After falling to 21-20 for the season, there is a very real chance the Minnesota Timberwolves fall to .500 again with a trip to Dallas up next.
A close loss to the Grizzlies means the Minnesota Timberwolves have dropped two straight games. Only the similar mediocrity of the 21-21 Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns keeps them in ninth place.
Despite this, the 2024-25 season is not shaping up as the T-Wolves envisaged, with their plans ripped apart by the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
Their momentum was recently disrupted by an injury to Donte DiVincenzo, who has missed time with a toe injury.
It has meant the ever-changing Timberwolves line-up has brought Mike Conley back in, after he was previously benched, with one analyst describing his career as ‘over’.
But in the narrow 108-106 loss to Memphis, there was reason to be positive, and reminder of another trade the team made.
Rookie prospect Rob Dillingham contributed 15 points from the bench against Memphis, a sign of his potential, and it was impressive that he did it with just 17 minutes of playing time.
Minnesota acquired Dillingham in the NBA Draft via a trade with the San Antonio Spurs.
The T-Wolves gave up an unprotected first round pick in 2031 and a protected first rounder in 2030.
And now with Dillingham showing signs of potential, they are being advised to double down, and focus on his development with additional playing time.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor noted Dillingham’s recent contribution, and commented: “They needed Rob Dillingham off the bench, like you need a rookie who’s like 170 pounds to be a contributor for your team.
“And I think at this point, Finch needs to play, Dillingham 30 minutes a night.
“Just screw it, see how you can get out of him. Try to invest in his development as much as possible.
“Because Tim Connolly in that Minnesota front office, they did that deal for multiple firsts to move up to eight with San Antonio as their big swing.
“They’re betting on Dillingham. So I think Finch needs to get on the same page there and just throw out Dillingham out and see what you can get out of him, because [Mike] Conley is just not the same guy, like he had a great career.”
Rob Dillingham is a long way from playing 30 minutes a night. He got 17 against the Grizzlies, and made the most of it.
For the season he is averaging 9.8 minutes per game. This has increased recently, going from 8.8 per game in December to 16.8 in January.
So it’s trending in the right direction for the rookie – but they are yet to truly commit to him. All in good time.
Related Topics
