[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2024 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Rob Dillingham
Frame: 6’3”, 176lbs
Position: Guard
School: Kentucky
2024 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference.com

Offense

Dillingham is a confident and quick scoring guard with high potential as a facilitator. He can generate points in various ways with the ball in his hands. Dillingham is a lethal pull-up three-point shooter, an extremely shifty and creative ballhandler, an acrobatic finisher, and a heads-up playmaker. 

When discussing his handles, Dillingham boasts some of the best the NCAA has seen this decade. He is skilled and has a high IQ on what moves to pull out of his bag and when to use them. His combination of ballhandling, burst and 44.4 percent three-point shooting makes him a serious challenge to guard in isolation. 

Around the rim, Dillingham was converting 55.3 percent of his attempts (via Barttorvik), and these finishes rarely came easy. With his small frame, Dillingham had to rely on his acrobatics, hang time, and impressive touch to finish through and over the defense. He does an excellent job of reading the help defender and finding a way to maneuver around them. He often moves to the reverse layup to use the rim as a shield against the blocker, but he is fearless in attacking the defense head-on.

Dillingham thrives in transition. He’s a heads-up outlet passer but can get downhill in the blink of an eye and stay in control. Dillingham keeps the ball on a string to consistently make excellent decisions on effectively attacking the defense to create the best shot for himself or his teammates. Furthermore, keep your eyes peeled for a jaw-dropping slam if he gets alone in the open court.

Playmaking is an area of Dillingham’s game that has significantly grown over his Kentucky season. Dillingham draws a lot of attention from the defense when the ball is in his hands, and he knows how to use that to make winning plays by passing. He is always aware of cutters when he drives to the rim and seems to have a good feel for knowing which defenders will collapse and who will be open on the perimeter. 

Unlike many who can score like him, he does not get too caught up in tunnel vision. He likes to keep the ball moving around the perimeter, get his teammates involved, and get the ball inside. He is a high-IQ pick-and-roll passer with the necessary skills to thread the defense and get the ball to his rolling big man. 

One of Dillingham’s most special talents is his touch. He can consistently find a sliver of room through the defense and put the ball exactly where he wants to get the bucket. His elite touch is well-reflected in his lob passes, always perfectly placed for the receiver to have the easiest possible finish. 

Dillingham’s most significant offensive question mark is how his size and lack of strength will impact his scoring ability at the next level. He relies heavily on his ability to score above his defenders, but he will need to adjust to facing much bigger and better isolation defenders than he faced in Overtime Elite and at Kentucky.

 

Defense

Dillingham’s lack of size creates legitimate concern for his ability to guard at the next level. When matched against a bigger opponent, he was very susceptible to getting taken to the rim and either scoring on or being forced to foul. Against other point guards, however, he looked a lot more comfortable and capable of getting a stop. 

He puts a lot of heart and effort into his defensive game. When defending on the ball, he always has proper defensive positioning and uses his active hands to make his matchup as uncomfortable as possible. He works very hard to make an impact, which will attract NBA teams to him as a strong building block to help his defense reach its ceiling. 

Off the ball, he is very jumpy and energetic, which makes for lots of impressive defensive plays and mistakes. While he is typically seen sticking to his matchup, it is not rare to see him help unexpectedly in an attempt to get a block or steal. While these plays have created highlights, they have also made for unnecessary fouls and easy scores for his assigned matchup. 

His limited versatility on this end of the floor will make it easy for the offense to target him. However, his IQ and effort do not necessarily make him a defensive liability.

Looking Ahead

Dillingham left a good impression in his first season with Kentucky regarding his willingness to take on a bench role, especially in favor of another freshman hoping to find his way to the NBA in DJ Wagner. He put his ego aside for the team’s betterment and did so with contagious energy. 

He never let his bench role hinder his confidence or attitude, and for a 19-year-old, this is a big green flag for the NBA teams drafting inside the top 10. His biggest weakness is his size, which can only improve so much, but something there is no question about is his willingness to work and get better. 

Dillingham will thrive under a fast-paced playstyle, where he can get out in transition and expose defenses with his elite ballhandling and finishing abilities. These skills, along with his potential as a playmaker, are similar to those of Tim Hardaway Sr. If he can find ways to make a consistent impact defensively, he has the chance to become a long-term starting point guard in the NBA.