Dillingham Declares for the NBA Draft

Robert Dillingham made it official Tuesday afternoon on ESPN's NBA Today studio show that he is declaring for the NBA Draft while foregoing his college playing eligibility. He also signed to the Klutch Sports Agency.

The move is no surprise. The freshman guard is on all valid mock draft sites as a high end first round pick. Most experts see him as a lottery selection.

Dillingham played 32 games this past season averaging 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 23.3 minutes per game. He was a 47.5% shooter, but had huge numbers from three point range where he made 44.4% of his tries. He also went 79.5% from the charity stripe.

The North Carolina native has some microwaveable offensive tendencies. He had huge scoring outings of 35 in Rupp Arena against Tennessee. He made 14 of 20 shots. He also had 27 in the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M. Dillingham broke the 20-point mark eight times.

He was ranked No. 15 in the 2023 Class by Rivals, and was named the Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year.

Dillingham is the second player to declare to the draft, but he could join an exodus of players leaving the program while the basketball world waits for John Calipari to be named the new Head Coach at Arkansas.

Justin Edwards was the first to announce his plans for the NBA. Aaron Bradshaw, Adou Theiro, and Joey Hart have already announced they are entering the transfer portal.

Stay tuned to Cats Illustrated for the future roster and coaching moves inside the Kentucky program.