Editor's Note: The Hornets waived Rob Dillingham after this article was published.
Rob Dillingham never panned out with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 2024 lottery pick failed to earn a consistent role on a competitive Wolves team, despite their glaring need for extra ball-handling. A trade deadline move to the Chicago Bulls gave Dillingham a new opportunity, but they quickly gave up on him, trading him to the Charlotte Hornets for Buddy Hield on Saturday.
As much as I'd like to say that this is the perfect chance for Dillingham to get his career back on track, unfortunately, his path to minutes in Charlotte won't be smooth.
It's hard to see Rob Dillingham earning minutes in Charlotte
Dillingham is competing with Coby White, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Anderson for minutes. White and Schroder are proven rotation guards, while Anderson was a recent first-round pick this season. Thus, all three players will likely be given priority over Dillingham.
It's hard for four point guards to earn rotation minutes, and the Hornets' plethora of off-guards (Kon Knueppel, Grayson Allen, and Sion James) won't make it easy to play two PGs at once. Despite being in a new situation, it feels like Dillingham will be stuck in a familiar spot, outside of the rotation.
I've always been a fan of Dillingham's game; his blazing speed and his dazzling handles make him a fun player to watch. Sadly, there's not much evidence to suggest that Dillingham is an NBA-level player. Despite Dillingham's speed and handles, he struggles to finish around the rim given his slight 175-pound frame. Notably, he shot just 52.3 percent at the rim last season.
Dillingham has also shot just 32.4 percent from 3-point range in his career. Couple that with Dillingham not being a quality playmaker and his size issues on defense, and it's hard to see where he impacts the game right now.
The warning signs were there during his limited minutes with the Wolves, and while his numbers improved with the Bulls, his flaws remained alarming. Clearly, the Bulls' front office didn't believe in him. This is doubly true, given their need for guard play.
Getting back to the Hornets, it'll be hard for Dillingham to earn minutes based on the weaknesses that he showed in Minnesota and Chicago, along with their solid guard rotation. The margin for error is so thin for young players in the modern NBA, and over two years, Dillingham hasn't shown enough to earn a role even on a rebuilding squad.
Surprises can always happen, but Dillingham needs more reps to get used to the physical NBA, and the Hornets sadly aren't the right team for him to rejuvenate his career with. He remains a talented offensive player, despite his clear flaws, so I wouldn't totally rule out him blossoming into a legitimate pro at some point.
Regardless, Timberwolves fans hoping to see Dillingham get his career back on track with the Hornets might have to wait for him to be on his fourth team.
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