On Monday, ESPN posted an article entitled "NBA all-in tiers: What all 30 teams are chasing in 2025-26". Written by Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, the Timberwolves were placed in the All-In on … winning a championship before the window closes tier. The article mentions how, even though their best player in Anthony Edwards, is only 24, they have traded much of their draft capital, are faced with potential second-apron issues, and need to soon find replacements for Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert.
On Brian Windhorst’s most recent episode of his podcast, The Hoop Collective, Windhorst had Bontemps and Tim MacMahon as guests. The three reacted to the tiers list.
MacMahon is concerned about Dillingham
Once the three got to the Timberwolves, MacMahon brought up how the biggest question for the franchise is the point guard of the future. MacMahon then said this about Rob Dillingham, who will be entering his second NBA season.
"I think that Rob Dillingham is a lot more Lou Williams than Chris Paul. And Lou Williams had a great NBA career, quality player. But my point is, I think he’s an undersized bench bucket-getter and not a run-your-team point guard."Tim MacMahon
Minnesota likely had long-term starting point guard on their mind when they acquired Dillingham during the 2024 NBA Draft. They dealt their 2030 and 2031 first round picks in order to nab the eighth overall pick (2030 is an option for the Spurs to swap first round picks).
Dillingham is just 20 years old
Let’s remember that Dillingham is still just 20 years old (turns 21 on January 4). Giving up on believing in him just because his rookie year was an uneven one would be ridiculous. The Celtics traded Chauncey Billups, a future Finals MVP, midway into his rookie year after he was selected third overall, and it’s certain that they regretted that for years. Steve Nash, a future back-to-back MVP winner, averaged a whopping 3.3 points and 2.1 assists as a rookie.
Dillingham averaged a solid 6.8 assists per 36 minutes last season. The 3.7 turnovers per 36 is a number he’ll want to decrease, but again, he is 20 years old. Improvement can and should be expected. In the six games he played more than 20 minutes, he totaled 29 assists to 12 turnovers, a much better ratio than when Dillingham saw brief action.
In a season where Conley will be 38 years old, and after the team has seen his play decline of late, it is expected that Dillingham will see a lot more playing time. There will then be a lot more evidence after this year as to what kind of player he can be for Minnesota for the long-term.