If Rob Dillingham Slides, Could OKC Thunder Swoop In?

If Oklahoma City keeps its lottery pick, there could be a handful of highly talented players available. Even though this draft isn’t labeled as a loaded class, there’s sure to be many more opinions in hindsight. And despite the class, the Thunder has fared well with the No. 12 pick in its franchise’s history.

According to Evan Sidery, one prospect who could be available at No. 12 is Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham — and this is certainly a surprise. For the latter half of the college basketball season, Dillingham seemed like a penciled in top ten pick. With lottery teams shooting for the stars with project players or teams drafting strictly based on need, he’s reportedly losing steam as a top ten selection. If he somehow falls to the Thunder’s selection at No. 12, does he make sense on the current roster?

There’s buzz building around a potential draft slide for Rob Dillingham, who is unlikely to go in the top-10.

Dillingham’s size — 6’1” without shoes and a 6’3” wingspan — alongside many lottery teams not prioritizing point guards could be pushing him down the board.

Don’t be… pic.twitter.com/FvbmDps7Qp
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 17, 2024

The short answer is yes. Oklahoma City could be looking for a backup big man or a lengthy wing this offseason, but a creating point guard off the bench is also an underrated spot of need. Dillingham is exactly that.

At Kentucky, the point guard averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 minutes in just 23 minutes per game. He was Kentucky’s go-to guy down the stretch and came up big in multiple instances. Dillingham can score at will, and the difficulty of the shots he’s able to hit is impressive. He’s a pure shooter and is able to get to his shot with crazy dribble combinations.

His size, however, could be an issue. He measured in at 6-foot-1 and can’t be more than 170 pounds. Very few guards in the NBA can withstand the physicality of the league with those measurements. Oklahoma City seems to excel with unconventional prototypes, though, and Dillingham would be able to be a spark plug off the bench.

In the playoffs, Oklahoma City’s offense dried up big time when Jalen Williams couldn’t get going. Clearing out and letting an electrifying guard like Dillingham create off the dribble could open up a lot of looks for this Thunder team.

If Dillingham falls to No. 12, the sheer talent is too much to pass up on. He feels like a player that the NBA community scratches their head about a few years down the road, wondering how he slipped so far in the draft. His measurements didn’t seem to be an issue at the highest level of college basketball, and a few years in the league should allow him to put on at least a few extra pounds.

A situation like Oklahoma City’s would be ideal for him. He wouldn’t be counted on to be a lead guard early on and could transition to the NBA at his own pace.

And a quick but important side note: Oklahoma City has had pretty solid success with guards from Kentucky.

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