Following his freshman season at Kentucky, guard Rob Dillingham told Malika Andrews of ESPN on NBA Today this afternoon that he’ll declare for the 2024 NBA draft and go pro. As Jonathan Givony of ESPN relays, Dillingham said he has hired Klutch Sports for representation.
Dillingham came off the bench for the Wildcats in 2023/24, but put up big numbers in a somewhat limited role, averaging 15.2 points and 3.9 assists in just 23.3 minutes per game across 32 appearances. He also posted an impressive .475/.444/.796 shooting line.
Dillingham was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year and earned a spot on the All-SEC second team as he raised his draft stock significantly over the course of his freshman year. Givony cites the 19-year-old’s “open-court explosiveness, advanced ball-handling ability, (and) creativity as a passer and finisher” as a few reasons why he’s now viewed as a potential top-five pick.
Dillingham currently ranks fourth overall on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects for 2024. He’s the second-highest ranked NCAA prospect and the No. 1 point guard on ESPN’s board, though he says he’s not concerned about how high he gets drafted.
“It doesn’t matter what pick I am, if I get picked 60th,” Dillingham said. “I want to go to a team that trusts me and can help me build, and I can build with them, and make me better. I just want to help my team win, and they can develop me and teach me things.”
The success of Amen/Ausar Thompson & the success of Tyrese Maxey are huge reasons why Rob is being seen as a top10 pick. Rob’s own elite quickness, shot making & ball handling are all bigger reasons tho
Extremely interesting to see who will be the best pg of this class bw Rob Dillingham, Niko Topic, Isaiah Collier & Reed Sheppard. Very possible that someone else (TNewton, RJ Davis, Juan Nunez, Kolek, Nembhard) could take that title as the yrs go by
i like dillingham’s teammate reeves better. robs finishing is erratic. newton will be the classes top pg.
Agree. I’ve gone off Dillingham big time back end of the season.
I see Dillingham more as a 6th Man currently, but the upside is definitely high. Most of his issues are technical in nature; his base abilities and athleticism are definitely in the range for top picks. As young as he is, it’d be more surprising if he didn’t have some technical warts.