The Rob Dillingham Thread

[thinktank]

Oh he played decent PG.

His assist to turnover ratio is INFINITYYyYyYyy

Seriously tho, 5 assists, no turnovers. What’s not to like about that?

[BlacJacMac]

Rob had a bad game 1. To be fair, it was just one game. Hopefully he is much better than 2-12. He needs to “be a goldfish.”

You watched a different game than I did. I was super impressed with his decision making and ability to run the team. He flashed a few times on defense as well.

He struggled mightily shooting, but I think he was so focused on showing he's a PG that he was out of rhythm on many of his shots. But even so, he mostly took good shots. He just didn't make them. I'm not worried, he didn't become a bad shooter since being drafted.

There is a lot of good to take away from this game.

He struggled to get a step on anyone defending him. He struggled to get to the rim, was terrible at the rim, and his assists were not really traditional dimes. Most were just swinging the ball and the player catching either attacked or shot off the catch. I didn’t see Dilly perform as either a PG or SG in this one. But again, it’s game 1.

Again. We watched different games.

[winforlose]

Oh he played decent PG.

His assist to turnover ratio is INFINITYYyYyYyy

Seriously tho, 5 assists, no turnovers. What’s not to like about that?

One assist was handing the ball to Clark when they were alone on a fast break. So we are talking 4 assists, and while the number is fine, he didn’t really drive and kick or get to the rim and dump to the big for an easy dunk. The assists in question were more that the guy he passed to did a good job, rather than he set them up.

[jpatrick]

Oh he played decent PG.

His assist to turnover ratio is INFINITYYyYyYyy

Seriously tho, 5 assists, no turnovers. What’s not to like about that?

One assist was handing the ball to Clark when they were alone on a fast break. So we are talking 4 assists, and while the number is fine, he didn’t really drive and kick or get to the rim and dump to the big for an easy dunk. The assists in question were more that the guy he passed to did a good job, rather than he set them up.

I get this. If anyone expected some electric athlete that was going to blow by defenders, they never watched him at Kentucky. He’s a good athlete. Smooth. Kinda like Conley. But in college, he was able to get by guys with his handle, and he finished/shot well. I think he’ll be okay once he adjusts to NBA length, athleticism, and strength.

I love what we saw from TSJ. But we have to remember, Dilly is 19 and weighs 164 lbs, TSJ is a year and a half OLDER than Ant and built like a freight train.

[winforlose]

Oh he played decent PG.

His assist to turnover ratio is INFINITYYyYyYyy

Seriously tho, 5 assists, no turnovers. What’s not to like about that?

One assist was handing the ball to Clark when they were alone on a fast break. So we are talking 4 assists, and while the number is fine, he didn’t really drive and kick or get to the rim and dump to the big for an easy dunk. The assists in question were more that the guy he passed to did a good job, rather than he set them up.

I get this. If anyone expected some electric athlete that was going to blow by defenders, they never watched him at Kentucky. He’s a good athlete. Smooth. Kinda like Conley. But in college, he was able to get by guys with his handle, and he finished/shot well. I think he’ll be okay once he adjusts to NBA length, athleticism, and strength.

I love what we saw from TSJ. But we have to remember, Dilly is 19 and weighs 164 lbs, TSJ is a year and a half OLDER than Ant and built like a freight train.

I agree with all of this. I don’t even think a first game performance should be held against him because he is 19. I expected more out of TSJ than RD, and TSJ exceeded my expectations.

[TheZachAttack]

Again, I am impressed by his ability to manage games as the 1. He's really good at pushing pace and outletting balls and is smart with the ball. I also think one other thing that was unlocked is his decision making in the PnR game. He's really good at attacking angles and understanding how different players will be open as they move through the defense.

I do wonder if a lot of his scoring early comes from screens off ball as a shooter and through the pick and roll using the angles created to find floaters/jump shots because of his frame.

[Sealab2024]

He reminds me a lot of Conley coming out. Heady, good pick and roll PG with scoring ability who's plain undersized. Best thing in the world that could have happened to him was getting Mike as a teacher to show him all the savvy ways to control the game and when and where to impose your will on it. Plus Mike isn't gonna let him slide on defense at all.

