Jerome Robinson
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Weaknesses & Concerns:
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Report By: Mark Wahlen
Profile:
Strengths:
Physical Tools & Athleticism
He’s not a crazy athlete and is a little on the thin side, but Robinson has great size, quickness and good explosion for an NBA guard. Standing 6’5” and weighing 191 pounds with a mature frame, he has the size to play either the 1 or 2 in the NBA. He’s also a capable leaper (especially in space) that allows him to play above the rim when jumping off either one or two feet. Throughout the year, he caught lob passes for dunks on back door cuts and was able to elevate and finish above the rim with authority when attacking off the dribble. He’s also pretty quick and shows great change of pace ability with the ball in his hands. He’s also great at accelerating in the open court without needing much time to load up before taking off on the break. His lateral quickness (especially defensively) is a bit of a question mark, but overall his quickness is above average. Robinson also has tremendous footwork and balance. This is a big reason why he’s such a lethal shooter off the dribble. Rarely does he drift on his shot once he elevates, regardless of how he enters his shooting motion (off the dribble, off the catch, etc). Additionally, because of his balance and footwork, he’s also capable of performing more advanced dribble moves (such as spin moves) on a dime, and maintain good body control when absorbing contact in the paint or at the rim.
Finishing at The Rim
His physical tools, athleticism and body control allow Robinson to be an above average finisher at the rim. In the 17-18 season, he scored 1.226 PPP on shots around the basket in the half court that weren’t considered to be post-up’s (69th percentile). He’s a decently crafty finisher around the basket that’s capable of finishing on either side of the rim and with either hand. He’ll need to continue to improve his ability to finish at the rim, especially when attacking off the pick and roll (1.0 PPP when taking it to the basket off the P&R, 47th percentile), but he has all the tools and skills to be a successful finisher in the NBA.
Shooting
Robinson is an elite shooter with buttery smooth and compact shooting mechanics that should translate well to the NBA, especially considering that he’s already capable of shooting from NBA 3 point range. In the 17-18 season, he shot 41% from 3 on 5.7 attempts per game, scored 1.142 points per possession (PPP) on all jump shots in the half court (87th percentile) and scored 1.311 PPP on all 3 point jump shots in the half court (94th percentile). On all catch and shoot shots, he scored 1.186 PPP (77th percentile), and for dribble jumpers he scored 1.066 PPP (91st percentile). His free-throw shooting percentage (which is sometimes a better indicator of a players shooting potential) was 83%. Overall, he’s one of the best shooters in this years draft class both off the dribble and on catch and shoots.
Slashing & Cutting
Robinson is an excellent off ball slasher and cutter when given the chance. He only had 39 cut or slashing possessions in which he received the ball, but of those 39 possessions, he scored an average of 1.553 PPP (97th percentile).
Off Ball Movement
Along with his slashing & cutting, Robinson is excellent at moving without the ball in his hands. He’s a tireless mover off ball that doesn’t settle for standing around on offensive possessions often. With his elite shooting and ability to attack off the dribble, he’s a dangerous player to bring off pin-down or baseline screens, Iverson cuts, etc. This will allow him to play off the ball effectively as a 2 guard in lineups that have more ball dominant point guards or wings, and adds to his offensive versatility.
Ball Handling
Robinson isn’t Kyrie Irving, but his handle is tight and quick. He possesses nice hesitation, in-and-out, step-back and crossover dribbles that allow him to create space for his jumper or get around slower footed defender with ease. He’s also shown the ability to use a hang dribble effectively when he “drags it out” on pick and roll’s as the ball handler, but he’s also capable of splitting defenders or turning the corner on bigs when they overcommit. He’s also more than capable of stringing together multiple dribble moves in quick successive combo’s, which is a strong sign of a players ball handling capabilities.
