Rob Dillingham’s latest move gives him another fresh start, but it doesn’t look like an easy one.
The former Timberwolves guard was dealt from the Chicago Bulls to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday in exchange for Buddy Hield, but a change of scenery alone may not be enough to open a real path to minutes. Charlotte already has a crowded backcourt, and Dillingham is walking into a situation where the guard pecking order appears pretty clear.
He’ll be battling Coby White, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Anderson for playing time. White and Schroder are established rotation guards, while Anderson was a recent first-round pick this season. That alone makes it tough to picture Dillingham climbing ahead of them.
And the problem doesn’t stop there. The Hornets also have a group of off-guards in Kon Knueppel, Grayson Allen, and Sion James, which makes it harder to use two point guards together. In other words, even with a new uniform, Dillingham may find himself in the same spot he was in before: fighting to get out of the rotation picture.
There’s no denying what makes him fun to watch. His speed jumps off the screen, and his handles are electric.
But the NBA has already exposed the rough edges in his game. At 175 pounds, he’s had trouble finishing through contact, and last season he shot just 52.3 percent at the rim.
The shot from deep hasn’t been much better. Dillingham has made only 32.4 percent of his career 3-pointers, and when that’s paired with limited playmaking and defensive size concerns, it’s hard to see where the consistent impact comes from right now.
Those warning signs showed up in his limited time with Minnesota, and even though his numbers improved with Chicago, the concerns never really went away. The Bulls’ front office clearly didn’t see enough to keep him, especially with their need for guard help.
For Charlotte, the issue is simple: the roster already has enough guards, and Dillingham hasn’t done enough over two seasons to force his way into a role, even on a rebuilding team. He may still have the talent to become a legitimate pro down the road, but the Hornets don’t look like the place where that turnaround is going to happen quickly.
Timberwolves fans hoping this move would finally give Dillingham a clean runway may need to wait until he’s on his fourth team.
In Other News...
Chris Finch Just Framed The Wolves Biggest Playoff Debate
Chris Finch has spent enough time around the playoffs to know the old formulas can stop working fast, and he used that backdrop to frame a bigger conversation about how Minnesota wants to operate going forward. The Timberwolves coach pointed to the limitations of teams that lean too heavily on one ball-dominant creator, then tied that lesson to the kind of roster balance he believes gives a team a better chance when the games tighten in May.
Minnesota, in Finchs view, is moving toward a more layered attack instead of asking one player to carry every possession. With LaMelo Ball in the mix, the Wolves can ease Anthony Edwards into more of a scoring role and spread the decision-making around, which fits Finchs bigger point about depth and interchangeable pieces. The question now is whether that approach can give Minnesota the kind of playoff edge so many star-driven teams spend years chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Camp Battle Could Shake Up Minnesotas Back-End Roster
The Timberwolves have quietly filled out their training camp roster with a trio of newcomers in Norchad Omier, Drew Timme and KJ Martin, giving the front office a few more names to sort through as the season approaches. Omier and Timme come in as undrafted players with G League and limited NBA experience, while Martin brings the kind of prior NBA background that can make a back-end roster spot a little more interesting than it first appears.
Minnesota is looking at all of that talent in the context of a broader camp group that also includes additions like LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, which should make for a more crowded evaluation process than usual. The real intrigue is how the Wolves sort the depth chart once the competition settles in, especially with the kind of two-way opening that can turn an overlooked camp invite into a real chance to stay. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Camp Battle Could Put A Young Roster Spot At Risk
The Timberwolves have given Antonio Reeves a chance to get in the mix heading into training camp, signing the shooting guard to an Exhibit 10 deal as they continue sorting out the edges of the roster. Reeves, a 2024 second-round pick, arrives with limited NBA experience but a clear selling point: he can shoot it from deep, and that kind of skill tends to matter when a team is looking for help at the back end of the roster.
Minnesota still has one open spot, but Reeves is more of a camp name to watch than a safe bet for opening night. The more realistic path is a two-way contract, which would let him stick around if he shows well in camp and preseason, and that possibility puts a little more heat on a young roster race that figures to be one of the quieter but important stories of October. [Read more 🡒]