FNG wrote: ↑Thu Jan 15, 2026 10:34 am
Some very good points, Drew, and I agree that Rob would not bring back much right now in a trade. And I also have had concerns about his size and his shooting form. But I think his biggest size issue is bulk, not height or length. His wingspan is 6-3 which sounds tiny. But it's exactly the same as Trae Young's, and only 2 inches less than the average wing span for NBA PGs. He's never going to have a strong NBA body, but there's reason to believe that a good gym regimen can add some bulk.
The shooting issue is a concern also, and I agree with your assessment of his form. But I wonder if he has been working with a shooting coach, because his form looked a lot better to me on his 2 3-pointers Tuesday night. One even went in cleanly, as opposed to the ones he's rattled in this season! I look at his shooting success in college and his improved form, and I continue to hold out hope that he will be a good rotational player. There aren't many players as quick as he is. I don't see him contributing much this season (unless we have a rash of injuries), but I think he will absorb a lot of Mike's minutes next season.
Finishing at the rim is the other big problem for Rob. But we have all seen 6 foot guards who have developed moves to allow them to score against taller opponents. Rob and Ant seem to have a great relationship...they are often next to each other on the bench. And Ant credits coach Chris Hines for improving his game in the off season...working against a 6-8 defender has to help. I'd like to see Ant adopt Rob and invite him to participate in his sessions with Hines. Lots of reps at the rim against a guy half a foot taller than him might help him improve his inside game.
Obviously I'm higher on Rob than most here, and that gives me a lot of pause. I am seeing some green shoots though...
Obviously, I've been lower on Dillingham than most here... so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
But besides the size and strength, the poise, the instinctual chops, the disjointed effort-heavy shooting form, the statistical atrocities, et al... where does his one agreed-upon strength (quickness) show up on the court?
It's not quick enough to get him by people to finish at the rim. It's not even quick enough to get into the lane consistently to create for others. Any separation ability he has is either made up by the defender at the rim or compromised by his lack of basketball smarts/knowhow/instinct.
He's just not able to use his speed and quickness to put himself and his teammates into favorable positions. And there's been little or no statistical growth from his rookie season to this year.
I believe that the only reason he hasn't been traded yet is that his value around the league has plummeted.
Some teams wouldn't want him even if he did show improvement just because of the size thing. Some teams don't want to make that sort of investment into guys that can be targeted or limited based on their size. Then, you have those who can see how he's struggled on the court beyond just the size stuff. Plus, you have others who see the price tag and lack of growth and may not have the means to make him fit.
He makes a lot of sense on a rebuilding team. Wiz, Utah, Pels (name your bottom half/20 team squad). He needs an opportunity to play and grow, learn from his mistakes. I just don't see that happening on a contending team like ours, I'd rather see Clark, Bones even Conley get minutes. We can't just let him struggle when we need to win games. They could afford to play for his upside however, while if we get a reliable but less upside vet, that makes sense for us.
