New York Knicks: 3 reasons Mitchell Robinson was a good pick

1. Immense upside

When selecting at the top of the second round, you can usually find some talented players still available. Not everyone can be a first round pick, so some will fall through the cracks. Sometimes, those players drop because of some red flags. That’s what happened with Robinson, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has immense upside.

Robinson was a top-rated player coming out of high school. He was a five-star recruit out of Chalmette High School in New Orleans. Robinson was the 11th ranked player overall and No. 3 center behind Deandre Ayton and Mohamed Bamba. A little over a year removed from those rankings, it is evident that Robinson is talented.

Had Robinson attended Western Kentucky, some draft analysts, including Fran Fraschilla of ESPN, believed he would have been a lottery pick. Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick and Bamba was No. 6, and Fraschilla believes Robinson would have been at the same level.

In Las Vegas at Summer League, Robinson showcased some of that upside. In addition to his dominance defensively, Robinson also showed his rim-running ability. He had multiple put-back dunks and alley-oops.

Right now, that is probably the extent of his offensive ability. However, he has shown some signs of becoming much more than that. While being scouted, he showed he has a chance to become a stretch-big with range beyond the 3-point line.

Mitchell Robinson has work to do, but the potential is there. He could become a difference-maker for the Knicks on both ends of the court. Right off the bat, his defensive presence should be felt, and he could really flourish if given the chance to develop.