Throughout this season, the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards have been horrible on the court. Next season, though, their luck might change if Kentucky Wildcats star Rob Dillingham makes his way to either team via the draft.
In the lone season Dillingham has played for Kentucky this year, the combo guard has shown why he’s become a projected lottery pick in the upcoming draft. Over the course of 32 games, Dillingham has averaged 15.2 points on 47 shooting from the field, 44 percent from beyond the perimeter, and 79 percent from the free throw line. He’s also making 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of his game is his ability to get buckets, especially those contested under the rim. Add a potential to improve his jump shot and outside accuracy, and there’ll be a lot of potential building up for the Wildcats star.
On the other hand, his lack of size and length makes him a liability on defense, due to the fact that he’ll be easily targeted by opposing teams, especially after the Wildcats’ recent NCAA exit. Furthermore, Dillingham’s free throw percentage might be a problem, especially if he doesn’t adapt fast to the NBA soon.
San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards Projected To Be Landing Spots for Rob Dillingham in This Year’s Draft
Even with potential pieces for their respective futures, the Spurs and Wizards have sunk down this season. The thing is, both franchises could use someone like Dillingham to provide their lineup with a much-needed offensive boost at the guard position. Jeremy Woo shares more in his article for ESPN:
“Any team in need of backcourt help should at least consider Dillingham’s candidacy, with the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs at the top of the list. Washington is in transition, with basically nothing on the roster tied down, and while it might behoove them to take a more versatile, malleable player as a result (in line with last year’s selection of Bilal Coulibaly), Dillingham’s scoring ability could have utility there.
The Spurs have the luxury of Victor Wembanyama as their defensive backbone, perhaps creating a scenario to entertain taking an offense-only player like Dillingham — although his ball-dominant style doesn’t mesh with the players San Antonio has traditionally valued. There’s no perfect fit here, but any team willing to take a leap of faith on his skillset could reap the benefits,” Woo wrote.
While the fit could use some fine-tuning, the potential of Dillingham elevating either one of these teams is definitely enticing. As it stands, both the Spurs and Wizards are in need of a talented guard in the backcourt to provide offense, and alleviate the load from their forwards and centers, such as San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama.
The NBA Draft is scheduled on June 27, 2024, while the lottery will occur on May 12. From there, the draft order will be determined and the team that could potentially draft Dillingham will be known.
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