The story of Rob Dillingham's rookie season has been an interesting one, and it has probably not gone at all how Minnesota Timberwolves fans envisioned when he was first drafted by the team last June. After the Wolves' blockbuster preseason trade, moving pieces changed the coaching staff's strategy.
Once expected to be part of Chris Finch's main rotation since day one, Minnesota's trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo switched up the equation a bit, leading to Dillingham getting less minutes than expected at the start of the season. He played more for a few games in November while Mike Conley was out with an injury, but then mostly took a backseat once again after that.
Now, his role is finally increasing once again. Since DiVincenzo's unfortunate injury, Dillingham's minutes have spiked up to an average of 14.3 per night, and he is averaging 9.0 points on 55.6% shooting over his last four games.
It is becoming more and more obvious the kind of impact Rob can bring this team, and he makes a strong case to be in at least the closing lineup, if not the starting lineup. But the aforementioned numbers are far from the biggest evidence for his case. The regression of Mike Conley unfortunately also plays a big part in the need for Dillingham's role to continue growing.
Mike Conley has 0 points (0-9) and 0 assists in 31 clutch time minutes this season. Everybody loves Mike but he can’t close games and especially not when his backup (and the only other shot-creator on the roster) is cooking. https://t.co/pCBJ3lnVPL
— Jake Paynting (@HowlsAndGrowls_) January 20, 2025
Mike Conley has struggled massively in clutch time
Timberwolves content creator Jake Paynting made an observation concerning Conley that is shocking to say the least. We have all seen with our eyes that Mike has struggled in the clutch this year (not unlike many others on the roster in clutch time). But heading into Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks, Conley had logged 31 clutch time minutes while logging a total of 0 points (0-for-9 shooting) and 0 assists in that time.
That is simply a staggering statistic, and it puts into perspective just how unplayable Conley is at the end of games right now. Naturally, what this points us to is that it is time to give Rob Dillingham more of an opportunity in clutch time going forward. The only way for the young prospect to grow is to put him in these situations, let his talent shine and be okay with him making a few mistakes.
We have already seen how much confidence Dillingham has, as evidenced by not only his fearless play but also from Anthony Edwards' words. He is ready to embrace these challenges and give this team a lift. And at the end of the day, it is not like Minnesota has many better options either.