Timberwolves’ Rookie Rob Dillingham Gets DNP on Opening Day

Minnesota’s No. 8 pick didn’t make his debut on opening night versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

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

In a somewhat puzzling move, the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t play their newest top-10 pick, Rob Dillingham, in the team’s opener on Tuesday night.

It wasn’t downright shocking. The new-look Timberwolves’ needed to kick off their season with a bang, and had a quality opponent lined up in the Anthony Davis and LeBron James-led Lakers. They eventually dropped the game, 110-103, due to a gargantuan performance from Davis. But it’s not unthinkable they wouldn’t be ready to roll out an NBA newbie in such a high-profile game.

Still, it is somewhat perplexing given the team desperately needed a scoring spark, having scored just 42 points in the first half, and shooting 41% overall on the night.

Dillingham, at an undersized 6-foot-3-ish, provides just that. So much so, that he became a top-10 pick behind that exactly. At Kentucky, Dillingham scored 26.1 points per 40 minutes, shooting 48% from the field and a blistering 45% from beyond the arc.

The team also looked to lack some play-making, which has been a pleasant surprise in Dillingham's Summer League and preseason skillset. At Summer League in Las Vegas, Dillingham averaged 7.6 assists per game, good for fifth at the event. In just his second preseason game, he saw a miraculous nine assists to zero turnovers, an elite mark for a rookie

On draft night, the Timberwolves obviously thought his skillset was well worth adding, trading a future first round pick and a future first round pick swap in order to trade into the No. 8 spot.

This, too, makes Dillingham’s exclusion from Tuesday’s game all the more questionable. He's long been a potent scorer, even dating back to his time in the Overtime Elite.

Per NBA Draft on SI's earliest scouting report on Dillingham: "Although he’s a good passer and has what it takes to run point, Dillingham is best as a creator for himself. He’s a crafty finisher at the rim and also has a reliable jumper. He’ll need to continue improving on his efficiency from the perimeter, but the scoring upside shouldn’t be in question. He’s great at attacking space and getting to the line as well."

In all likelihood, the team is planning on easing the young guard into NBA play this season. And the bright lights of the Lakers arena weren’t the best spot to do that. Essentially any game past the season opener will be less high pressure.

Dillingham will have a long-term place in the team’s rotation as the point guard of the future. And that’s made even more certain by his potential tutelage under veteran Mike Conley. It just seems that Timberwolves fans will have to wait in order to see it.

After suffering a close loss to Los Angeles Tuesday, Minnesota has a quick turnaround bout with the Sacramento Kings at 9 p.m. on Thursday.

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