Drafting Jerome Robinson
Jerome Robinson flew up draft boards in the weeks prior to the draft day. Why? The Boston College guard can play on or off the ball and score in a variety of ways. His ball-handling is advanced and he uses his creativity to generate offense. As the kids say nowadays, Jerome Robinson “is a bucket.”
So why am I not going to grade this pick as highly as I did the Gilgeous-Alexander selection? Robinson surely has the capability to take the mold of his new teammate Lou Williams. But, other prospects with a game similar to Robinson were still available.
Guys like Lonnie Walker IV and Zhaire Smith were still on the board. In my opinion, both of these players have a higher ceiling than Robinson, although they also have a lower floor. Of course, the ultimate boom-or-bust pick, Michael Porter Jr., was still available.
Should Jerry West and company have gambled on one of those aforementioned prospects? Perhaps. Gilgeous-Alexander already looks like a safe pick, so rolling the dice on their second lottery selection may have been prudent. Still, Robinson has a bevy of hardworking guards to learn from, and the Los Angeles Clippers drafted a solid prospect.
Grade: B+