As NBA teams began to firm up their rosters for training camp, and eventually the regular season, a young star was left without even a training camp invite as of this writing. 

Rob Dillingham was traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Charlotte Hornets during the offseason, and his stint with the Hornets ended quicker than his first step. Dillingham had actually been playing his best basketball with the Bulls, averaging 9.6 points in 21.5 minutes. A move to Charlotte could have allowed him to build on that 30-game sample size in Chicago, but now it seems he will have to wait until he finds another team willing to take a flier on him. 

Trades are nothing new for the former Kentucky Wildcat, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2024 NBA Draft and sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. Age is not an excuse to the reality of the NBA and while Dillingham has had some highs, he has been accustomed to facing the lows that have become a part of the league experience. 

Part of it is circumstance. Dillingham has had trouble cracking rotations overall because of the players ahead of him. He was never meant to replace Anthony Edwards, but there was a chance he could play alongside and at times even relieve him off the bench. However, the Wolves, the Bulls, and now even the Hornets did not have the patience to see how his game developed and thus, Dillingham became a victim of circumstance. 

On his part, Dillingham has not been able to fully and consistently translate his game to the pros. His time with the Wildcats revealed his scoring ability, but the lack of versatility and the inconsistency of his perimeter game were factors that made it hard for him to leapfrog some of his peers. Moreover, NBA defenses are more attuned to scorers of all kinds and college players tend to be easy prey especially when they don’t adjust in time. 

At 21, Dillingham is still young even by the modern NBA’s standards. That alone should still keep some doors open for him in the league. However, the patience, which at this point is already thin, may be even thinner. Coupled with most rosters being set, the combo guard may want to consider options abroad or in the NBA G-League. This could allow him to maximize meaningful reps to sharpen his game while also staying ready for potential roster invites later in the season. 

There was a time Rob Dillingham was a coveted player among NBA teams, but now, it’s him who has to make their time and resources worthwhile. Given the value of scoring in today’s NBA, there will still be a demand for Dillingham, but it all boils down to how he will adapt because at this level, the game adjusts for no one.