Dillingham goes to Spurs at No. 8, dealt to T-Wolves
The San Antonio Spurs landed on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham with the eighth overall pick in Round 1 of Wednesday's NBA draft and then traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota sent a 2031 unprotected first-round selection and a protected 2030 pick swap to San Antonio for Dillingham, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dillingham lit up the SEC in his lone season at the collegiate level, proving his ability to be an offensive spark plug by coming off the bench in 31 of his 32 games at Kentucky. The 19-year-old was nominated to the All-SEC second team and was awarded the SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
Bio
Position: Guard
School: Kentucky
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 162 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-3
Max vertical: N/A
2023-24 statistics with Kentucky:
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 47.5% | 44.4% | 79.6% | 2.9 | 3.9 | 15.2 |
Dillingham combines elite shot-making ability with top-end speed and quickness. He's shown a willingness to play both on-ball and off-ball and can dissect defenses as a spot-up shooter.
In the NBA, Dillingham's defense will surely be under a microscope - it kept him out of Kentucky's starting lineup. He can be useful on the ball due to his quick hands, but a screen will usually remove him from of a play due to his slight frame and poor screen navigation.
NBA comparison: Immanuel Quickley, another former Kentucky Wildcat who could put the ball in the basket effortlessly. Quickley has taken on point guard duties since he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in December. Dillingham has shown similar flashes as a passer and creator - his 29.7% assist rate is one of the highest in this draft class.