After one of their best seasons in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves were not content with just one run of excellence. They proved that when, faced with the restrictions of an unprecedented and crippling collective bargaining agreement, they rose above those circumstances to go hard after improving their team and remaining at the top into next season and beyond.
The result of that process was Minnesota adding two promising prospects in the draft in Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., while making calculated moves in free agency that involved them losing only one true top-eight rotation player from last season in Kyle Anderson. By all means, the Timberwolves are set up to get back to the Western Conference Finals next season.
Since draft night, there has been a significant focus on Rob Dillingham when talking about which players will be game changers for the Wolves this coming season. Minnesota traded up into the lottery to select Dillingham, and the talk for the last month has been that the organization views him highly and expects him to be a day-one contributor.
Connelly sees Dillingham as the heir to Mike Conley
Recently, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported new details that explain just how badly Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves' front office wanted to draft Dillingham. Minnesota's President apparently "spent days searching for ways to trade up to get his hands on a dynamic playmaker for his offense," and was thrilled to be able to land Rob with the eighth pick.
Of course, this should excite Wolves fans even more about the sky-high potential of Dillingham, but that is not even the best tidbit. Connelly also "saw Dillingham not just as the bucket-getter the Timberwolves needed right now, but as a 19-year-old who can develop into Mike Conley’s heir apparent at point guard."
We have all heard for weeks about how Connelly believes in Rob's ability to play real minutes and provide legitimate contributions in his rookie year, but the fact that he thinks Dillingham can eventually become the next iteration of Mike Conley for this team speaks volumes. Timberwolves fans know all about the eye Tim has for talent, given that he already built a championship team in Denver. So this endorsement of the rookie point guard is a major statement.
Analysts can spend all day breaking down Rob's Summer League tape and debating whether or not he has what it takes, and perhaps arguments exist on either side. But the fact that the tried-and-true talent identification of Tim Connelly see him as a real apprentice for one of the most underrated point guards of a generation should tell fans in Minnesota all they need to know.