Robin Lopez: Off The Hook
The New York Knicks signed Robin Lopez for his defense, but little did they know they signed a proficient isolation post scorer.
On Jan. 20, Robin Lopez exploded for 22 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks as the New York Knicks beat the Utah Jazz in overtime, 118-111. Given his season averages, and that fewer than 20 players have built up those stats in a game, this performance felt extra special.
Mix in the fact that RoLo’s performance boasted the second-highest field-goal percentage of all applicable games and the circumstances of this game, the Jazz stuck Rudy Gobert (2.7 BPG) on him, and this suddenly sounds like a career game. It was.
It’s the only time Lopez has dropped those numbers, and not very many others have done so more than three times; the 22/12/3 threshold is strangely elusive considering that off the top of your head, it seems well within the averages of many centers.
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Some players that have not done this more than three times are Draymond Green, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, and DeAndre Jordan. Eddy Curry did this twice in a month before. (No, seriously)
But back to the floppy-haired epicenter of this article. Lopez shot all but one of his 14 field goal attempts within five feet of the basket. Twelve days prior to this outburst, he finished a four-game string in which he averaged mpre than 11 field goal attempts per game — his season average is 7.3.
Lopez showed a tremendous amount of promise which provided the Knicks with a hopeful glimpse of a more complex offensive machine. If they can start getting 12 points per game from their center, many of which he creates for himself, then they have an offensive cog they did not expect to have when they inked Lopez to a four-year deal this summer.
NBA.com’s records have 54.5 percent of Lopez’s field goals that game earning a teammate an assist. Having watched and rewatched that game, I think the Madison Square Garden scoring officials handed the Knicks dishers a few treats. In this play, for example, Kristaps Porzingis trotted back after tallying another assist despite the fact that Lopez created that whole shot for himself.
How has such a historically mediocre offensive talent achieved such success?
Like almost every other question in basketball, the answer comes down to space. Robin, like his offensive-minded brother, takes his sweet time in the post. Because he was not gifted with a voluminous behind, Lopez uses his awful posture to his advantage. He leans forward to prevent the opposing big from reaching in and poking at the ball.
From there, he finds his spot of release. A few dribbles later, the hook swing commences. It’s absolutely uncanny how seldom opponents block Lopez considering he barely elevates off the ground for his hook. Even more surprising, he manages to keep the ball secure even though he holds it out in the open as a low-hanging fruit for a guard to come and swipe.
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And there you have it. The Knicks have found another player who can score on his own and do so without stalling the offense and consuming a chunk of the shot clock.