LAS VEGAS — One of the perks of the Timberwolves drafting Rob Dillingham is the opportunity the 19-year-old will get to play behind and learn from 36-year-old Mike Conley, a floor general whose veteran acumen was a key factor in the Timberwolves' run to the Western Conference finals.
But one of Dillingham's first conversations with Conley wasn't about offense or how to navigate the nuances of the Timberwolves' system. Rather, he was asking about defense.
Shortly after the Timberwolves drafted Dillingham, he asked Conley for advice on how to defend him given their respective heights — Conley is 6-foot-1 and Dillingham is 6-foot-1.
“He just told me not to have guys play both positions and push them to one side,” Dillingham said, “because the guys that play both positions are just too good now.”
Dillingham's weakness after graduating from college was his defense. Team president Tim Connelly said the team was going to try to improve him after drafting him. So far in the summer league, Dillingham has excelled defensively. In the Timberwolves' first game against the Pelicans, Dillingham committed a foul in the backcourt that summer league coach Chris Hines said changed the flow of the game.
It's still a work in progress while Dillingham learns the nuances of the NBA game. Coach Chris Finch called Dillingham after the second game of the Timberwolves-Pacers game to give him advice on late-game situations. Dillingham committed an offensive foul that gave Indiana an extra possession late in the game. He also told him to be more strict on closing out the Pacers' late 3-pointers. In summer league, Dillingham has been playing aggressive on-ball defense because he knows the Timberwolves will scramble and cover him from behind.
“You just have to really put in the effort,” Dillingham said, “and it's really not that hard because I have teammates who can play defense as well. Even when we lose, there's always someone working really hard. So with this team, I feel like it's easier to play defense and it's easier for me to get forward because it's about forcing them into the secondary defense and not having to be with him the whole time.”
On Tuesday, despite Leonard Miller's 22 points and 13 rebounds and a 30-16 fourth-quarter surge, the Timberwolves lost to Philadelphia, 92-90. Timberwolves guard Daishen Nix also scored 22 points.
Another veteran NBA point guard who has been giving Dillingham advice is John Wall. Dillingham and Wall are both North Carolina natives and have various ties.
“For people from North Carolina, he's a legend,” Dillingham said.
Both players attended Kentucky and played for coach John Calipari, and Wall attended Dillingham games with the Pacers.
“He's a friend of mine,” Dillingham said, “he knows me and he's texted me and stuff. At Kentucky, he came to every game. [Pelicans] “During the game I was so angry because I didn't play very well. I just hit him and he just told me to play my game.”
The Wolves are trying to do that while Dillingham gets acclimated to his new environment. He has an apartment in Minnesota but no furniture yet. He's learning the offense, trying to find his shot while setting up others as the primary ball-handler, because that's what he'll eventually do with the Wolves' second unit.
“Once he starts to understand how to read the court and how to run the pick-and-roll, he's going to be a beast in terms of getting everybody involved,” Hines said.
That's a bit different than what Dillingham did at Kentucky, where he said he was more of an off-guard player. Conley is adept at playing both roles with the Timberwolves, and Dillingham will have a chance to learn from him how to run an offense and take advantage of the attention Anthony Edwards provides.
“I feel like I have a role here to play all around and do everything,” Dillingham said. “I'm not a star player, but I'm just developing into a well-rounded player who can do everything for the team.”