Thomas Robinson

Thomas Robinson
PF, 6’10, 237lbs, 26 years old, 5 years of experience

Managed the rare feat of shooting better in traditional field goal percentage (.536%) than in his true shooting percentage (.535%), due to a lack of shooting range and awful free throw shooting. Not a bad season overall, though. Robinson is a very good rebounder, particularly on the offensive end, who hustles around the court, and while he still tends to completely lose the action defensively, the athleticism gives him some value there as well. A jump shot would help, and the skill level still isn’t hugely high, but the awareness on both ends is still the priority for development.

Player Plan: Expiring minimum salary contract who, warts and all, has made incremental improvements to his game and excels in rebounding, a skill that does not deteriorate quickly. Also bring back for the minimum.

Second-round picks are the new first-round picks. It is they which are used on reclamation projects (Thomas Robinson, already traded twice in his career, has yet to yield one), and for acquiring decent backups. Memphis acquired the rights to Wroten's replacement, Nick Calathes, from Dallas in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick. Milwaukee acquired a second-round pick as compensation for taking on Luke Ridnour as a part of the Kevin Martin trade. Sacramento acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from Milwaukee in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick and the right to swap 2019 seconds, and at the last deadline, Marcus Morris, a useful player for Houston, yielded only a second-rounder, too.

Pick 5: Right after Cleveland picks Voshon Lenard at four, Sacramento picks Kris Humphries at five. Kris Humphries in this instance is Thomas Robinson of Kansas, and the Kings are extremely pleased about it. Not only do they get the opportunity to bag the draft's second best big man when they didn't think they would have the opportunity to do so, but they also had the awkward should-we-take-Dion-Waiters decision taken out of their hands. Because they really would have gone there. You know it. (And I base that on absolutely nothing.)

Sacramento is thrilled with the pick, as well they should be. They get the second best big in the draft when they really shouldn't have been able to, and also now have an excuse to not pay Jason Thompson, which should please ownership. Robinson should be a double double guy in the Humphries mould for many years, and if a Humphries comparison is interpreted as a pejorative, it really shouldn't be, as Kris Humphries can play. Robinson should also surpass Humphries as a player, as he is better on both ends of the court. There's no reason why, with a clean bill of health, Robinson couldn't put up 14/10 indefinitely. Or maybe more. He has the physical tools, the skill, and the motor to do so. And between him and DeMarcus Cousins, they won't miss a rebound all year.

Upon being drafted, Robinson cries, and is lauded for his high character. Robinson raises his younger sister as though he were her father because he lost much of his family within a three week span last year - it is, by all accounts, completely true to say he is a high character guy. Yet everyone thus far - apart from perhaps Waiters, who nonetheless received praise for maturing somewhat - has been lauded for this reason. Whose decision is it to place such an emphasis on that this year? Was it ESPN, an NBA directive, or merely the panel's own imperative? Whichever it is, it is overused to the point of being strained. Surely we should already be assuming that people are nice until we learn otherwise.

What we do get instead is our first pre-teen interview of the night, as Heather Cox draws the tough assignment of interviewing Robinson's young sister. Understandably crippled with fear, the sister manages few words, the awkward silences harkening back to the Stu Scott era. The talk in NBA circles is always about "putting people in a position where they can succeed," and neither Heather nor the sister were put in such a position. Nevertheless, Heather succeeded.

About this time, Jonathan Givony tweets that a backstage Thomas Robinson "looks PISSED." Maybe they weren't happy tears after all.

The third big in Kansas's three man rotation is Thomas Robinson, who has improved beyond all recognition this season. Last year, Robinson was a very athletic player with more potential than production; this season, he's learnt to use those tools. Robinson runs the court well, and has learnt to create from the mid-range and all, driving the ball to the basket and using his considerable athletic advantages. Robinson retains the shot blocking and rebounding tools of before, whilst now bringing this offensive game, and adding a jumpshot with some range. This is an impressive sophomore and a future NBA player, with shades of Marcus Haislip about him. In a good way.