basket, he turned on his patented jets to fly by fellow rookie KJ Simpson and laid it up high off the backboard. He then got out quickly in transition, hitting a shifty behind-the-back crossover to find himself in the very same spot, which was eventually pinned to the backboard as goaltending.

The four points and two assist weren’t earth-shattering, especially with the Wolves already up big over the Hornets, but it was certainly progress for a newbie who had made none.

If Dillingham can continue to produce when called upon, he’ll surely be added to the rotation in the near future.

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