2024 NBA Draft: Raptors Should Target Rob Dillingham
We are over halfway through the season and the Toronto Raptors currently have the sixth worst record in the NBA. After losing Fred VanVleet in the offseason to the Houston Rockets, trading away OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and sending Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, it’s clear that they are entering a different chapter in their organization. Scottie Barnes now has the keys to the team as he has proven he’s an elite talent after making his first ever All-Star team this season.
The Raptors will continue to try their best to build around Barnes who’s only in his third season in the NBA. With the projected sixth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft they have the ability to get a star player next to him. A prospect they should target is Rob Dillingham out of the University of Kentucky. The 6-foot-2 point guard is a projected top ten pick in this year’s upcoming draft and is considered one of the best lead guards in the entire draft. Let’s dive into his potential fit in Toronto.
Dillingham is an elite offensive talent as he’s a high level shot-maker, incredibly shifty with the ball due to his elite handle and great speed and he’s a very good playmaker. There’s a lot to like about the Kentucky star, as he is a polarizing offensive prospect. One negative about the Raptors is that they have one of the worst offensive ratings in the league at 26th in the NBA in offensive rating. Dillingham could certainly fix that issue if he was to get drafted there.
Although the Raptors recently traded for Immanuel Quickley and he has been a great acquisition for them, he may not be the franchise point guard of the future for Toronto. With Dillingham, you are getting a point guard that could comfortably score 20-plus points a night after he gets adjusted to the league and be a playmaker for teammates. The talented lead guard consistently creates advantages on the offensive end and would be instant offense for the Raptors.
Obviously their franchise player is Barnes, so another question is how would Dillingham fit next to him? They should absolutely thrive off of each other as Dillingham has the ability to play off the ball due to his scoring ability and elite shooting off the catch as he shoots over 40% from behind the arc. Barnes would have an elite offensive talent next to them and their personalities would definitely mesh well together.
One thing that stands true is that the point guard position is the hardest learning curve in the NBA, so you shouldn’t expect Dillingham to come in and make an immediate winning impact for the Raptors if he were to get drafted there. Learning how to be a professional and the concepts of the NBA takes time for young players, but if they remain patient and correctly build around Barnes and Dillingham then we could be looking at a special duo for years to come.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.