It has maybe not been quite the rookie season many of us expected for Rob Dillingham. Not that he has not done basically everything that was asked of him to this point. But many Minnesota Timberwolves fans probably thought Dillingham would be a more major part of Chris Finch's rotation, especially given the messaging that came right after he was drafted.
The Wolves obviously gave up a lot to even acquire the pick they used to draft Rob. Getting him on their team was a calculated move, and although it was stated his minutes would have to be earned, it appeared Minnesota would be looking to use him consistently throughout the regular season as a way to lessen the workload on Mike Conley.
For multiple reasons, that has not materialized. Dillingham got some significant minutes for a handful of games in November, where he certainly showed some flashes. But after Conley returned from injury, it was harder for Rob to find minutes once again. Running into injury troubles of his own further hampered his ability to get on the court.
Now back from his ankle sprain, Dillingham will be available to play on Friday evening with the Timberwolves after spending a brief stint with the Iowa Wolves of the G League. While playing a couple of games in the minor leagues, Rob's stats were not exactly mind-shattering. But it seems that some Wolves fans are reading a bit too far into this.
Dillingham's numbers are nothing to panic over
In two games with Iowa, Dillingham made just 15 of his 47 shot attempts, and connected on one of 12 three-point attempts while committing a combined 12 turnovers. These are obviously not numbers you would go and brag heavily about, but given the circumstances, they should also not be legitimate reasons for panic at the moment.
One would typically expect a lottery pick to go in and dominate the G League whenever they receive an assignment. For the record, I think this is exactly what Rob will do once he is back to peak physical condition. But in the meantime, it is clear that he is still getting comfortable again after coming off an ankle injury. We can not act like his ailment had no effect on his ability to comfortably play his game, especially for a player who puts a lot of stress on his ankles like Dillingham.
This was also Rob's first real injury he has had to deal with at the NBA level. Not looking like the best version of yourself in your first couple of games back is to be expected, and drawing major conclusions from these performances is simply misdirected energy.
It is understandable to be frustrated at how little Dillingham has played thus far, but we have to put performances like his last two into perspective. To say these games are indicative of him being a bust is utterly ridiculous, and we need only to wait a short while longer before he returns to his typical form.