Rob Dillingham

[Phenom]

Dilly has sure struggled scoring in the paint so far but I have liked his defense so far. He has really battled and is using what he has (speed and quickness) to be pesty. He did well on McCain yesterday. It's only summer league competition but it's better than seeing him get destroyed by that quality.

[FNG]

I just finished listening to the first half of yesterday's Dane Moore podcast with Britt Robson. Some of my enthusiasm about Rob (which was already waning a little because of his poor shooting in all four games) waned a little more after listening to Britt. He sat courtside for all four games, and he was actually surprised at how small Rob is, even though it has been talked about a lot. He liked his effort and his quickness, but he commented that his small stature not only caused him to be targeted on defense, but also made it difficult for him to get to the basket effectively. He contrasted this with TJ's ability to use his strength to go straight line to the basket. Rob in contrast had to "angle" his way to the basket, creating some difficult shots...and we all know what the results were.

This is only one guy's observation, but it seems to support Tom Crean's belief that Rob may not see consistent minutes until at least the second half of the season. I'm okay with that, especially if our coaching staff is truly in win-now mode. Let Rob watch the game from the sidelines for several games (along with some spot minutes) while he hits the gym in an effort to get stronger. I think Britt is still high on Rob's ceiling, as am I. He just might not be as ready to play right away as we might have hoped.

[Lipoli390]

I just finished listening to the first half of yesterday's Dane Moore podcast with Britt Robson. Some of my enthusiasm about Rob (which was already waning a little because of his poor shooting in all four games) waned a little more after listening to Britt. He sat courtside for all four games, and he was actually surprised at how small Rob is, even though it has been talked about a lot. He liked his effort and his quickness, but he commented that his small stature not only caused him to be targeted on defense, but also made it difficult for him to get to the basket effectively. He contrasted this with TJ's ability to use his strength to go straight line to the basket. Rob in contrast had to "angle" his way to the basket, creating some difficult shots...and we all know what the results were.

This is only one guy's observation, but it seems to support Tom Crean's belief that Rob may not see consistent minutes until at least the second half of the season. I'm okay with that, especially if our coaching staff is truly in win-now mode. Let Rob watch the game from the sidelines for several games (along with some spot minutes) while he hits the gym in an effort to get stronger. I think Britt is still high on Rob's ceiling, as am I. He just might not be as ready to play right away as we might have hoped.

I stood immediately next to Rob on the airport tram in Vegas. Yes, Rob isn’t big but he didn’t look smaller than the combine stats indicate. I don’t know what Britt was expecting. Keep in mind that Rob is taller than, and exactly the same weight as, Allen Iverson when AI came out of college at age 21.

I watched Rob 10 feet from behind the Wolves bench. I disagree with Britt’s conclusion that Rob’s size made it difficult for him to get to the basket effectively except that of course it’s easier when you’re 6’5, 220. Rob’s quickness and moves are the things that get him to the basket and those things were on display in summer league. One of the strengths Rob exhibited in SL was getting where he wanted with the ball. He doesn’t finish well because he hasn’t developed that skill yet. It was one of his weaknesses in college. Britt is a bit of a wind bag and not a particularly astute basketball mind in my view so I give very little weight to his conclusions if I even listen to him at all.

I’m not questioning that Rob needs to put on some more muscle weight. We all know that. And yes, he gets targeted on defense because of his size. But Rob will be fine. Is it reasonable to expect him to be a positive contributor in the rotation day one next season? Probably not. The list of rookies under 20 years old who have been net positive rotation players in NBA history is small to say the least. Even Kobe Bryant was not a net positive player as an 18 year old rookie. I can see Rob being a a plus rotation player for us by next February or March. Summer league defenses have been focused on Rob. NBA defensives won’t be focusing on Rob with Ant and KAT on the court. It will be interesting to see what Rob does with the sort of space and freedom he’ll have playing with those two guys.

[Monster]

I just finished listening to the first half of yesterday's Dane Moore podcast with Britt Robson. Some of my enthusiasm about Rob (which was already waning a little because of his poor shooting in all four games) waned a little more after listening to Britt. He sat courtside for all four games, and he was actually surprised at how small Rob is, even though it has been talked about a lot. He liked his effort and his quickness, but he commented that his small stature not only caused him to be targeted on defense, but also made it difficult for him to get to the basket effectively. He contrasted this with TJ's ability to use his strength to go straight line to the basket. Rob in contrast had to "angle" his way to the basket, creating some difficult shots...and we all know what the results were.

This is only one guy's observation, but it seems to support Tom Crean's belief that Rob may not see consistent minutes until at least the second half of the season. I'm okay with that, especially if our coaching staff is truly in win-now mode. Let Rob watch the game from the sidelines for several games (along with some spot minutes) while he hits the gym in an effort to get stronger. I think Britt is still high on Rob's ceiling, as am I. He just might not be as ready to play right away as we might have hoped.

