Thomas Robinson Needs To Make Most of Sixers Opportunity

Three years ago, Thomas Robinson was a Collegiate National Player of the Year candidate. He was named All-America First Team and took Kansas to the National Championship Game, where they lost to Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and the rest of a Kentucky team that was the most stacked we’d seen until the current iteration. Robinson was viewed as a consensus top-five pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and the Charlotte Hornets were strongly considering taking him second instead of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Again, this was less than three years ago.

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Instead, Robinson ended up as the fifth overall pick in that draft, selected by the Sacramento Kings. And since, nothing Robinson has done has equated to the success Robinson had in that 2011-2012 NCAA season. Robinson’s currently on his fifth NBA team in three seasons, having been traded by the Kings, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers, waived by the Denver Nuggets, and now signed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Less than three years after being the fifth pick in a pretty strong draft class, Robinson has 22 more games with the Sixers this season to show that he belongs in the NBA before his impending free agency.

It’s not that Robinson hasn’t shown flashes as a pro so far. He had a few double-doubles in his rookie season here and there, even though he shot poorly overall (43 percent from the field) and was traded to the Houston Rockets mid-season. Then, after an offseason deal to Portland, Robinson had a very similar season last year.

Playing behind LaMarcus Alridge, Robinson rarely got extensive playing time, but he still had a few solid games. Look at his 15-point effort in 16 minutes against Phoenix in November, a 14 point, 18 rebound game against the Timberwolves in February, and a strong performance off the bench in Game 6 of last year’s first-round series against Houston. He’s been a per-36 minute rebounding machine, posting 11.8 rebounds per-36 in his career, and his shooting has improved each season; going from 43 percent as a rookie to 48.1 percent last year, and then jumping slightly to 50.4 percent this season.

Mar 1, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Thomas Robinson (41) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Philadelphia 94-74. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Robinson also has had the misfortune of lack of opportunity so far. In Sacramento, Robinson couldn’t crack playing time over the NBA’s most immovable object, Jason Thompson.

In Houston, the Rockets were in the middle of a playoff push, and already had a young power forward who fit their roster better in Terrence Jones; and of course, LaMarcus Aldridge is pretty good, so it’s no shock Portland wasn’t kind to T-Rob when it came to minutes either.

However, Robinson definitely has thorns. His post game is ugly, as is his mid-range shot, where he is shooting 31.8 percent this season, per Basketball-Reference. He’s foul-prone, averaging five per-36 minutes, and almost equally turnover prone, especially in the post. He hasn’t really made any huge jumps defensively, either. And that’s before we get to the questions about how seriously Robinson takes the NBA.

Now, as a part of the 76ers, Robinson needs to make a contract push. So far, he’s been decent for Philly, posting 9.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game through four contests behind Nerlens Noel at power forward. He’s getting nearly 16 minutes per game with the 76ers, far higher than he’s ever seen in his career, and is on a good defensive team with a good coach.

The environment is right for Robinson to be able to showcase what he can do a first in his career. He needs to actually do that, though. Given the number of teams he’s played for in his short career, we could be approaching Robinson’s last chance to stick in the NBA, and this stretch with the Sixers might be his last chance to prove he belongs in the league. Hopefully, for his sake and the 76ers’ sake, he can start to put some things together.