Timberwolves’ Rookie Continues Success in Limited Minutes

Minnesota guard Rob Dillingham continued to do more with less in the NBA.

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

Through just a handful of games, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham has continued to see limited time.

The 2024 NBA Draft cycle as a whole hasn’t seen heavy minutes, and certainly hasn’t seen tons of impactful play thus far. But Dillingham, the No. 8 pick, has likely been hidden more than any other player in the lottery so far.

On the season, he’s now played a whopping 19 minutes across nine games, making for a puzzling start to his professional career.

Despite that, he’s managed to shine in the few minutes he has. He saw four points and a pair of assists in his eight minutes played against the Hornets, shooting 2-for-3, using shiftiness he’s long had.

On Friday night, Dillingham scored seven points in just six minutes, hitting on all three of his field goals and adding three rebounds and two assists to the mix. He shot the first triple of his career, sinking it with confidence. He helped Minnesota continue to pour onto the Trail Blazers in a big Western Conference win.

While Minnesota has championship hopes this season, it would serve the team well to play Dillingham earlier and more often. Despite rookies not being prone to positive impact early. It spent multiple assets in order to move up into the draft and snag him, and could use his traits as a proven scorer and passer.

Sending him into the mix earlier in the season is only likely to help him as the team delves deeper into the season, regardless of if he sees success in the next few months. Regardless, he’s already showing signs of being a potent offensive weapon.

The Timberwolves next play the Heat on Sunday, Nov. 10, a potentially great chance to throw Dillingham into the mix, as Miami continues to struggle this season.

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