Self-Shot Creation Upside
He only scored 0.738 PPP on isolation scoring attempts this past season, which is within the average category of the 41st percentile. But because of his above average ball handling, shooting and quickness, Robinson has nice isolation scoring and self-shot creation upside. He’s able to attack bigs off the dribble, drill a jumper if switched bigs drop back on him and create separation against more talented perimeter defenders with jab steps, step backs and other more advanced scoring moves. It’s also to be noted that Robinson carried a large portion of the scoring load for Boston College this past season, so with entire defenses keyed in on him each possession, it may be an unrealistic expectation to have him post better isolation scoring numbers.
3 Level Scorer Potential
His shooting and ability to attack off the dribble has been mentioned previously, but Robinson has also shown some promise in his floater & mid-range game. He took 18 runners (or floaters) this past season, and only scored 0.667 PPP (37rd percentile) on them, so clearly he could work to improve there. But he also scored 1.0 PPP on medium range shots (17’ to <3 point line), which is in the 90th percentile (on 41 FGA’s). If Robinson can improve his floater game, he’ll have the potential to scorer from every level of the floor (3’s, midrange (which includes floaters and midrange jumpers) and at the rim). 3 level scorers are fairly unique, even at the NBA level, so his upside here is particularly intriguing.
Pick & Roll Offense
Primarily a scorer out of the pick & roll, Robinson scored 1.041 PPP as the P&R ball handler (94th percentile, 73 FGA’s). However, he also posted good numbers out of the P&R when including passes: 0.985 PPP in P&R’s with passes included (80th percentile). Although, it should be noted that he struggled with passes to the roll man, scoring only 0.795 PPP on P&R passes to the rolling big (23rd percentile). But it’s hard to put too much stock into that number considering Boston College didn’t have very talented bigs for Robinson to pass to. Regardless, he’s a dangerous scorer out of the pick & roll with his ability to shoot when defenders go under the screen, and his ability to attack the bigs off the dribble on high hedges. He’s also shown flashes of being able to split the D, and his passing is respectable enough that defenses have to respect his ability to get the ball back to the big or swing the pass back to an open wing on the perimeter (1.02 PPP, 68th percentile when passing to spot-up shooters out of the P&R, 42 FGA’s). In the NBA, when he’s playing with more talented bigs, this should only improve, as teams won’t be able to blitz him off the P&R as much, giving him more space for shooting and passing. If he can continue to develop his passing out of the P&R, he’ll be a handful to try and guard.
Passing & Playmaking Upside
Predominantly a self-shot creator right now, Robinson only averaged 3.3 APG (with 2.7 TO’s), but his combination of shooting, scoring and attacking off the dribble (especially in the P&R) makes it easy to see how he could develop into a nice creator for others. Specifically within the P&R, he averaged 0.985 PPP (80th percentile) when passes are included (compared to his 1.041 PPP as the P&R ball handler when scoring for himself).
Offensive Versatility
The culmination of all of Robinsons’ offensive talents means that he has the potential to be a versatile offense weapon. He has the handles, passing and basketball IQ to be a primary or secondary ball handler that’s capable of playing out of the pick & roll, but his elite shooting and high level off ball movement and cutting also means that he can be used as an off guard. This is very important in today’s NBA that puts a premium on versatility.
Intangibles
Robinson was only a 3 star recruit coming out of high school (ranked 308th nationally) but has worked himself into being a legitimate NBA prospect. Additionally, he’s made strides each year of his collegiate career, most notably in his shooting. He went from shooting 45% 2P%, 38% 3P% and 64% FT% his freshman year to 53% 2P% (+8%), 41% 3P% (+3%) and 83% FT% (+19%) shooting this past season while taking 5 more shots per game. He's also not afraid to be physical with bigger opponents or talk some trash. He's a fiery competitor that came up big in the clutch and against some of Boston College's biggest opponents (24 points against Duke, 29 points against Virginia, 28 points against Clemson, 32 points against Virginia Tech, 46 points against Notre Dame and 29 points against Miami).
Weaknesses & Concerns:
Defense?
