Rob Dillingham's journey in the NBA has been anything but smooth. When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded up to get him in the 2024 NBA draft, the vision was that he would eventually become the long-term backcourt piece next to Anthony Edwards. Unfortunately, he was always on the outside looking in for a rotational spot.
At last year's trade deadline, the Wolves traded him to the Chicago Bulls, along with Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks, in exchange for Ayo Dosunmu. Dillingham looked a little better in Chicago, as he got more consistent minutes, but the same flaws that plagued him in Minnesota were noticeable in Chicago as well.
Fast forward to now, and Dillingham is on the move again, this time back to his home state in a deal that sends him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Buddy Hield, as reported by Shams Charania.
The Hornets offer a pivotal opportunity for Rob Dillingham
There's no doubt that Dillingham is an incredibly skilled basketball player on offense, but the issue with him is that not only does he have flaws, but the flaws have been pretty glaring so far. He is so small, I mean, so small. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, but I think that is incredibly generous.
The lack of height and strength has made it incredibly difficult for Dillingham to both get to and finish at the rim. It also creates a major mismatch on the defensive end, as when he's on the court, opposing teams are constantly going to get him into actions and rotations.
He might as well never be big enough or strong enough to be a positive on that end, but if he wants to succeed in the NBA, there are a bunch of swing skills that he needs to improve. The first is 3-point shooting, and the second is playmaking. His 3-point shooting was good in college, but it hasn't translated to the NBA yet, as he's only shooting 32.4 percent on his career from distance.
His playmaking has been fine in the NBA in a small sample size, but he needs to continue to limit turnovers. It's possible that playing in his home state can rejuvenate his career, and the Hornets might play the kind of free-flowing basketball that can help him succeed.
He'll have to compete with the likes of Coby White, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Anderson for a rotational spot, which makes it a little tough.
I still believe there's an NBA player in there, but if he can't prove it in Charlotte, then I'm not sure how many more chances he'll get.
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