Minnesota Timberwolves prospect Rob Dillingham is getting more minutes lately.
An injury to Donte DiVincenzo has helped to open up a role for more NBA minutes for rookie guard Rob Dillingham.
Dillingham was acquired via a trade in the 2024 NBA Draft, but has faced a long route to regular game time for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After recently showing improvement, the Timberwolves were urged to commit to Dillingham and give him 30 minutes a game.
He did not get quite that much during the team’s impressive 133-104 win over Denver, but Dillingham did get 20 minutes, the most he has had since 24 in a NBA Cup game back in November.
Rob Dillingham spoke to reporters after practice, and spoke about his blossoming relationship with his more established teammates.
One of those was Rudy Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, who grabbed 14 rebounds in the win over the Nuggets.
Dillingham said: “Rudy is a good person, he talks to me every day. We got a great relationship since the first day I came in.
“He knows I’m a good player, so if I’m not open I’m gonna try and get him open… he always knows to look for the ball because I’m willing to come to him.”
Gobert is not alone in helping Dillingham out. Veteran Mike Conley has tried to take him under his wing.
Conley explained: “He just gives me confidence, he knows I can play basketball. I ask him before I go in, what’s open, certain things, if he sees it, that’s the main plays I go and run in.
“He just gives me a lot of confidence and he knows I can play basketball, he don’t be telling me what to do, he advising me what to do.”
Rob Dillingham scored 10 points in the win over the Nuggets, including going 2-2 from three point range.
He scored a career high 15 in the recent loss to the Grizzlies – and his emergence is one to watch over the second half of the season.
Dillingham had admitted he was ‘playing scared’ when he began in the NBA, and that’s no longer the case.
There was recently good news for the Timberwolves that DiVincenzo will not require surgery on his injured toe and could return after the All-Star break.
That could impact Dillingham’s playing time, so it is really important until then that he makes the most of all the opportunities he gets.
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