NBA Draft Profiles: Glenn Robinson III

Glenn Robinson III could be a target for the Pelicans if they trade back into the NBA Draft on Thursday. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With news that the Pelicans are looking to trade into the NBA Draft to grab a small forward or center plenty of questions have been raised about the plan of the front office. Out of all of them though the most important seems to be which player, or players, have caught the eye of the front office enough to cause them to try to work themselves back into a pick. Instead of trying to guess exactly the player, Pelican Debrief has decided to just break down 18 small forwards and centers leading up to draft day (two reports will be posted daily) so that Pelicans fans will be ready no matter where or when the team trades into the draft and selects a player.

At the start of the 2013-2014 NCAA season Michigan had a pair of potential lottery picks in Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III. Yet thanks to injuries and inconsistency the 2014 NBA Draft will have two Michigan players picked in the late first to early second rounds in Mitch McGary in Glenn Robinson III, showing just how far and how quick players can fall for a variety of reasons. Despite his stock falling Robinson entered the draft anyway and only time will tell how good the son of former Milwaukee Buck great Glenn Robinson Jr will be.

The Basics:

Age: 20

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 211 lbs

Wingspan: 6’10”

Standing Reach: 8’4.5”

Max Vertical: 41.5

2014 Stats: 37 games, 32.3 mpg, 13.1 ppg, 48.8 FG%, 30.6 3PT%, 75.7 FT%, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.3 bpg

NBA Draft Projections: Late first to early second round

Strengths: 

Like many of the small forwards we have profiled lately, Robinson’s biggest strength is his physical gifts. At 6’7” and with a 6’10” wingspan Robinson fits right in among NBA small forwards with ample athleticism and quickness to go with the size. He is an explosive finisher around the rim and in transition and will have the tools to become a very good defender.

Production wise Robinson’s greatest strength is his ability to put the ball in the basket. Robinson did most of his damage in the paint off cuts, in transition and offensive rebounds but this season he extended his game out a bit more to the mid-range. As the second option on a very good Wolverines team Robinson averaged 13 points per game which was nice output.

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Weaknesses: 

Robinson is an interesting case in that the amount of weaknesses he has far outnumber the positives, yet those positives (the size and athleticism) are so important that he will get drafted. The most important weakness Robinson has at the moment is that he tends to have issues staying consistent in playing hard and physical. The dreaded soft label has found it’s way around Robinson, which is an issue for a player that will have to compete with LeBron James, Paul George, Kevin Durant and the other great small forwards in the league today. If Robinson is going to have issues playing hard when things go bad there can be a lot of teams that will be scared away, so he will have had to prove in workouts and interviews that that won’t be a problem in the NBA. The issues showed most on the glass where Robinson didn’t fair as well as he probably should have given his length and leaping abilities.

For all his gifts Robinson has yet to be a great defender, as he has issues staying focused off the ball and struggles in help defense. He also had some moments on that end that led to the questions about his toughness, though parts of that may be because he was defending bigger power forwards often for Michigan. If he can put it all together Robinson has all the tools to be an impact defender in the NBA.

Finally, and potentially most importantly, Robinson needs to develop his range on offense if he hopes to become a threat. Unlike fellow small forward prospect Jerami Grant, Robinson took threes this season and made them at a 30 percent clip. That won’t cut it when moving to the NBA, especially with a longer line. If he can add that part to his game it will make him very valuable, as Robinson showed that he understands where he needs to be and what cuts to make to get himself in position to score if  he is playing with a good point guard. There is hope with Robinson though as he was a streaky shooter that tended to get hot at times and knock in a few jumpers in a row, proving that the jumper is there and just inconsistent at this point.

Projected Role: If he answers the questions about toughness and motor well Robinson will at least have a role as a high energy volume scorer off the bench for some team. If he adds shooting to that a good to very good 3-and-D player seems like his ceiling.

Information and measurements for the report were found at DraftExpress. To view their breakdown of Robinson III head here.