Rob Dillingham using Summer League as opportunity to improve

Timberwolves rookie is coming in ready to learn.

Kentucky's guard Rob Dillingham (0) celebrated making a bucket against Vanderbilt during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024 / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA

Rob Dillingham was excited to land with the Timberwolves on the night of the NBA draft, and he’s looking forward to using the NBA’s Summer League as an opportunity to improve. 

Dillingham told Alan Horton on Wolves Radio that the goal of Summer League — aside from winning — will be to work on his defense, playmaking and learning the Timberwolves’ sets. 

“Obviously we want to win — we’re going to win, we’re going to try to win –– but it’s not all about that, so I really just want to get comfortable and know that I can do it,” Dillingham told Horton. “I can do the little things, and once I’m able to see I can do it against them, then going into the season I’m going to have to practice against our team every day, so mainly it’s just a setup for us. And I feel like it’s a setup for me to get better.” 

Later this year, Dillingham will join another former Kentucky Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns on the Wolves roster, and he described Towns as “family.” Dillingham said the biggest thing he learned in college was to deal with adversity, something he’ll take with him to the NBA. 

“Basketball-wise if you put in the work and you know you putting in the work, you don’t have to be mad when things ain’t going the right way because you know you doing it, so some day it’s going to come, even if it’s not that day,” he told Horton. “I just learned to keep going and keep fighting, even when it’s not going my way.” 

That’s a trait the Timberwolves liked enough to make a big swing on draft night, trading with the San Antonio Spurs for Dillingham, the No. 8 overall selection. 

Dillingham figures to be the successor to Mike Conley, coming off a standout freshman season at Kentucky in which he was named the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. 

In addition to the Summer League action, learning from Conley and other veterans on the roster is something Dillingham is looking forward to and something he sees as another opportunity for growth as he embarks on his NBA career. 

“I know I’m a good player, but with these players on the team, I feel like I can learn and grow because it’s not all about this first year,” Dillingham told Horton. “Me just learning from them and being as much of a help as I can, I feel like I can do anything, and getting tips from them will help me learn how to play as a rookie in the league and how I’ll fit.”