Anthony Edwards shares initial impression of Wolves rookie Rob Dillingham

Ant says Rob is like a little brother who reminds him of his younger self.

Oct 4, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) passes the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Acrisure Arena. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Anthony Edwards is a big fan of Timberwolves rookie Rob Dillingham, who he says is like a little brother to him.

"I love Rob," Edwards said on Sunday. "He reminds me of myself a little bit, when I was a rookie, just happy, you know. He's a like a little brother to me. ... He's super fun to be around."

The Wolves traded into this year's draft to take Dillingham with the eighth overall pick this summer. The 19-year-old, who was a big-time shooter and scorer at Kentucky last year, is expected to get a chance to play as part of Minnesota's second unit as a rookie. The addition of Donte DiVincenzo puts less pressure on Dillingham to play a significant role in the backcourt right away, but the Wolves could still use his bucket-getting ability if he adjusts to the NBA quickly.

Dillingham showed flashes of that in the preseason opener in Los Angeles on Friday, scoring 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting and dishing out 4 assists in 25 minutes.

"Hell yeah, we could've used him last year for sure," Edwards said. "He comes off, man, he only knows one thing, shoot the ball, put it in the rim. But he vicious, so we can't say too much to him. He got confidence, and that's what I love about him."

A 6'3", 175-pound guard, Dillingham is known for his shiftiness with the ball and his ability to put it in the bucket from all three levels. He also has some playmaking chops, averaging 6.6 assists per 40 minutes at Kentucky last year, which he'll need to show if he's going to have a sizable role this season for Chris Finch.

8th overall pick Rob Dillingham came ready to play in his #NBAPreseason debut!

21 PTS
4 AST
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/4hQgKvSiAj

— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2024