You have to feel for Rob Dillingham. When he was drafted with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, many thought he was the Minnesota Timberwolves' future at point guard. However, going into just his third season, having already been traded twice and waived once, he'll now look to establish himself with the Westchester Knicks, the New York Knicks' G League affiliate.
Dillingham signed with the Westchester Knicks on Wednesday, as reported by The Stein Line's Jake Fischer. Westchester has some NBA-level talent, notably Dalton Knecht, who was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in Dillingham's draft before being waived during this preseason's roster cuts is on a two-way contract.
So far, Dillingham's lack of height and strength has proven to be a wall too high to climb in his career. It's not over yet, and he'll surely receive a ton of minutes in the G League, but if he can't stand out among G League competition, his time in the NBA may be over sooner than anyone thought just two seasons ago.
It just hasn't worked out for Rob Dillingham in the NBA
Coming out of Kentucky, Dillingham was known for his shiftiness, ball-handling wizardry, and ability to flat-out get buckets. However, the NBA has proved to be a different beast. In his two seasons, he's only shot a combined 41.1 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three, and his main skill, being shotmaking, just hasn't been able to translate.
Wolves fans begged Chris Finch to give him a longer leash on the court, but it never came, and the lottery pick was shipped out of town halfway through his second season in Minnesota in the deal that brought Ayo Dosunmu in. The Chicago Bulls only hung onto Dillingham for the remaining half of last season before trading him to the Charlotte Hornets for Buddy Hield.
The Hornets and Bulls are both rebuilding franchises, so it's extremely telling that neither of them wanted to give the 21-year-old Dillingham a chance to earn a long-term spot on their team.
Perhaps his Knicks situation works out - he needs it to
Even though he's in the G League to start, Dillingham could earn a two-way roster spot if he impresses.
And being in the Knicks organization should be good for Dillingham. They just won the NBA Championship on the back of Jalen Brunson, one of the game's great undersized point guards. If Dillingham ever gets a shot to get some burn in with the NBA roster, Brunson should be able to teach him a lot about how to thrive while being undersized in the league.
The Knicks' future at backup guard is still sort of up in the air. Deuce McBride is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and it's likely the Knicks won't be able to afford him. They just re-signed Jose Alvarado, but he's been awful to start the season and looks to be outside of the regular rotation for the time being.
Dillingham could easily compete for backup minutes next season if he shows improvement, which is still very much possible. His best shot at reviving his career should be modeling it after his former teammate, Bones Hyland. Both are similar players, and Hyland showcased how he can bring winning value to a team by injecting pace and hitting backbreaking shots.
The NBA community, including myself, is rooting for Dillingham. When he's on, he's still an amazing watch. Unfortunately, though, he needs to make the most of this next opportunity, because there's no guarantee when the next one will come.
Add us as a preferred source on Google