The Los Angeles Lakers have until Jan. 10 to make a decision on Thomas Robinson, but his play recently should make their decision an easy one.
While the record isn’t great for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, they have been one of the more entertaining teams to watch. They have a lot of intriguing young talent that is coming together under the tutelage of Luke Walton with a solid mix of veterans. They headed into the month of December with a .500 record but have fallen on tough times.
The Lakers will finish 2016 with a record of 12-24 thanks to an ugly 2-14 December. While the wins and losses are not where they had hoped after a strong first month, the Lakers may have found a diamond in the rough in Thomas Robinson.
Robinson was a highly touted prospect coming out of Kansas. He was selected No. 5 overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2012 after a monster junior season with the Jayhawks. He averaged 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game en route to Big 12 Player of the Year honors.
On paper, Robinson looked like he would make a solid pairing next to DeMarcus Cousins in the Kings’ frontcourt, but Robinson never had a chance to prove his worth in Sacramento, as he was traded to the Houston Rockets 51 games into his NBA career.
It started a tough path for Robinson. He was traded again that offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers, making him a part of three organizations before he even began his second NBA season. He stuck with the Trail Blazers for a season and half, as he was traded to the Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline in 2015.
He lasted three days with the Nuggets before they waived him, appearing in zero games for the team. He was claimed by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played 22 games and had the best stats of his career. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game, all career-highs.
He became a free agent after that season and signed on with the Brooklyn Nets. He appeared in a career-high 71 games, making a career-high seven starts. But, he wasn’t afforded many opportunities as he played only 12.9 minutes per game. He was once again met with a cold free agency market before landing with the Los Angeles Lakers on a non-guaranteed contract.
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While it was not an ideal free agency for Robinson, he is making the most of the opportunity being given to him. It took an injury to Larry Nance Jr. for Robinson to get his chance and he is capitalizing.
Nance bruised his knee and is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks. It gave Robinson a chance to step into the rotation and he has produced in the last five games. In the five games since Nance was sidelined, Robinson is averaging 7.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals in 18 minutes per game. He is also shooting well, making 73.9 percent of his shot attempts.
The performance is catching the attention of Walton, who spoke highly of Robinson when talking to Mark Medina of the Orange County Register.
"“He quickly showed how hard he works and how hard he plays every time he plays basketball,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said. “He filled a reputation for himself at least in my eyes right off the bat. Through his hard work and the way he competed on the floor in training camp, he earned a spot on the team.”"
With all of the turmoil that Robinson has faced it should be no surprise that he brings that effort whenever he gets on the court, whether it be during a game or practice. The Lakers are the seventh organization that he has been a part of despite this being only his fifth season in the NBA.
There was a reason that he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in 2012, and it is something he wants to make sure people remember in due time.
"“I’m on a mission as far as getting back to a certain level in my game and confidence and respect level from people around the league, starting with the [Lakers] organization,” Robinson said."
That is the kind of mindset coaches like to hear. Robinson was signed to a non-guaranteed deal and had to earn his minutes. He has done exactly that and should be locking up a roster spot in the process.
Since his contract is not guaranteed, the Lakers have until Jan. 10 to make a decision on if they want to keep him or not. If Robinson is on the Lakers roster come Jan. 10, his contract will become guaranteed.
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I think it is safe to say that Robinson has earned a spot on the team for the duration of the season. At only 25 years old, Robinson still has plenty of basketball ahead of him. He could be yet another young player that the Lakers can add to their growing nucleus to help get them back to prominence.