I stood immediately next to Rob on the airport tram in Vegas. Yes, Rob isn’t big but he didn’t look smaller than the combine stats indicate. I don’t know what Britt was expecting. Keep in mind that Rob is taller than, and exactly the same weight as, Allen Iverson when AI came out of college at age 21.

I watched Rob 10 feet from behind the Wolves bench. I disagree with Britt’s conclusion that Rob’s size made it difficult for him to get to the basket effectively except that of course it’s easier when you’re 6’5, 220. Rob’s quickness and moves are the things that get him to the basket and those things were on display in summer league. One of the strengths Rob exhibited in SL was getting where he wanted with the ball. He doesn’t finish well because he hasn’t developed that skill yet. It was one of his weaknesses in college. Britt is a bit of a wind bag and not a particularly astute basketball mind in my view so I give very little weight to his conclusions if I even listen to him at all.

I’m not questioning that Rob needs to put on some more muscle weight. We all know that. And yes, he gets targeted on defense because of his size. But Rob will be fine. Is it reasonable to expect him to be a positive contributor in the rotation day one next season? Probably not. The list of rookies under 20 years old who have been net positive rotation players in NBA history is small to say the least. Even Kobe Bryant was not a net positive player as an 18 year old rookie. I can see Rob being a a plus rotation player for us by next February or March. Summer league defenses have been focused on Rob. NBA defensives won’t be focusing on Rob with Ant and KAT on the court. It will be interesting to see what Rob does with the sort of space and freedom he’ll have playing with those two guys.

Brit has strong opinions and I think he does have a good basketball mind about some things and he doesn't really get wrapped up in somethings which I appreciate. He will also often admit he doesn't know about certain things. Dillingham is the type of prospect he likely isn't going to be a fan of. He likes defense and guys that seem likely to do shit. To me I'm SL he showed he might be capable of doing more than just scoring which was a positive. I think Moore and Brit a kind of a fun combo I think they kinda help balance each other out even if sometimes I disagree with both of them. I haven't listened to him as much the last year or so but he seems like a guy that genuinely tries to figure as much out about the game and players as possible. He is a legit media guy but still has that element of being a fan trying to learn as much as possible and passing on what he finds.

A guy that hasn't been brought up much to compare to is Jeff Teague. He was drafted onto an Atlanta team that was a pretty good team. As well all know that was a very deep PG draft and another year he could have easily gone much higher than #19. Look up his sophomore year stats at Wake Forest they were pretty good. He didn't play much early on but the guys in front of him were Bibby Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford who played over 30mpg off the bench Teague's rookie year. Teague did start 3 games that season and put up some pretty solid stats. Obviously we are hoping for a better career than Teague especially since his career really started to go downhill in his 2nd year with the Wolves. Still at one point with Atlanta a defensive team he was lauded for his defense and while he has a bigger wingspan he wasn't much bigger than Dillingham coming out of college and he was a year older. The guy that took over for Teague in Atlanta, Dennis Schroeder also had a little longer wingspan than Dillingham but was a lightweight guy too. At some point he became a guy that defends.

[Lipoli390]

Monster - I still see Britt as more hot air than substance, but we can disagree about him. He was just wrong saying that Rob’s size prevented him from getting to the bucket. I didn’t see that at all. He wasn’t finishing well when he got there, but that’s been Rob’s MO throughout his one year of college. He’ll never be strong enough to power through defenders and dunk. Instead he’ll have to blow by them or use finishing skills he hasn’t yet developed. There have been a number of smaller PGs and some have been very good finishers and they relied on finishing skills Rob needs to develop.

Rob’s official combine measurements at age 19 were: 6’1, 165 with a 7’11 standing reach and a 6’3 wingspan. Here’s a list of similarly small/slight but very successful past NBA PGs:

1. Rod Strickland (age 22): 6’3, 175 (Not combine numbers; likely inflated)
2. Kenny Anderson (age 21): 6’0, 161 (Not combine numbers but from Draft Express and probably close to accurate)
3. Isiah Thomas (age 20): 6’1, 180 (Not combine numbers; likely inflated)
3. Allen Iverson (age 21): 6’0, 167 (Not combine numbers; likely inflated)
4. Mike Conley (age 20): 5’11, 175, 7’10.5 reach, 6’5.75 wingspan
5. De’Aaron Fox(age 20): 6’2, 170, 8’4 reach, 6’6.5 wingspan
6. Steph Curry (age 21): 6’2, 181, 8’1 reach, 6’3.5 wingspan
7. Trae Young (age 20): 6’0.5, 178, 7’11.5 reach, 6’3 wingspan
8. Isaiah Thomas (age 22): 5’8.75, 186, 7’7.5 reach, 6’1.75 wingspan
9. Kemba Walker (age 21): 5’11.5, 184, 7’7.5 reach, 6’3.5 wingspan
10. Darren Collison (age 22): 6’0.25, 166, 8’0.5 reach, 6’3 wingspan
11. Patty Mills: (age 21): 5’11.25, 175, 7’11 reach, 6’2 wingspan
12. Dennis Schroder (age 20): 6’1, 165, 8’2 reach, 6’7.75 wingspan
14. Tre Mann (age 20): 6’3.25, 178, 8’2.5 reach 6’4 wingspan
15. Monte Morris (age 22): 6’1.25, 175, 8’0.5 reach, 6’4 wingspan

