Is Rob Dillingham playing tonight? Latest on Timberwolves guard's status for Summer League game (July 14)

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie guard Rob Dillingham will look to improve on his first summer league performance against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The eighth overall pick from the 2024 NBA draft is expected to play and help his team seek a 2-0 record in Las Vegas.

On Friday, Minnesota defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 81-74. Dillingham scored only four points in the game, sharing the court with former Kentucky Wildcats teammates Antonio Reeves and Keion Brooks Jr. Reeves made his first shot off the bench before fading out of the game, much like Dillingham.

In one year at Kentucky, the guard averaged 15.4 points and 3.9 assists per game. He shot an impressive 44% from three, nailing two a game coming off the bench. He'll look for his first deep ball against a Pacers team coming off a tough loss.

The Pacers dropped their first summer league game in overtime to the Brooklyn Nets. They were led by forward Jarace Walker, who scored 25 points on 9-18 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.

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50th overall pick Enrique Freeman out of Akron, was solid in his first game, shooting 3-4 in 17 minutes off the bench for the Pacers. 2023 first-round pick Ben Sheppard struggled, going 1-9 from the floor in the loss.

Rob Dillingham struggles in first summer league game

The eighth overall pick, who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly sent to Minnesota, struggled in his first NBA game on Friday. In 25 minutes, the guard shot 2-12 from the field, missing all five of his three-point attempts. He had five rebounds and five assists.

Dillingham said he's not worried about his poor shooting performance in just his first game, preferring to focus on the other aspects of his game.

"I feel like all the other things is what I need to be getting good at," Dillingham said via Timberwolves beat reporter Chris Hine.

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Former Kentucky teammate Reed Sheppard, who was drafted third overall in the 2024 draft, showed out in his debut for the Houston Rockets. Sheppard scored 17 points, including an array of highlight plays, in a dominant win over the LA Lakers on Friday.

The Timberwolves are favored to win the Sunday matchup, which is set to tip off at 5:30 pm EST in Las Vegas.

About the author

Domenico is a basketball writer for Sportskeeda from Boston, Massachusetts, who has a degree in journalism. His favorite team is the Celtics and he has been to a championship parade for each hometown sports team.

Domenico has played basketball for most of his life, and though he stopped playing in college to focus on school, he now plays more than ever and has the hope of signing a professional contract in Europe.

Aside from the Boston Celtics, Domenico likes the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors. The latter three teams are all thrilling to watch because of their impressive stars — Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Erik Spoelstra is Domenico's favorite coach. He gets the most out of his players, can make an undrafted guy a starter, and somehow, some way always goes on underdog playoff runs. He's a genius.

As a player, Domenico has a strong insight into the details of the game, and his strong eye for talent helps him assess the strengths and weaknesses of teams and individuals.

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Edited by Krutik Jain