John Calipari details how Rob Dillingham can stay on floor

Rob Dillingham is like a great fire. He can be an amazing spectacle with excellent application. Or, he can spiral out of control and burn those around him. This season, Kentucky head coach John Calipari is learning how to stoke Dillingham’s fire in a productive manner.

After Kentucky defeated Ole Miss on Tuesday, a reporter asked Calipari how he balances Dillingham’s wild play with his unmatched talent. Calipari provided a stunningly patient answer.

“I give him another chance,” Calipari said. “I tell him, ‘I believe in you but you’re not going to play, playing the way you’re playing.’ If he would have came out and had two more turnovers he would have sat. Because the turnovers were not like good turnovers. It was like giving them the ball for layups at the other end.”

Dillingham’s minutes have decreased in Kentucky’s past few games. For the season, Dillingham averages 23.2 minutes per game. However, in the Wildcats’ past three outings, Dillingham has averaged 18.6 minutes on the floor.

Of course, some of this decline may be due to Kentucky returning multiple players from injury, including fellow guard DJ Wagner, who was out with an ankle injury. However, Dillingham may be also be losing minutes due to coaching decisions.

Dillingham averages 1.9 turnovers per game, the most on the team. Early in the first half against Ole Miss, Dillingham threw the ball away multiple times. Consequently, Calipari yanked him. While there must be punishment, there doesn’t have to be permanent punishment.

John Calipari has the utmost faith in Rob Dillingham

Calipari believes in Dillingham, as long as Dillingham believes in himself.

“If he would’ve come to me – and I told him this — and said, ‘I’ll be fine, put me in,’ I would have put him in. I would not have said, ‘Go ahead, just go in.’ I’m not doing that to that young person. He loses the game on a missed shot. No, I’m not doing it unless he wanted in.

“It’s like Reed telling me stick with me when I’m throwing balls all over the place. I’ll be fine, I’ll settle down. They are talking more. We are doing some things in practice that they suggested to me. Some of it is to hold them accountable.”

Dillingham has no reason to not be confident in his game. Averaging 14.7 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 44.8% from deep, the 6-foot-3 freshman is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Kentucky fans can only hope his fire burns brightest as team heads toward the postseason.