Golden State Warriors: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Signing Glenn Robinson III
The Golden State Warriors are going to have a gaping hole on the perimeter for at least part of the 2019-20 season as Klay Thompson recovers from the torn ACL he sustained during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
That opened a door for journeyman Glenn Robinson III, a former second-round pick who is heading for his fifth team in six NBA seasons after the Detroit Pistons declined his option for 2019-20.
Robinson got a two-year, $3.95 million deal from the Warriors on July 9, a contract that includes a $2.07 million player option in 2020-21.
Robinson, the son of former NBA All-Star and No. 1 overall pick Glenn Robinson, has never reached the level of his father — earning regular rotation minutes in just one of his first five seasons.
His outside shooting cratered last season with the Pistons, as he hit just 29.0 percent on 1.3 attempts per game over 47 games after nailing a career-best 41.2 percent on 1.5 attempts a night in 2017-18 with the Indiana Pacers.
Robinson will be 26 in January, so his potential upside could be exhausted and he may be just what he is at this point, a back-of-the-rotation wing who can be an explosive dunker and knock down a 3-ball on occasion.
Last season, Robinson shot 74.4 percent in the restricted area and was an anomalous 10-for-18 on deep 2s, but struggled in the shorter mid-range and was a train wreck outside the 3-point line.
If Robinson can be the guy who gave the Pacers almost 21 minutes a game of passable reserve duty in 2016-17, he can help Golden State. If he’s the guy who performed well below replacement-level in 2018-19, he won’t.
Grade: D