Rob Dillingham’s early season was defined by a jarring inability to read NBA defenses, resulting in a chaotic string of wild drives and empty bench minutes. Even when the ball actually went through the hoop, hidden costs severely dragged him down. He tallied a stretch-high 11 points on 11/09 vs SAC, yet forced the issue so badly on drives that he posted a dismal -3.0 impact score. His longest leash came on 11/03 vs BKN, where poor shot selection and an utter lack of rhythm tanked his overall rating to a staggering -9.2. The offensive game simply looked completely broken. Yet, Dillingham occasionally found ways to survive on the floor without scoring at all. During a scoreless nine-minute run on 11/24 vs SAC, exceptional defensive engagement and high-energy hustle miraculously generated a +4.0 impact mark. Until he stops over-dribbling and cleans up his erratic finishing, those scrappy defensive plays will be his only saving grace.

This brutal mid-season stretch was defined by erratic shot selection and glaring defensive frailties that kept Rob Dillingham anchored to the bench. He occasionally managed to spark the offense without filling the stat sheet, like when he posted a +2.2 impact score on 12/31 vs ATL by injecting immediate pace and decisive decision-making into the late-game rotation. Those flashes were incredibly rare. Far more often, his minutes were an unmitigated disaster. Look no further than 01/04 vs WAS, where he logged an abysmal -11.5 impact score while producing 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists due to completely empty possessions and defensive breakdowns. Even when he managed to put the ball in the basket, his underlying value remained severely compromised by terrible habits on the other end of the floor. During 02/07 vs DEN, Dillingham scored 9 points and dished 4 assists, but his defensive frailties at the point of attack allowed opposing guards to consistently collapse the defense, dragging his impact score down to a poor -6.2. Unless he learns to navigate physical matchups and stops rushing off-balance floaters, he will remain a massive liability for the second unit.