Minnesota Sports Forum

From the Game Theory podcast with Sam Vercenie breaking down summer league.

He shares that the ankle injury that held him out during much of the predraft process wasn't necessarily "injured" in summer league, but was likely affecting him from a comfort standpoint and that Vecenie felt that Rob's quickness wasn't what it was at Kentucky (Vecenie is not only plugged in but is a legit talent evaluator, so his opinion on quickness across different settings carries weight here).

I'm not sure if the injury was actually causing Dillingham residual pain (the old "hurt not injured" adage) or if it was just that he was out of shape/out of rhythm from missing a ton of time with the ankle and needed to work himself back into game shape/rhythm (Vecenie's wording wasn't super duper clear), but it sounds like Dillingham wasn't necessarily at his best.

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 9:08 am From the Game Theory podcast with Sam Vercenie breaking down summer league.

He shares that the ankle injury that held him out during much of the predraft process wasn't necessarily "injured" in summer league, but was likely affecting him from a comfort standpoint and that Vecenie felt that Rob's quickness wasn't what it was at Kentucky (Vecenie is not only plugged in but is a legit talent evaluator, so his opinion on quickness across different settings carries weight here).

I'm not sure if the injury was actually causing Dillingham residual pain (the old "hurt not injured" adage) or if it was just that he was out of shape/out of rhythm from missing a ton of time with the ankle and needed to work himself back into game shape/rhythm (Vecenie's wording wasn't super duper clear), but it sounds like Dillingham wasn't necessarily at his best.

That makes sense. All of us who have had ankle injuries know it takes a while to get back to 100% - no pain and full range of motion. And there’s also the issue of getting back into game shape after not playing or practicing for an extended period of time. Add to that the need to adjust to something approaching NBA speed and quarterback a bunch of guys you’ve never played with. When you look at the broader context, I’d say that the 19 year old Rob Dillingham had a terrific summer league.

Sundog wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 8:29 am 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?

Britt is a bit of a drama queen - hence his comment about Dilly looking even smaller from the first row and his further comment about Dilly’s size impeding his effectiveness getting to the rim. I stood next to Dilly (6 inches away) on the tram and he didn’t look smaller than his combine measurements. Moreover, his size didn’t stop him from getting to the rim; he was just misfiring on his floaters and layups. Of course, it’s easier to finish when your 6’6, 225, but guys like Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Rod Strickland, etc. have proven highly effective at finishing in spite of their small stature. It’s just a skill Dilly needs to perfect. So while Britt and I fundamentally agree on Dilly, I just don’t like Britt’s mini-dramatic narratives that exaggerate or mistake certain, albeit relative minor, things.

FNG wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 9:07 am

Sundog wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 8:29 am 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

That’s a great article. Love Jon K! Watching Rob in Summer League and hearing TC praise Rob’s playmaking in college reminds me of Steph Curry when he entered the draft years ago.

I remember watching Curry a lot in the NCAA tournament when I was out in Vegas for the 1st round. He was known as a great shooter/scorer although he’s actually been a better 3-point shooting in the NBA than he was in college. Later that summer before the draft I watched a draft preview show on ESPN with Bobby Knight. Bobby used video to describe and evaluate Curry’s passing skills in college. It was a great clinic from one of the best basketball coaches in history. At the end of the video evaluation, Bobby declared emphatically that “Steph Curry is the best passer in college basketball.” I had never thought of Steph that way and few other had either. So while the draft-party gathering was stunned and deflated when Kahn picked Flynn instead of Curry because he seemed like the perfect scoring complement to Rubio’s playmaking, I was doubly deflated because I was convinced we lost more than a great shooter.

Fast forward to Rob Dillingham and I’m doubly elated by the Rob Dillingham pick after watching him in summer league and thinking about what TC said about Rob’s passing in college. Rob isn’t just a gunner who hit threes at a 43% clip in college (even better than Steph’s college percentage). He’s a natural PG with instincts, vision and related passing skills that can combined with his shooting prowess to make him special. All the former NBA players commenting during summer league praised Rob’s instincts and passing. I acknowledge that Rob has a pretty steep development curve ahead of him. He’ll need to get stronger, develop his finishing skills and adjust to the speed and size of the NBA game. But I’m more convinced now than on draft night that Rob has what it takes to be a really good and perhaps great NBA PG down the road. How much he can contribute next season remains uncertain, but I wouldn’t bet against him being a significant positive part of our rotation by the second half of the season.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 11:29 am

Sundog wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 8:29 am 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?

Britt is a bit of a drama queen - hence his comment about Dilly looking even smaller from the first row and his further comment about Dilly’s size impeding his effectiveness getting to the rim. I stood next to Dilly (6 inches away) on the tram and he didn’t look smaller than his combine measurements. Moreover, his size didn’t stop him from getting to the rim; he was just misfiring on his floaters and layups. Of course, it’s easier to finish when your 6’6, 225, but guys like Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Rod Strickland, etc. have proven highly effective at finishing in spite of their small stature. It’s just a skill Dilly needs to perfect. So while Britt and I fundamentally agree on Dilly, I just don’t like Britt’s mini-dramatic narratives that exaggerate or mistake certain, albeit relative minor, things.

OMG. Thank you! Finally someone says the quiet part out loud. I thought I was the only one on here who doesn't follow Britt's every word like he's the Supreme Leader. I never understood it. He's spins stuff for clicks just like most writers these days. Not saying he's not entertaining at times. But his word is NOT the gospel!

FNG wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 6:46 am https://x.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1815442081709531418

That's great! Everyone was too confused to react. Even me - the first time I watched it seemed like Jim Marshall going the wrong way - aka "what the hell is he doing?"

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 8:38 am

FNG wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 6:46 am https://x.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1815442081709531418

That's great! Everyone was too confused to react. Even me - the first time I watched it seemed like Jim Marshall going the wrong way - aka "what the hell is he doing?"

Fun play...and goes to show how alert Rob is on the court.

I just visited this morning one of the two Minneapolis Lakers that are still alove and showed him the video...he got a big kick out of it! 25 bonus points to anyone who can name the player I visited with this morning.

(Hint: it wasn't Frank Selvy).

How's Chucky doing these days?!?

It was kind of a trick question, because as far as I can tell, Chuck Mencel and Frank Selvy were never actually teammates, at least on the Minneapolis Lakers...