There were many reasons for Minnesota Timberwolves fans to be happy when they heard Rob Dillingham's name called on NBA Draft night -- besides, the former Kentucky guard put together a spectacular freshman year in Lexington.
In a 'down' year for draft prospects, to be able to get somone who could be an energy-booster off of the bench and be able to play that 'microwave' scorer was a win.
But, despite that, all of the talk was about his potential fit and why he may not work -- not, why he would work.
As the NBA Summer League went on, more of those 'why not' moments seemed to pop up as his inconsistencies were noticeable. But that seemed to be forgotten during his final game in Vegas.
Dillingham finished his Summer League with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-18 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from three. He also added 12 assists. It was clearly his best performance of the week -- by a long mile.
That wasn't enough to quiet some of the doubters, however.
"Timberwolves No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham struggled a bit with efficiency," ESPN insider Jeremy Woo wrote. "He looked uncomfortable at times, which could be a result of the on-court inactivity due to injury seen in his pre-draft process. With his lack of physical strength at this stage, he doesn't have a lot of margin for error."
Dillingham finished his summer averaging 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. While none of those are bad numbers -- it was his 36 percent shooting from the field, 30.8 percent from three and 3.4 turnovers a game that seemed to overshadow anything else.
And, it wasn't just one game where Dillingham struggled.
He was 6-of-21 in one game. 3-of-10 with seven turnovers in another. And then 2-of-12 in another.
The former Kentucky guard has always been a scorer and someone who can create with the ball in his hands. Dillingham was the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year in 2023, thanks to averages of 15.2 points, 3.9 assists and a three-point rate of 44.4 percent.
Despite starting just one game last year he scored in double-figures in 27 of his 32 games played. He even scored 20 points in eight games, including a 35-point performance all off the bench.
There's no questioning the talent -- at all. But, the first mark on his professional career isn't as nice as he would've liked. Now, Kentucky and Timberwolves fans have to wait until this fall to see him on the court again.