This is a really impressive list of former or current NBA PGs with measurements similar to Rob. No doubt that Rob is among the smallest overall when you consider both wingspan and weight, which I’d consider slightly more important than height or standing reach. But also note that nearly all the guys listed were older, in some cases nearly 3 years old, than Rob when their measurements were taken. For example, Rod Strickland was 22 years olds when he came into the League with a weight listed at 175 pounds, which was probably inflated above his actual weight if recorded at a draft combine. I suspect Rob’s weight will be around 175 in 3 years when he’s 22. Rob is lighter than Kemba and Isaiah Thomas, but with significantly better length. Isaiah was an all-star caliber player before he was hurt.

Bottom line is that Rob’s 6’1 stature without shoes and 6’3 wingspan are with some of the NBA’s best PGs over the years, including Steph Curry. Rob’s weight is the only size issue of concern to me, but it’s not way out of line with some of the League’s best PGs and his weight is probably comparatively understated because of his comparatively young age. I would project his age-adjusted weight (age 21) to be at least 170 and maybe as high as 175. He reminds me a lot of Steph Curry physically. He also seems to have Curry’s shiftiness yet is probably quicker than Steph. Rob’s outside shot will likely be elite although it’s unfair to expect it to as good as Steph’s. What Rob needs more than anything else, is to develop something akin to Steph’s knack for finishing. Steph is one of the best PG finishers in the game but never relies on strength or explosiveness, relaying instead on his shiftiness, change of speed and skill. Rob has the shiftiness along with more explosiveness than Steph.

So I’m not worried about Rob eventually becoming a very good PG and perhaps a great one if he’s as competitive and determined as TC has represented. It’s just a matter of time. Will he be ready to help Wolves 1.0 or will we have to wait for Wolves 2.0? That’s the interesting question.

[thedoper]

I thought Dillingham’s speed, handle and vision popped at Summer League. That was on both sides of the ball. Hes going to be a real PG, who has command of the game even in his rookie season. I doubt he will end up being dominant, but we just need effective. If he can be anything beyond that its a home run instead of just a good pickup.

[BloopOracle]

He's looking like CP3 today, floor vision and passing are way further ahead than expected

[Lipoli390]

He's looking like CP3 today, floor vision and passing are way further ahead than expected

Forgot to include Chris Paul in my list of highly successful small NBA PGs. For reference, here are his draft combine measurements: Chris Paul (age 20): 5’11.75, 178, 7’9 reach, 6’4.25 wingspan.

Chris was slightly shorter, but slightly wider and heavier than Rob. Again, the differences are pretty minimal. Chris Paul will end up in the basketball hall of fame along with other similarly sized PG like Allen Iverson, Isiah Thomas, Steph Curry and Rod Strickland. I’m confident Dilly will become a good starting PG at some point in the next few years. He has a chance to be a great PG - a perennial all-star caliber player. He’s a natural with that special feel for the game the best NBA players have. He can shoot, pass and handle the rock at an elite level. There will be growing pains along the way, but I’m excited to see what he becomes.

[Sundog]

I love Britt Robson’s old school insights on the NBA brand of basketball! It doesn’t sound like his take on Dillingham (as described by FNG) and Lip’s is all that different… a high ceiling PG that’ll likely take a little time to develop, and whose size is going to be an issue until it’s not. What exactly is being argued about here?

[FNG]

I love Britt Robson’s old school insights on the NBA brand of basketball! It doesn’t sound like his take on Dillingham (as described by FNG) and Lip’s is all that different… a high ceiling PG that’ll likely take a little time to develop, and whose size is going to be an issue until it’s not. What exactly is being argued about here?

I agree. Like Lip, Britt was quite high on Rob's potential...he loved his quickness and willingness to buy into the defensive culture. The only difference in their perceptions is Britt thought Rob's lack of bulk hurt him in getting to the basket in a straight line, like TJ was able to do.

I also like this article about Rob from Jonny Athletic:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/564992 ... Id=7709749