Outside of the recent blockbuster trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, one of the biggest reasons many feel the Minnesota Timberwolves are in excellent position to content for a championship once again is the way they pulled off a heist on draft night. The Wolves made some extremely smart moves to nab a few league-ready players that will have the chance to contribute right away.
One of which being Terrence Shannon Jr., who was recently voted by league executives as one of the biggest steals from the 2024 draft based on where he was picked. The other first-rounder Minnesota picked up was Rob Dillingham, a big talent with the ball in his hands who looks to be one of the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year Award given his skill and potential to be in the rotation from day one.
Plenty are excited about the prospect of adding Dillingham to this team, and that includes Anthony Edwards. When asked about Rob following a day of training camp, Ant had a lot to say. "I love Rob," he said. "He reminds me of myself a little bit, when I was a rookie. Like, just happy ... Yeah, I love Rob. He's like a little brother to me."
Edwards: Dillingham reminds me of myself
There was an audible chuckle from the reporters when Ant remarked that Rob reminds him of himself from his rookie year. Plenty of Wolves fans recall what Edwards was like as a rookie, and particularly how much more goofy he was. It is endearing that Ant feels like he connects with Rob in this way. Additionally, Edwards revealed that he has a lot of respect for Dillingham's ability on the court as well.
When asked about Rob's bucket-getting mentality and if the Timberwolves could have used him last season, Ant's answer was an emphatic yes. "Yeah, we could have used him last year for sure. He comes off, man, he only knows one thing: shoot the ball, put it in the rim. But he's efficient, so we can't say too much to him. And he's got confidence, and that's what I love about him."
Character and personality-wise, it almost sounds like Ant and Rob are a perfect fit based on what Edwards is describing here. The two certainly already seem to enjoy playing alongside each other, so for Ant to give such a glowing review of his new rookie teammate is undoubtedly a big positive sign.
Now, Timberwolves fans have a little more insight into the relationship between this team's best player and their incoming star rookie. It seems that Dillingham has already lived up to on-court expectations and has a great mentality to go along with it. The hype surrounding his upcoming rookie season only continues to grow.