‘Screw it’… Minnesota Timberwolves asked to make changes to back up, coach and front office warned

On By Littum

After falling to 21-20 for the season, there is a very real chance the Minnesota Timberwolves will fall back to .500 with a trip to Dallas next.

A close loss to the Grizzlies means the Minnesota Timberwolves have lost two games in a row. Only the corresponding mediocrity of the 21-21 Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns keeps them in ninth place.

Despite this, the 2024-25 season is not shaping up as the T-Wolves had envisioned, with their plans torn apart by the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

Their momentum was recently disrupted by an injury to Donte DiVincenzo, who has missed time with a toe injury.

That has meant the ever-changing Timberwolves line-up has brought Mike Conley back in after he was previously benched, with one analyst describing his career as ‘over’.

But in the narrow 108-106 loss to Memphis, there was reason to be positive and remember another trade the team made.

Rob Dillingham #4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball against Max Christie #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter at Target ...
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Rob Dillingham impresses

Rookie prospect Rob Dillingham contributed 15 points off the bench against Memphis, a sign of his potential, and it was impressive that he did it in just 17 minutes of playing time.

Minnesota acquired Dillingham in the NBA Draft via a trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

The T-Wolves gave up an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 and a protected first-round pick in 2030.

And now that Dillingham is showing signs of potential, they’re being advised to double down and focus on his development with extra playing time.

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor noted Dillingham’s recent contributions, commenting, “They needed Rob Dillingham off the bench, just like you need a 170-pound rookie to be a contributor to your team.

“And I think at this point Finch is going to play, Dillingham 30 minutes a night.

“Just delete, see how you can get out of him. Try to invest in his development as much as possible.

“Because Tim Connolly in that front office in Minnesota, they made that deal for multiple firsts to move up to eight with San Antonio as their big swing.

“They’re banking on Dillingham. So I think Finch’s got to get on the same page there and just throw Dillingham out there and see what you can get out of him because (Mike) Conley’s just not the same guy , like he had a great career.”

Rob Dillingham playing time

Rob Dillingham is far from playing 30 minutes a night. He had 17 against the Grizzlies, and made the most of it.

For the season, he is averaging 9.8 minutes per game. match. This has increased recently, from 8.8 per games in December to 16.8 in January.

So things are going in the right direction for the rookie – but they haven’t committed to him yet. All in good time.

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