The Chicago Bulls were one of the NBA's most active teams at this year's trade deadline, and one of their seven moves brought Rob Dillingham from Minnesota to the Windy City. And Dillingham now has an opportunity he never got with the Timberwolves -- the time to play through his mistakes.
Minnesota traded an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 top-1 protected pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs to acquire the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, which it used to select Dillingham. The belief was that the one-and-done Kentucky star would be the heir apparent to Mike Conley.
But that didn't work out the way the Wolves hoped -- Dillingham was too raw to lead a team with championship aspirations.
Now that he's plying his trade in the Windy City, the 21-year-old will get a chance to play with far less pressure and far more freedom. Even his new head coach is prepared to watch him learn.
Bulls' new point guard finally getting a chance to learn on the job
Dillingham was certainly intriguing enough to be a lottery pick; the Timberwolves just weren't the right team for him. After being buried on the bench for a season and a half, though, he'll finally get a real chance to show off his talents.
The North Carolina native was a true three-level scorer with the Wildcats. He averaged 15.2 points in just 23.3 minutes off the bench with shooting splits of 47.5/44.4/79.6. He has an explosive first step that allows him to get downhill quickly, the handles to put defenders on skates and create shots, and a 3-point stroke that will keep defenses honest.
Theoretically, that skill set is a nice fit next to Anthony Edwards. But it was just that -- theoretical. Dillingham only played in 84 games with Minnesota and averaged just 10.1 minutes.
Billy Donovan ready to let Rob Dillingham play through mistakes
The diminutive guard has already seen a significant uptick in minutes and a more prominent role with the Bulls. In three games, he's played 24.7 minutes per contest with averages of 11.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He's also nabbing two steals per game.
Donovan was complimentary of Dillingham's standout physical traits. But he was also quick to point out how his new point guard can get better, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (h/t HoopsRumors):
""He's the one guy that off the dribble can really go by people and get into the teeth of the defense. So that's like a real great positive. But the decision-making, the shots that he's taking, are not sustainable. And I told him that. ... But what I don't want to do is have him not be aggressive where he's like, 'I'm afraid to attack.' He has to attack, but he's gotta make better decisions. I think that will come in time.""Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan
Dillingham can only learn to make better decisions by making the wrong ones. He couldn't do that in Minnesota. But what Donovan said at the end of the above quote is the critical part: "I think that will come in time."
For the first time in his career, Dillingham has that time.