As part of the Chicago Bulls trade deadline acquisitions, was guard Rob Dillingham. The former No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft never really found his footing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in one and a half seasons.
The Timberwolves gave up early on him as they needed to acquire a veteran guard for a playoff push. But now for Dillingham, he’s hoping a fresh start will pay dividends and will help his confidence grow.
That would be great for the Bulls, too. If they can find a way to get Dillingham going, he could be a diamond in the rough and a piece that they can use in their rebuild. In Saturday’s loss to the Timberwolves, Dillingham didn’t light up the stat sheet by any means but he did show flashes of what he could do. And after the game, he talked about how he just needs his confidence to grow.
Rob Dillingham says confidence is biggest key
Jan 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) dribbles against the Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
It’s clear that Dillingham couldn’t get anything going in Minnesota, bouncing in and out of the lineup. But now, with some confidence, he believes he can take the next step. Here is what he told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times after the loss to the Denver Nuggets.
‘‘Just confidence,’’ Dillingham said when he asked what he needed to do to take the next step in his NBA journey. ‘‘Confidence from my teammates, confidence from my coaches. I just feel like I haven’t gotten a super opportunity where I feel confident. Just gaining that back and realizing I’ve been working the whole time, so it’s not like it automatically left where I wasn’t as good. I’m just waiting for the spark to come back.’’
In 22 minutes, Dilllingham scored just nine points but he did help lead the Bulls offense as a guard. His playing style certainly fits the Bulls’ system better than previous options.
With the Bulls struggling and essentially rebuilding this year and next, he should have plenty more minutes to take advantage of.
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