2018 NBA Draft: 3 reasons Los Angeles Lakers must be wary of Mitchell Robinson
2. A questionable feel for the game
Up to this point in his very brief hoops career, Robinson has relied on his size and athleticism to overwhelm opponents. Some of the finer aspects of the game, however, have alluded him — or at least they did at the high school level.
Seeing as he spent all of the 2017-18 season away from organized basketball, though, I’d imagine not a lot of progress has been made towards refining his overall skill-set.
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During his time at Chalmette High, Robinson had a tough time with some of the nuances. Those include passing, protecting the basketball and playing smart, instinctive defense. Throughout his high school career, he averaged 0.5 assists per game while turning the ball over 1.8 times per game (via Max Preps). Despite his gaudy 6.9 blocks per game, that was more a product of his size, long arms and lateral quickness.
You know what would have helped him in those departments? Spending a year playing at the college level. Instead, he bailed on his stay at Western Kentucky before it really even began, opting instead to train on his own. Sounds like a smart approach to unlocking your potential.
As tantalizing of a prospect as Robinson is on film, he’s got a lot of growing to do. Despite his elite physical tools, there’s so much he still needs to learn before he’s ready to dominate at the top level of competition. Unfortunately for him, all of his fellow incoming rookies have had an extra year in the classroom, which isn’t going to help his short-term development.
In the NBA, Robinson isn’t going to be able to rely solely on his height and athleticism to beat opponents. That’s why developing the finer details like passing and ball control are going to be paramount to determining whether or not he becomes the star he’s capable of being.