Rob Dillingham Flashes Elite Passing Skills in Minnesota Timberwolves’ Preseason Game

The Minnesota Timberwolves are quickly nearing the end of their 2024 preseason slate. Anthony Edwards and company are looking to take the next step and represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. For them to do so, they’ll need some quality production from rookie Rob Dillingham. He certainly flashed in Friday’s action.

Minnesota Timberwolves may have a gem in Rob Dillingham

When the offseason started there wasn’t a straightforward way for the Minnesota Timberwolves to improve their roster. Up against the luxury tax, they opted to get aggressive in the draft and trade up to get Rob Dillingham. The talented point guard could wind up being a Rookie of the Year candidate, and he’s going to get real rotation minutes for Chris Finch.

Rob Dillingham dished out nine assists to zero turnovers in 23 minutes.

The Timberwolves have set up Dillingham to be in the ideal environment to learn true point guard play from Mike Conley.

Minnesota will be relying on Dillingham this season to play a critical bench role. pic.twitter.com/a1aS01bTHJ

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) October 12, 2024

Up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, Dillingham’s vision was on full display. He played 23 minutes and dished out nine assists while generating zero turnovers. The talented rookie also picked up three steals and four rebounds. His time on the court equated to a team-high +10.

Rob Dillingham stepback PnR 3 pic.twitter.com/sVsnLr5aOb

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) October 12, 2024

Not everything came up roses for Dillingham though. He was just 2-for-8 from the field, and hit only one of his five three point shot attempts on the evening. Offensively, Finch will be looking for Dillingham to provide a second unit spark when Mike Conley needs a breather.

It is Conley that will substantially benefit Dillingham this season. The battle-tested veteran can help to smooth out the learning curve for the Kentucky youngster. The more that Dillingham can step up, the better Minnesota’s second unit will be. Julius Randle is tasked with replacing the production lost from Karl-Anthony Towns. Donte DiVincenzo is going to be asked to score plenty. There is still room for Dillingham to contribute in a significant way.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Get Positive Update on Julius Randle Injury

Although the Timberwolves need Dillingham to contribute offensively, such positive court vision is great to see from him when the shot isn’t falling.