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2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Jerome Robinson, a quiet assassin in the ACC

By Ricky Scricca

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - FEBRUARY 25: Boston College guard Jerome Robinson (1) reacts after making a three during an ACC match up between the Boston College Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies on February 25, 2017 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Hokies defeated the Eagles 91-75. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHESTNUT HILL, MA - FEBRUARY 25: Boston College guard Jerome Robinson (1) reacts after making a three during an ACC match up between the Boston College Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies on February 25, 2017 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Hokies defeated the Eagles 91-75. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Bad

Jerome Robinson’s decision-making is what prevents him from being a legitimate primary creator prospect.

When he is not already in motion, he has a worrying tendency to catch-and-hold instead of making the extra pass or immediately putting the ball on the deck to beat a scrambling defender closing out. Similar to French prospect Elie Okobo, he often gets himself into difficult positions on ill-advised drives, having to either pick up his dribble, take a bad shot or commit a turnover.

While being capable of executing some flashy passes, his more impressive-looking reads are generally some combination of slowly made, simple or low-leverage. Obviously, that makes it hard to envision him as an effective starting lead guard in the NBA. But it also calls into question his ability to function in a synergistic offense that requires all offensive players to at the very least make quick, smart decisions.

These points of concern are borne out in his unimpressive 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.

That (and his defense) may leave him with a ceiling no higher than a bench unit microwave. A useful role to be sure, but maybe not at the top of a championship-seeking franchise’s needs list.

The NBA gunner types mentioned in the first slide — Will Barton, Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams and Austin Rivers — can also function as defensive comparisons, which is obviously not a good thing for Robinson.

Like those four, he underperforms relative to middling physical tools (advanced quickness, light frame, slightly positive wingspan, roughly average positional height) because of some combination of inconsistent engagement levels, poor feel for team concepts and ball-watching.

He racked up a grand total of five blocks in more than 1200 minutes. For an athletic 6-foot-5 wing, that is abysmally low. Even the steal numbers (30 total) are disappointing.

He often finds himself in disadvantageous situations off the ball due to ball-watching tendencies. This depletes the extent of his speed advantages by unnecessarily increasing recovery distances. He just is not in a position to make defensive plays as frequently as he should be.

His physical tools make him not a complete lost cause on defense. His rebounding numbers are also not far off from where his successful NBA analogs where in college.

But given how good of an offensive prospect he is, it is disappointing to think that whatever value he might bring there might be lost on the other end.