Thomas Robinson Facing Final Chance to Impress Portland Trail Blazers
It's the kind of break Thomas Robinson wasn't supposed to need but one his resume says he desperately requires.
Not far removed from being the fifth overall pick in 2012, the Portland Trail Blazers forward is already running short on NBA chances. With starting center Robin Lopez forced off the floor by a broken hand, this could be the opportunity Robinson has been waiting for to prove he belongs.
Nearly 30 months after hearing his name called by former commissioner David Stern, Robinson made his first career start on Dec. 17. From being buried on the Blazers bench to joining the opening lineup, he told reporters the call made him feel as though he "got let out of jail."
He played with the type of intensity one would expect from someone given a second chance at life.
In 29 minutes of action—more than double his previous season high—Robinson snatched 16 rebounds and pumped in 15 points. If not for an anemic 5-of-15 showing at the free-throw line, he could have shattered his career scoring high as opposed to simply matching it.
"T-Rob was a monster," Damian Lillard told reporters after the game. "For him to come out and play like that the way he did tonight, that was what we all wanted to see."
It was eye-opening stuff, which really helps explain the mysterious twists and turns Robinson's NBA story has already taken.
It shouldn't have surprised that a former top-five pick went for 15 points, but it was his first double-digit outburst since March 28. Strange as this may sound, it was only the ninth time the third-year forward had ever cleared the 25-minute mark.
It's hard to say why Robinson's career veered so far off track as quickly as it did.
Leading up to the 2012 draft, he was widely seen as one of its safer picks. That designation is equal parts praise and criticism—scout speak for "We think this guy should be solid, but anything above that is pushing it."
Still, scouts don't mind a low ceiling if it comes with a high basement. By most accounts, Robinson's chances of going bust were slim to none.
"Many scouts believe Robinson is one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft," wrote ESPN's Chad Ford in May 2012. "What Robinson should provide right away are athleticism, toughness, an NBA-ready body and a motor that won't quit on both ends of the floor."
Robinson has yet to prove those reports correct. But he hasn't refuted them, either. No questions have been answered; no statements have been made.
He has simply existed at the NBA level like few players of his pedigree ever have.
Before his sophomore season even tipped off, he was already on to his third team. The Sacramento Kings shipped him out only 51 games into his rookie year to the Houston Rockets. Looking to cut costs in order to make a run at Dwight Howard, the Rockets sent Robinson to the Blazers the following summer. Prior to the start of this season, Portland declined his 2015-16 team option.
It isn't often that an NBA player dons three different jerseys over the span of one year. It's almost unheard for a top-five pick, let alone one in the infant stage of his career.
But Robinson has moved from one crowded frontcourt to the next and has yet to find a permanent home. DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson gobbled up the interior minutes in Sacramento, while Omer Asik, Greg Smith and Donatas Motiejunas all took the playing time that wasn't going to Robinson in Houston.
Since joining the Blazers, Robinson has had an even harder time seeing the floor. Between the glue-guy skills of Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge's All-Star ability, Portland's starting frontcourt has emerged as one of the league's better interior tandems.
For Robinson, all that has meant is once again being denied the opportunity typically afforded to players of his draft stature.
Robinson has never seen as many minutes as 2014 fifth overall pick Dante Exum has already received (17.9 per game). And Exum, remember, was widely seen as a tantalizing but incredibly raw prospect—not the well-polished product Robinson was made out to be.
Opportunity is such a critical component of any young player's success, and Robinson has yet to find the right one.
| 2012-13 | 4.8 | 43.0 | 4.5 | 15.1 | 90 | 107 | 10.9 |
| 2013-14 | 4.8 | 48.1 | 4.4 | 12.5 | 102 | 104 | 14.1 |
| 2014-15 | 4.2 | 56.8 | 4.3 | 11.5 | 94 | 98 | 11.6 |
With Lopez on the shelf, this could be as good as it's going to get for Robinson. With nothing invested in his future, the Blazers have no incentive to play him unless he forces his way into the rotation.
And doing so won't be easy. After logging 29 minutes in the first game without Lopez, Thomas has seen 27 and 19 minutes over the last two contests, respectively. Blazers coach Terry Stotts hasn't masked the fact this is a fluid situation.
"I told players the starting lineup may not be set, the finishing unit may not be set and the rotation may not be set," Stotts said, per Mike Richman of The Oregonian. "It's going to take a little bit of time to adjust to our new circumstance."
All Robinson can do is try to stay ready.
He doesn't boast an overwhelming array of skills. His greatest gift is either his athleticism or his motor. When he combines both, he can be an active presence above the rim and a steady source of jaw-dropping highlights.
But he has to embrace the blue-collar side of the sport at all times.
Too often, he has tried forcing the issue at the offensive end. He has tried relying on a shooting stroke that hasn't really been there since he left Kansas (28.9 percent on jump shots for his career). He has driven into lanes that don't actually exist, hoping to steamroll defenders in a league where he isn't the biggest, strongest or fastest.
His basketball story hasn't been completely the product of misfortune. Some of the basketball hurdles that have stalled his career out of the starting blocks were placed there by Robinson himself. He could clear those and so many obstacles in front of him by maximizing the effectiveness of his intangibles.
"When he's motivated and willing to focus on rebounding and defense and playing with energy, Robinson's game is impactful," wrote Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. "When he's more eager to shoot jumpers and force drives to the hoop, his game can be a detriment."
This is Robinson's chance to prove he can be a valuable spark for someone. The more he can do without the ball in his hands—crashing the glass, plugging passing lanes, diving after loose balls, soaring slams on the back end of lobs—the easier it will become for potential employers to see his NBA future.
This is about more than impressing Stotts and his staff. This is Robinson seizing a chance to save a career that seemed so promising just a few years back. It's about showing the basketball world that he's more than a physical specimen.
"I know I belong in this league," he told reporters before the season started. "I know I'm a worthy player in this league. I actually think I'm above average if I had the chance."
Robinson has a chance now, even if it's not a great one. No one should need to tell him how precious this opportunity is. He knows as well as anyone how these things come along.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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