Rob Dillingham selected with 8th pick in 2024 NBA Draft; traded to Minnesota Timberwolves

Rob Dillingham is linking up with a former Kentucky big man.

During the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, NY, Dillingham was selected as the No. 8 overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Minnesota Timberwolves have traded for Dillingham, where he’ll team up with former UK center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Dillingham is the second former Wildcat to hear his name called by Commissioner Adam Silver, joining Reed Sheppard who went third overall to the Houston Rockets. He becomes the 49th player drafted from Kentucky during the John Calipari era and the 140th overall player selected in program history.

Minnesota has traded for the eighth pick and Rob Dillingham, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

During his lone season at Kentucky in 2023-24, Dillingham was named All-Southeastern Conference Second Team by both the coaches and the media while also cracking the All-SEC Freshman team. Additionally, he won SEC Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the fifth Kentucky player to do so and the second in a row (Antonio Reeves; 2023).

Coming off the bench in 31 of his 32 games played, the 6-foot-2 Dillingham was Kentucky’s second-leading scorer despite playing just the fifth-most minutes. The freshman averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and one steal in 23.3 minutes per outing. He shot 47.5 percent overall, 44.4 percent from deep, and 79.6 percent from the free throw line.

Dillingham was best known in Lexington for his microwave-scoring abilities. His top performance came in a loss to Tennessee at Rupp Arena in Feb. when he dropped a career-high 35 points in just 27 minutes of action. He scored at least 20 points on eight occasions as a Wildcat and reached double-figures in scoring 27 times.

Considered the most electrifying player in this draft, Dillingham is going to help sell plenty of tickets alongside KAT in Minnesota.