Rob Dillingham, a lottery pick in the 2024 draft, struggled to secure consistent playing time while with the Minnesota Timberwolves, finding it difficult to break into the regular rotation.
Since being traded to the Chicago Bulls, however, Dillingham has been given an extended opportunity by head coach Billy Donovan to showcase his abilities.
Across three appearances with Chicago, Dillingham has averaged 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.3 turnovers in 24.7 minutes per game as the team evaluates his role moving forward.
Donovan emphasized that the young guard’s primary responsibility is to create offense while learning when to attack and when to pull back.
“His job and responsibility is to generate shots for guys when he gets (inside) and understand the shots where he has angles and can shoot a high percentage on and the shots he can’t,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times.
“It’s not like I’m giving him free rein, we need him downhill, but he also can’t be jumping off two feet, getting caught in the air, trying to shoot over guys, trying to throw passes that aren’t there. He’s got to clean that up and we’ve got to help him do it. What I don’t want him to do is not be aggressive or be afraid to attack. He has to attack. He just has to make better decisions, and I think that will come in time.”
Central Notes: Mitchell, Harden, Bickerstaff, Dillingham, Brown https://t.co/GLiU42S2Bx pic.twitter.com/W0YgAFWl03
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 18, 2026
