bajaden
Hall of Famer
I decided to wait for a while before giving my thoughts on his performance in summer league. Sort of let the depression of the first four games wear off a bit, and see if I could find some positives. Like many people, my kneejerk reactions are just that, in the moment outbursts of emotion, with little objective thought involved.
So let me start by saying that Robinson wasn't my first choice. Obviously Anthony Davis was. No chance there! My second choice, as I'm sure everyone knows was Michael Gilchrist, and when the Bobcats took him with the 2nd pick, I was very disappointed. However, I think they made the right choice. After those two, it became less clear. I liked Robinson, but I also liked Bradley Beal. However, the fact that Beal was a SG and that I couldn't decide that one was the clear winner on the talent side of the contest, I was happy with Robinson as our pick.
After the first couple of games, I started to question my ability to judge talent. He wasn't just bad, he was at times horrible. He looked like a bull in a china shop, going too fast and out of control. There were times when Uncia03 and I sat there next to one another, and we were basicly speechless. I think neither one of us wanted to confirm what the other was thinking.
Finally came game five, and a little redemption. I'm not going to say he played well in that game, because overall, he didn't. But, by comparison to the first four, it looked like an olympic performance. He slowed down, he made better decisions, and he did the one thing he should always be able to do, he rebounded! And to some degree, I think his ability to rebound the ball was sort of lost on us during the first four games.
He ended up leading all rookie players in Las Vegas in rebounding, and was second overall amongs't all players, averaging 9.8 per game for the five games. The important thing is, that in the last game we saw improvement, and, with that small improvement, he became revelant. He had an impact on the game. Something that was missing in the first four, where just about every impact he had, was negative. turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate, among other things.
So, if he could make such an impact with just minor improvements, how much impact could he make in the future with major improvments? The question is, just how good can Robinson be? After taking everything into consideration, I think he can be very good. He's big enough to play PF. He's 6'9" in shoes and has an above average wingspan. He has very good upper body strength. If he needs to get stronger, its in his core or lower body, but he's hardly inadequate.
For his size, 245 pounds, he may be one of the quickest players on the team. No matter how quick he looked on TV, he looks even quicker in person. He has guard like quickness. If you add that quickness, along with his surprising ability to handle the ball, to a consistent jumpshot, and an improved post game, you have someone very difficult to guard.
He showed very good passing ability, and the willingness to pass. He seemed to enjoy setting up his teammates. However, his decision making in that area was very poor, at times passing the ball to fans in the stands. But he did show skills in that area. In short, Robinson is a diamond in the rough. Perhaps a little rougher than we originally thought. But if he's brought along properly, and he develops the necessary skills, he could be a great compliment to Cousins.
He needs to develop a better post game, and more importantly, he needs to be able to hit that 15 to 17 footer consistently. We know he can rebound. Most of all, he needs to slow down. Having his kind of speed and quickness is terrific, but it has to be used properly, and at the right time. I can see him being able to take just about any PF in the league off the dribble if he can hit that jumpshot.
Defensively, its hard to make any kind of judgement. In college he was an aggressive defender, and certainly put out the effort. In summer league, little defense is played, unless your the Bobcats of course. In college he ended up guarding the other teams center at times. He'll get his share of blocked shots as a weakside help defender, and I think with the right instruction, he could be very good in that area. But for starters, I'll settle with just stopping the ball, and keeping his man in front of him. With his athletic ability and lateral quickness, that should be accheivable.
Right now, Robinson is like a box of raw nuclear material that needs to be refined. And if and when that happens, he could make quite an explosion in the NBA.
So let me start by saying that Robinson wasn't my first choice. Obviously Anthony Davis was. No chance there! My second choice, as I'm sure everyone knows was Michael Gilchrist, and when the Bobcats took him with the 2nd pick, I was very disappointed. However, I think they made the right choice. After those two, it became less clear. I liked Robinson, but I also liked Bradley Beal. However, the fact that Beal was a SG and that I couldn't decide that one was the clear winner on the talent side of the contest, I was happy with Robinson as our pick.
After the first couple of games, I started to question my ability to judge talent. He wasn't just bad, he was at times horrible. He looked like a bull in a china shop, going too fast and out of control. There were times when Uncia03 and I sat there next to one another, and we were basicly speechless. I think neither one of us wanted to confirm what the other was thinking.
Finally came game five, and a little redemption. I'm not going to say he played well in that game, because overall, he didn't. But, by comparison to the first four, it looked like an olympic performance. He slowed down, he made better decisions, and he did the one thing he should always be able to do, he rebounded! And to some degree, I think his ability to rebound the ball was sort of lost on us during the first four games.
He ended up leading all rookie players in Las Vegas in rebounding, and was second overall amongs't all players, averaging 9.8 per game for the five games. The important thing is, that in the last game we saw improvement, and, with that small improvement, he became revelant. He had an impact on the game. Something that was missing in the first four, where just about every impact he had, was negative. turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate, among other things.
So, if he could make such an impact with just minor improvements, how much impact could he make in the future with major improvments? The question is, just how good can Robinson be? After taking everything into consideration, I think he can be very good. He's big enough to play PF. He's 6'9" in shoes and has an above average wingspan. He has very good upper body strength. If he needs to get stronger, its in his core or lower body, but he's hardly inadequate.
For his size, 245 pounds, he may be one of the quickest players on the team. No matter how quick he looked on TV, he looks even quicker in person. He has guard like quickness. If you add that quickness, along with his surprising ability to handle the ball, to a consistent jumpshot, and an improved post game, you have someone very difficult to guard.
He showed very good passing ability, and the willingness to pass. He seemed to enjoy setting up his teammates. However, his decision making in that area was very poor, at times passing the ball to fans in the stands. But he did show skills in that area. In short, Robinson is a diamond in the rough. Perhaps a little rougher than we originally thought. But if he's brought along properly, and he develops the necessary skills, he could be a great compliment to Cousins.
He needs to develop a better post game, and more importantly, he needs to be able to hit that 15 to 17 footer consistently. We know he can rebound. Most of all, he needs to slow down. Having his kind of speed and quickness is terrific, but it has to be used properly, and at the right time. I can see him being able to take just about any PF in the league off the dribble if he can hit that jumpshot.
Defensively, its hard to make any kind of judgement. In college he was an aggressive defender, and certainly put out the effort. In summer league, little defense is played, unless your the Bobcats of course. In college he ended up guarding the other teams center at times. He'll get his share of blocked shots as a weakside help defender, and I think with the right instruction, he could be very good in that area. But for starters, I'll settle with just stopping the ball, and keeping his man in front of him. With his athletic ability and lateral quickness, that should be accheivable.
Right now, Robinson is like a box of raw nuclear material that needs to be refined. And if and when that happens, he could make quite an explosion in the NBA.
