It was always clear that being traded to the Chicago Bulls gave Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller a perfect chance to restart their careers. Both players were buried on a competitive Wolves team, but clearly had some level of upside, especially the 2024 lottery pick Dillingham.
Still, when Dillingham played, he struggled mightily, which eventually led to Bones Hyland taking his spot in the rotation. As such, this left Wolves fans wondering whether Dillingham was a talented young player who wasn't truly given a fair chance to develop or whether he just isn't a quality contributor. Given their conflicting timelines, this question would never have been answered in Minnesota.
In Chicago, Dillingham is averaging 8.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.0 turnovers with poor 41.7/31.1/74.1 shooting splits. While Dillingham has shown some solid flashes during his 28 games with the Bulls, it remains unclear if he is a true NBA contributor.
Dillingham's early tenure with the Bulls doesn't give a definitive answer about his NBA future
Dillingham's time with the Bulls has been a roller coaster ride, and given the context of the team, it's hard to make any grand conclusions on him.
His past two games, both against the Washington Wizards, are perhaps the best example of this. On Tuesday, he dropped a career-high 26 points. However, on Thursday, he scored just five points (on 2-of-10 shooting), and he committed six turnovers.
A strong performance against the Wizards is a promising sign, but they're tanking at a historic level, so it must be taken with a grain of salt. Struggling that much in the following game against Washington underscores Dillingham's volatility and proves that he is still very raw.
Zooming out, Dillingham has had six games with the Bulls where he's notched 15-plus points. However, Dillingham also had nine games where he shot below 30 percent from the field.
At his best, Dillingham looks like a dynamic microwave scorer with dazzling handles and blazing speed. Conversely, during his bad games, he can often look like a player with careless decision-making who may never be able to overcome his slender 6-foot-2 frame.
Dillingham's size negates the advantages of his speed and ball handling as he struggles to finish through contact. Defensively, he competes, but his size will always make him a clear target for opposing teams. This, coupled with Dillingham still not being able to knock down 3-pointers consistently, complicates his future outlook.
Despite some of Dillingham's intriguing flashes, it's clear that he is still very green, and given his size, it's unclear if he will find a pathway to contributing at a high-level.
While it's unclear if Dillingham truly has the makings to be a quality rotational piece down the road, it's clear he needs time to develop. Thankfully, the Bulls will likely be able to commit to his development, and hopefully, he can carve out a long-term niche in the NBA.