Struggling to find minutes in a loaded LA Clippers back-court and dealing with injuries dating back to Summer League, most would say lottery pick (#13) Jerome Robinson is headed towards a short stint in the NBA. Today, I will show why that isn’t the case.
The LA Clippers struck gold with their first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after making a draft-day trade with the Charlotte Hornets that swapped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Miles Bridges.
SGA has taken the starting spot at point and looks to be a solid player for the Clippers now and down the line. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for teammate, Jerome Robinson.
Bouncing back and forth from the Agua Caliente Clippers and the LA Clippers, Robinson has shown flashes of his sweet shooting stroke and scoring ability that got him drafted in the lottery out of Boston College.
As of today, Robinson has been dealing with a nagging foot injury that has prevented him from playing the last couple of weeks.
Clippers believe rookie Jerome Robinson (foot) can be back playing around Christmas. He’s getting up shots today before practice. pic.twitter.com/5Di1IkiTgA
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) December 19, 2018
However, what if I told you the Clippers main goal with Robinson is not developing him for this season but for next year and the future. I will go in-depth and show you just how the Clippers plan on using Robinson.
Rumors have been swirling lately via ESPN’s Stephen A Smith and Brian Windhorst, that the Clippers are reportedly trying to acquire Warriors Small Forward Kevin Durant and/or Raptors Small Forward Kawhi Leonard next season via Free Agency.
Should the Clippers be successful in acquiring one or both, the dynamic back-court duo next year and going forward will most certainly be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson.
A lineup of SGA-Robinson-Kawhi/Tobias-KD/Tobias-Center, provides the team with spacing, length and shooting to give opposing defense’s problems.
Clippers Senior Advisor Jerry West had his name written all over this pick. Any similarities between Robinson and another lethal shooter/scorer in today’s game? Offensively, Robinson has the skillet and tools similar to Warriors Guard Klay Thompson.
If you recall, West was apart of the Warriors Front Office that took Thompson with pick #11 in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Here are two clips comparing the two guards.
A career day for @LAClippers assignee Jerome Robinson (@Rome_Coldbucks1).
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 14, 2018
The @BCMBB product dropped 3⃣5⃣ POINTS today for the @ACClippers! pic.twitter.com/eH6s9eyMID
When comparing the two, Thompson was the backup shooting guard behind Monta Ellis at the time before taking over the following year.
The case with Jerome is the Clippers have numerous guards ahead of him, making it hard to see any playing time.
Should Robinson, 21, be able to become a better defensive player, Doc Rivers will most certainly have to give him playing time this year at Shooting Guard.
The recent play of Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley surely has fans wondering why Robinson hasn’t been given that opportunity to see time in the starting lineup.
Two other guards that Coach Doc Rivers was able to get most use out of was former Clippers Guard J.J. Redick and retired sharpshooter Ray Allen.
If Rivers is still at the helm next season, I can imagine him using Robinson, like Allen and Redick, with off-ball screens off of the 3-Point line and the Mid-Range. Robinson has showed he can even be a primary ball handler and showcase his handling and passing.
The future is bright for Robinson as he has great potential and development ahead of him, even if it isn’t this season, Clipper fans will sure get to know his name next season and beyond.