Kentucky guard and electric 2023 college hoops freshman Rob Dillingham has been selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, going off the board to the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 8 pick.
Dillingham was a question mark coming into college after deciding to play the latter half of his high school career at Donda Academy and in the Overtime Elite league, where he flashed highlight plays but left much to be desired with his overall game.
Those hoping for a good defender will likely never get one in Dillingham, but in Lexington, he took a great leap forward offensively, posting some crazy efficient shooting numbers while being one of the nation’s leaders in assists rate. He made unbelievable shots and smart plays night in and night out, proving that, at the very least, he can score buckets and dish out assists in the NBA.
In his lone season at Kentucky, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 44.3% from beyond the arc. For his efforts, he was named the 2024 SEC Sixth Man of the Year and an All-SEC Second Team member.
What NBA Draft experts are saying about Rob Dillingham
On3’s own James Fletcher has released an official big board for the 2024 NBA Draft, providing analysis of the top 40 players in this year’s class. He has Dillingham pegged as the No. 9 overall player and had this to say about the Kentucky guard:
“Rob Dillingham is an electric scorer and probably the most NBA-ready offensive weapon in the draft class. However, he is also among the least prepared for the nightly challenge of guarding professional guards. The 6-foot-2 guard came off the bench for Kentucky, shooting 44.4% from 3 and 47.5% overall. Whether he remains in a 6th-man role or emerges into a starting lineup, he looks primed to become the next Wildcat in this mold to star as a professional.
“Dillingham has started to fall from the list of potential Top Five names in some conversations as rumors swirl that the point guard needy San Antonio Spurs could seek a ball-handler through trade.”
He’s also got to worry about his former teammate Reed Sheppard, who is a very possible point guard pick at No. 4 or No. 8. Although, Kentucky fans would love to see the Spurs go ahead and pick both to reunite them, a la Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento.
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