Timberwolves Rookie Shines Again in Overtime Loss

There was a silver lining in Minnesota's overtime loss to Houston.

Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) dribbles up court in front of New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Just one game after giving their young rookie some added leash, the Minnesota Timberwolves reaped the benefits again on Tuesday night.

On Sunday, the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft played his highest minute total of the season, promptly adding a career-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in a close loss to Boston. It wasn’t a perfect night by any means, but it was some added production for a team reeling due to lack of guard play.

In a Tuesday-night thriller with Houston, Dillingham did the very same.

Across 24 minutes, the former Kentucky Wildcat added 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting, finishing with a +28 off the bench. He added an important seven assists for a team lacking play-making, finishing with only three turnovers. Even more importantly, the undersized combo guard also added five rebounds.

While the efficiency wasn't perfect, he certainly added a spark for the Wolves. Dillingham was even on the court in crunch time of regulation, nearly scoring the game-winning basket before and offensive foul was called on Rudy Gobert.

Coming into the bout with Houston, Dillingham had averaged just 3.3 points on 57% shooting due to lack of legitimate playing time. His excluding from the hardwood was a puzzling decision for Minnesota to this point, as the team spent future draft capital to add the top-10 pick, and his scoring and passing has been much-needed for the bench unit.

The Rockets eventually scored 11-straight points in overtime to cruise to the win.

The Timberwolves now look to a matchup versus the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at. 7 p.m. CT.

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