Btw, if we don't incorporate the nickname "shifty" into something for Rob, we're just not doing our job.

[gandlogo]

Only two games so far, but I'm digging Shifty. I'm a little surprised by how small he is - he looks like he was washed in hot water and then dried on high. But he's young and the Wolves will get him a pro body eventually. I was expecting him to be able to beat guys off the dribble more, but you can see he understands spacing and angles.

[Klomp]

Btw, if we don't incorporate the nickname "shifty" into something for Rob, we're just not doing our job.

Certain people need to accept that "shifty" is just part of the package when we drafted Dillingham.

It's funny looking at the comments section of his postgame interview on the team's youtube account....

"How he talks between two microphones is so shifty"
"His braids so shifty"
"His chain so shifty"
"He talk soo Shifty"
"His aura so shifty"
"The way he talks is so shifty"

[Sealab2024]

Btw, if we don't incorporate the nickname "shifty" into something for Rob, we're just not doing our job.

Certain people need to accept that "shifty" is just part of the package when we drafted Dillingham.

It's funny looking at the comments section of his postgame interview on the team's youtube account....

"How he talks between two microphones is so shifty"
"His braids so shifty"
"His chain so shifty"
"He talk soo Shifty"
"His aura so shifty"
"The way he talks is so shifty"

Reading those was kind of my impetuous. It's gonna happen, might as well get in front of it.

[TheZachAttack]

Only two games so far, but I'm digging Shifty. I'm a little surprised by how small he is - he looks like he was washed in hot water and then dried on high. But he's young and the Wolves will get him a pro body eventually. I was expecting him to be able to beat guys off the dribble more, but you can see he understands spacing and angles.

Agreed, I am a little bit surprised by just how small he looks. I feel like he didn't look as small in college highlights. I think he's rushing his layups and he's trying to figure out how to balance being an actual 1 and scoring. I'm okay with him leaning on the playmaking side based on what we will need from him long-term.

[gandlogo]

Only two games so far, but I'm digging Shifty. I'm a little surprised by how small he is - he looks like he was washed in hot water and then dried on high. But he's young and the Wolves will get him a pro body eventually. I was expecting him to be able to beat guys off the dribble more, but you can see he understands spacing and angles.

Agreed, I am a little bit surprised by just how small he looks. I feel like he didn't look as small in college highlights. I think he's rushing his layups and he's trying to figure out how to balance being an actual 1 and scoring. I'm okay with him leaning on the playmaking side based on what we will need from him long-term.

One potential issue with his size is that Summer League is "smaller" than the NBA, meaning he'll have even more size to contend with in the regular season. He'll need to be extra Shifty.

[Klomp]

It's worth looking up information about UK's trip to Toronto last summer:

Rob Dillingham‘s “welcome to college basketball” moment didn’t take that long to hit. In fact, it didn’t even happen against another college team. Coming out of high school as a top 15 recruit and one of the country’s premier shot makers, he earned a reputation for being able to score in the most creative — and sometimes frustrating — ways.

But that was high school. This is Kentucky.

When the Wildcats traveled to Toronto, Canada back in July for a four-game run at the GLOBL JAM (which Kentucky swept through en route to a gold medal), Dillingham received a necessary wake-up call. Those same fancy dribble moves and stepback jumpers suddenly weren’t falling the same way they did less than a year before. His skinny 6-foot-3 frame was exposed against older, tougher, and stronger competition. Dillingham averaged just 5.5 points on 31 percent shooting during those four games up north. He attempted a mere three free throws during that time.

But instead of getting down on himself, the Charlotte, NC, native went to work behind the scenes and began to live in the gym. He hit the weights and locked in on improving his body. Kentucky head coach John Calipari said earlier this summer that Dillingham was adding muscle, but it wasn’t until the rest of the world saw it in person on Saturday night that the skeptics turned into believers.

Dillingham exploded for a game-high 40 points during Kentucky’s annual Blue-White scrimmage on Saturday at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena. He shot an efficient 14-23 overall from the field (3-7 3PT) and went 9-12 from the free-throw line against his teammates. It wasn’t just his scoring that stood out though. Dillingham also contributed five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals while playing all 40 minutes as the lead guard.

