Philadelphia 76ers: Thomas Robinson Looking Like A Keeper

When the Philadelphia 76ers snagged Thomas Robinson from the Brooklyn Nets’ grasp off waivers of Feb. 22, the former No. 5 overall draft pick was expected to serve as another one of general manager Sam Hinkie’s low-risk, take-your-own-guess-at-the-reward project players that have become all too common in Philly during his tenure.

There were only 26 games remaining on the Sixers’ season slate, which meant Philadelphia would have less than a third of a season to decide what they felt Robinson was worth to the rebuilding franchise was and could become before the third-year power forward becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

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Robinson is now only a mere 11 games into his journey as a Sixer, but based off what he has shown during this minute amount of time, it certainly appears to be worth it for the Sixers to keep Robinson on board for at least one more season.

During his first 11 games in Philadelphia, Robinson’s efforts off the bench have been impressive to say the least, especially considering the void of considerable talent that we know to be the 76ers’ roster. Despite only playing 17.3 minutes per game, which is just shy of a quarter and a half per contest, Robinson has managed to put up eight points and snag 8.6 rebounds per night.

Those might not be the most impressive numbers, but it speaks volumes to this guy’s activity while he’s on the court to be fall just shy of a double-double average while sitting more than half of each game.

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Of course, it was to be expected that Robinson would have to come in and earn in time on the hardwood in Philly behind a group of guys who, just like Robinson, would be competing for their livelihood in the NBA on a nightly basis, but to this point, he’s done a considerable job of proving he needs to be on the court more.

Robinson’s per 36 minutes numbers go a little something like this: 16.7 points and 18 rebounds, with 6.6 of those boards coming off the offensive glass. Additionally, when Robinson is on the court, he consistently cleans the glass with 25 percent of the Sixers’ rebounds, which is second on the team to only Nerlens Noel’s 29 percent.

For simple comparison, Anthony Davis‘ rebound percentage for the New Orleans Pelicans is 31 percent while on the floor, so it’s safe to say Robinson is excelling in that category.

Another reason for Hinkie to be impressed with Robinson and strongly consider the possibility of brining him back to the City of Brotherly Love after this season? He’s the Sixers’ current leader in PER (Player Efficiency Rating) at 18.9, which is just short of the top 20 PERs in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler at 21.2.

But even more telling about Robinson is something that can’t necessarily be so easily seen by simply looking at numbers. The stats won’t show you the countless hustle plays that have been ever-present during Robinson’s time in Philly.

They won’t show you Robinson hitting the floor to secure a change of possession or the 6’10”, 237-pound power forward turning every possible rebound into a near battle for the opposition.

Mar 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Thomas Robinson (41) dives for a ball past Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: The 76ers won 92-84. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The numbers can’t so easily show you the tough, hard nose, defensive-minded play style that comes with Robinson and is necessary to play basketball in the city of Philadelphia, but it has certainly caught the eye of coach Brett Brown, via Philly.com:

“When you just talk about his skill package, he’s got tenacity,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said of Robinson. “If he does anything, he plays hard. . . . His gift is he is highly, highly competitive. And there is a bull mentality in him.”

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This all equates to an extremely competitive and talented player who simply hasn’t been presented with an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than being thrown into the fire and expected to win now, as Robinson was in Portland and Houston.

There’s no better place than Philly for that, with a management team that has consistently expressed that the process and development was the focal point of what they are building.

“It’s scary to think about what we three have here, especially with those two (Noel and Embiid) getting older. … Everybody is excited for Joel [who is sitting out this season after knee surgery] to come back, and if I keep doing my thing, it’s definitely scary.”

It certainly sounds like Robinson is starting to find some comfort in Philly and it’s an added bonus that he is including himself as part of the frontcourt of the future with Embiid and Noel, which indicates he isn’t expected to come in and steal the spotlight as a starter.

Based on everything Robinson has shown thus far in Philly, along with the fact that the other options – guys like Furkan Aldemir and Henry Sims – simply aren’t that appealing, I would agree that letting Robinson slip from their grasp in the offseason is something Hinkie and the Sixers would come to regret.

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Thomas Robinson Looking Like A Keeper For The Philadelphia 76ers

By Cody Daniel | Mar 17, 2015

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