A top-20 recruit in the Class of 2023, Kentucky star guard Rob Dillingham will be following head coach John Calipari in bolting Lexington after just one season.
Dillingham confirmed what seemed to be obvious on Tuesday.
“This was a decision I made with my family,” Dillingham told ESPN on Tuesday. “I felt prepared. Coach Calipari taught me a lot about how to be a better teammate and that it was not all about me.”
In a 2024 NBA Draft class void of elite-level prospects, Dillingham could stand out among his peers. The combo-guard was stellar in his only season with Kentucky.
- Rob Dillingham stats (2023-24): 15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, 44% 3-point
This performance enabled Dillingham to be named second-team All-SEC and Sixth Man of the Year. His explosiveness in the open court coupled with some pretty elite range and passing ability makes Dillingham an intriguing top-end prospect leading up to the draft.
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4 ideal Rob Dillingham landing spots in 2024 NBA Draft
Foreign-born players Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are expected to be the first two players off the board when the draft gets going in Brooklyn this summer.
After that, it’s pretty much anyone’s guess who will come off the board. Dillingham could potentially go as high as No. 3 overall.
Obviously, a lot of this is dependent on how the NBA Draft lottery plays out next month. But there are some ideal fits as it relates to teams slated to select in the top 10.
- San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama is finishing up shop on what has been a brilliant rookie season for the otherwise bottom-feeding Spurs. He’s a true generational talent. It’s now time for San Antonio to build around him. The first goal has to be to acquire a guard of Dillingham’s ilk that can do work out on the perimeter and run the offense at times. This seems to be the most-logical fit for the star guard.
- Charlotte Hornets: When healthy, LaMelo Ball has proven he can run an offense with the best of them. At issue here is his ability to actually stay on the court. Assuming Charlotte is confident that his injury issues are behind him, teaming Ball up with Dillingham would make a ton of sense. Having 2023 lottery pick Brandon Miller out on the wing adds another layer to this.
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- Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant’s lost 2023-24 season notwithstanding, these Grizzlies can be a playoff team in 2024-25. If he’s healthy to team up with Jaren Jackson Jr., there is a lot to like in Memphis. The idea here would be to get someone of Dillingham’s ilk to initially come off the bench and provide a boost for the second unit. In the long run, he’d be a perfect fit with Morant in the backcourt as a starter.
- Houston Rockets: While they will miss out on a spot in the postseason, Ime Udoka led a vastly improved Rockets team in 2023-24. Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson look to be future cornerstones. The question here is whether general manager Rafael Stone believes Jalen Green is, too. If not, acquiring Dillingham to team up with veteran Fred VanVleet makes a ton of sense.