There is little doubt that Rob Dillingham can score in the NBA. As a freshman at Kentucky, he shot 44.4% from three and was able to get to the rim with ease thanks to his explosive first step. While Dillingham was an important element of the Wildcats’ outstanding offense during John Calipari’s final season in Lexington, he was also a key member of the 340th-ranked scoring defense.
Dillingham struggled on that end in the SEC, and during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, evaluators saw why. The Hickory, North Carolina native stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 164 pounds. There aren’t many players in the league who’ve excelled at that size. Even Jalen Brunson, who just led the Knicks to the second round of the NBA playoffs, is approximately 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds.
The 2024 NBA Draft could be the worst since 2013, when Anthony Bennett was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, so Dillingham will still be recognized for his great offensive potential and was considered a possible first-round choice by the Atlanta Hawks. However, his size constraints will relegate him from a potential lead-initiator who plans to finish out games with his shot-making abilities to a third or fourth guard off the bench who can handle the offense in short bursts to mitigate his weaknesses on the other end.
Currently, Isaiah Joe of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the NBA’s lightest player, weighing in at 165 pounds, four pounds less than 6-foot-2 Bones Hyland of the Los Angeles Clippers. Mike Conley of the Minnesota Timberwolves is only 6 feet and 175 pounds, yet he has spent his entire career on elite defense teams, first in Memphis with Tony Allen and Marc Gasol, and now with a Wolves squad led by four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
A team will still take a chance on Dillingham’s scoring potential in the first round, but he is in danger of falling out of the lottery.
