Post by DERRENMATTS on May 31, 2014 21:44:35 GMT -5
Two years ago, an explosive and exciting young PF was among the top of his draft class. With his ability to score inside and his potential on the boards, Thomas Robinson was the player I thought most highly of.
He was drafted by the Kings, was later traded to the Rockets, and then traded again, this time to the Blazers. He is now finding a niche for them off the bench as an energy guy who defends and grabs rebounds.
Is he a bust? Well, it depends. If you were expecting an All-Star like I was, then seeing where he currently is certainly is a disappointment. But if we wait a few more years, we may see a player who is tons better than where he is now. The Blazers know they have a talented player and they are in the process of developing that talent.
What happened with T-Rob? Why hasn't he shined right away?
This is a case of a player who is so physically gifted that he could outplay his collegiate competition with athleticism. But when he entered the NBA, he found that nearly everyone he plays against is physically gifted in one way or another.
On one hand, a much slower and athletically limited Jared Sullinger came in and right away started earning playing time. How come? Because Sully never relied on athleticism. He had to rely on positioning and being smart. Sully learned to succeed using other ways to score and grab rebounds other than just jumping higher than others or being faster.
This helped him transition quickly to the NBA because being smart and using positioning works in the NBA too.
Thomas Robinson is starting to learn this.
Looking at Julius Randle, he is much more similar to Thomas Robinson than he is to Sullinger. Like Robinson, Randle is athletic, explosive and exciting. He can beat his competition most times just using athleticism. To make a quick and successful transition to the NBA, Randle will need to learn how to beat people using smarts and positioning.
One thing that Randle has over Robinson is his craftiness in mid air. He can alter his shot, sometimes twice, to get off a clean shot attempt. But this alone won't be enough. The only way Julius Randle will earn minutes, play effectively, and be on the road to stardom is by playing smart and use positioning to his advantage.
I'm sure Robinson would give this same advice to Randle if they had the chance to talk.
He was drafted by the Kings, was later traded to the Rockets, and then traded again, this time to the Blazers. He is now finding a niche for them off the bench as an energy guy who defends and grabs rebounds.
Is he a bust? Well, it depends. If you were expecting an All-Star like I was, then seeing where he currently is certainly is a disappointment. But if we wait a few more years, we may see a player who is tons better than where he is now. The Blazers know they have a talented player and they are in the process of developing that talent.
What happened with T-Rob? Why hasn't he shined right away?
This is a case of a player who is so physically gifted that he could outplay his collegiate competition with athleticism. But when he entered the NBA, he found that nearly everyone he plays against is physically gifted in one way or another.
On one hand, a much slower and athletically limited Jared Sullinger came in and right away started earning playing time. How come? Because Sully never relied on athleticism. He had to rely on positioning and being smart. Sully learned to succeed using other ways to score and grab rebounds other than just jumping higher than others or being faster.
This helped him transition quickly to the NBA because being smart and using positioning works in the NBA too.
Thomas Robinson is starting to learn this.
Looking at Julius Randle, he is much more similar to Thomas Robinson than he is to Sullinger. Like Robinson, Randle is athletic, explosive and exciting. He can beat his competition most times just using athleticism. To make a quick and successful transition to the NBA, Randle will need to learn how to beat people using smarts and positioning.
One thing that Randle has over Robinson is his craftiness in mid air. He can alter his shot, sometimes twice, to get off a clean shot attempt. But this alone won't be enough. The only way Julius Randle will earn minutes, play effectively, and be on the road to stardom is by playing smart and use positioning to his advantage.
I'm sure Robinson would give this same advice to Randle if they had the chance to talk.