“Here’s what I liked. He was really efficient,” Calipari said of Dillingham following the scrimmage. “I grabbed him a couple times, he had a wide-open shot but he’s gonna try something crazy. Just don’t play that way, you’re too good a player. How about the steals? Didn’t just do it on offense, he did it defensively. He’s gained 22 pounds because he got beat up in Toronto. Was he making layups in Toronto? No, because he got bumped and now all the sudden he’s the one creating the bump and playing through.”

https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/rob-dillinghams-post-toronto-wake-up-call-led-40-point-outing-blue-white-game/

[Klomp]

One potential issue with his size is that Summer League is "smaller" than the NBA, meaning he'll have even more size to contend with in the regular season. He'll need to be extra Shifty.

People keep forgetting that he'll have Rudy Gobert setting screens for him....

[TheZachAttack]

Only two games so far, but I'm digging Shifty. I'm a little surprised by how small he is - he looks like he was washed in hot water and then dried on high. But he's young and the Wolves will get him a pro body eventually. I was expecting him to be able to beat guys off the dribble more, but you can see he understands spacing and angles.

Agreed, I am a little bit surprised by just how small he looks. I feel like he didn't look as small in college highlights. I think he's rushing his layups and he's trying to figure out how to balance being an actual 1 and scoring. I'm okay with him leaning on the playmaking side based on what we will need from him long-term.

One potential issue with his size is that Summer League is "smaller" than the NBA, meaning he'll have even more size to contend with in the regular season. He'll need to be extra Shifty.

Maybe, there's also a lot more veterans playing. I'll be interested in seeing what it looks like. And I'll be interested in what it looks like after a couple of months. I remember Ant in the first month of his NBA career getting shots blocked like crazy and being a horrible finisher.

[gandlogo]

One potential issue with his size is that Summer League is "smaller" than the NBA, meaning he'll have even more size to contend with in the regular season. He'll need to be extra Shifty.

People keep forgetting that he'll have Rudy Gobert setting screens for him....

I didn't forget, I just don't see that as a mitigating factor. I'm a believer that screens are 30% screener and 70% ball handler. Once Shifty is past the screen, he still has NBA length to deal with. Again, I'm a fan so far, but taking everything from Summer League with a grain - or five - of salt.

[Klomp]

One potential issue with his size is that Summer League is "smaller" than the NBA, meaning he'll have even more size to contend with in the regular season. He'll need to be extra Shifty.

People keep forgetting that he'll have Rudy Gobert setting screens for him....

I didn't forget, I just don't see that as a mitigating factor. I'm a believer that screens are 30% screener and 70% ball handler. Once Shifty is past the screen, he still has NBA length to deal with. Again, I'm a fan so far, but taking everything from Summer League with a grain - or five - of salt.

I'm not talking about running past the screen; I'm talking about setting up behind it.

My big takeaway from summer league so far is 13 assists; 2 turnovers

[winforlose]

People keep forgetting that he'll have Rudy Gobert setting screens for him....

I didn't forget, I just don't see that as a mitigating factor. I'm a believer that screens are 30% screener and 70% ball handler. Once Shifty is past the screen, he still has NBA length to deal with. Again, I'm a fan so far, but taking everything from Summer League with a grain - or five - of salt.

I'm not talking about running past the screen; I'm talking about setting up behind it.

My big takeaway from summer league so far is 13 assists; 2 turnovers

It is a great sign, and important for his future role. My question is how many of those 13 have been in transition or with a mismatch created by transition?

[Klomp]

It is a great sign, and important for his future role. My question is how many of those 13 have been in transition or with a mismatch created by transition?

Why is that a bad thing? That's what they are bringing him in to do on the main club too, to inject pace into the game.

[winforlose]

It is a great sign, and important for his future role. My question is how many of those 13 have been in transition or with a mismatch created by transition?

Why is that a bad thing? That's what they are bringing him in to do on the main club too, to inject pace into the game.

Not saying it is. I am saying he is good at that part. The other part is what worries me. The breaking down defenses and dishing to open shooters. We already know he is bad a finishing (both in college and in SL so far,) and if he cannot drive and kick or drive and finish he cannot play NBA PG… YET.