sad news: Kentucky wildcats players train in tears today after having three key players suspended by NCAA…..
After an inefficient stint with Overtime Elite, Rob Dillingham showed up to Kentucky and looked like a different, more mature player.
Before the season, scouts weren’t sure he’d be one-and-done or even a realistic NBA prospect. He’s now in the mix to be the first guard selected in the 2024 NBA draft.
Dillingham managed to generate widespread NBA interest despite coming off the bench for the majority of the season.
Now scouts are deciding whether he’s built to continue playing that sixth-man role at the next level—or if he’s just another Kentucky prospect who’s going to be far more productive in the NBA than he was in college.
The best case pictures him in a starting point guard role, thriving as a scoring ball-handler who can offer enough playmaking to be used as a team’s lead initiator.
Much like Kemba Walker, he has the ball on a string, he’s quick with his moves and he lights up defenses from three levels with a score-first mentality.
Depending on his level of efficiency and ability to balance self-creation and passing, Dillingham could wind up being better suited to be a sixth man like Lou Williams was.
In that role, Dillingham could play more to his strengths as a microwave scorer and worry less about shot selection or getting others involved.
Dillingham offers on-ball excitement that few others can in this year’s draft class.
He possesses the most tempting mix of creation and shotmaking for offense, and both feel translatable to the NBA based on his quickness, ball-handling skill and shooting accuracy.
He has a strong case to be the first guard drafted, though he might need the lottery to play out in his favor. He’ll want teams that need to upgrade their backcourt and offense to land the higher picks.
Scouts have also expressed some hesitation about Dillingham’s tools and gunner mentality. Projecting a jump-shot-heavy diet, average playmaking and poor defense may mean picturing more of a bench spark, which isn’t what teams will use a top-five pick on.