Robinsons’ clear strength as a prospect is his offense, but with an increasing demand for strong two-way players in today’s NBA game, his defense remains a big question mark and point of concern. When defending the P&R ball handler, Robinson allowed 0.833 PPP, which is only within the 35th percentile. Additionally, when defending in isolation, he allowed 0.735 PPP (57th percentile); and when defending spot-up shots, he allowed 0.938 PPP (50th percentile). There’s some promise in his defense against shots around the basket (not post-ups) where he only allowed 0.829 PPP (75th percentile), but that doesn’t do much when his defense against short-range shots (<17’) was within the 18th percentile (0.952 PPP) and his defense against medium range shots landed within the 12th percentile (1.0 PPP). His size and quickness seems to indicate that he has the tools to develop into at least an average defender, but he’ll need to prove that he can defend NBA caliber athletes on the perimeter moving forward.
Floater Game?
Robinson is an elite shooter and good finisher at the rim, but is only average when it comes to floaters: 0.667 PPP on runners (or floaters) in the half-court, 38th percentile. In the NBA where defenders are bigger, longer and more athletic, he’ll need to develop a more polished floater game for when he can’t get all the way to the basket or finish over bigger rim protecting C’s. However, it should be noted that he’s an excellent mid-range jump shooter: 1.0 PPP on medium ranged jump shots in the half court (17’ to <3 point line), 90th percentile.
Passing?
As mentioned prior, Robinson has strong scoring and passes numbers in the P&R when acting as the ball handler. However, his offense from isolation when including passes isn’t as good: 0.823 PPP (48th percentile). If he’s ever going to develop into a starting caliber guard, he’ll need to find a way to better create for others off the dribble in isolation. It’s also possible that these numbers are depressed due to the lack of talent surrounding him at Boston College, so keep that in mind.
Strength?
Not something to be overly concerned about as he’s proven to be a tough competitor against larger opponents and doesn’t get knocked off balance or his spots easily on offense or defense, but weighing in at a reported 181 pounds, Robinson is a little on the light side and could use to add some strength/weight for the NBA.
NBA Fit: Coming soon!
Draft Range:
Robinson has been a bit of a late riser throughout the season, and some teams will be concerned with how his game will translate to the NBA. But with Robinson proving he can produce against NBA caliber talent multiple times throughout this past season, that should help quell the majority of those concerns. His age (21 years old) will also cause some teams to think twice about drafting him in the 1st round, but he's talented enough offensively to garner legitimate 1st round interest, regardless of his age. At the very worst, Robinson should be an early 2nd round pick for a team looking for a bonafide and versatile shooter with upside.
Projected draft range: 20 to 35
- 6’5”, 181 pound guard from Boston College
- 21 year old junior
- Hometown is Raleigh, NC and went to Needham Broughton high school
- Ranking out of high school: 308 (3 star recruit)
Strengths:
Physical Tools & Athleticism
He’s not a crazy athlete and is a little on the thin side, but Robinson has great size, quickness and good explosion for an NBA guard. Standing 6’5” and weighing 191 pounds with a mature frame, he has the size to play either the 1 or 2 in the NBA. He’s also a capable leaper (especially in space) that allows him to play above the rim when jumping off either one or two feet. Throughout the year, he caught lob passes for dunks on back door cuts and was able to elevate and finish above the rim with authority when attacking off the dribble. He’s also pretty quick and shows great change of pace ability with the ball in his hands. He’s also great at accelerating in the open court without needing much time to load up before taking off on the break. His lateral quickness (especially defensively) is a bit of a question mark, but overall his quickness is above average. Robinson also has tremendous footwork and balance. This is a big reason why he’s such a lethal shooter off the dribble. Rarely does he drift on his shot once he elevates, regardless of how he enters his shooting motion (off the dribble, off the catch, etc). Additionally, because of his balance and footwork, he’s also capable of performing more advanced dribble moves (such as spin moves) on a dime, and maintain good body control when absorbing contact in the paint or at the rim.
Finishing at The Rim
His physical tools, athleticism and body control allow Robinson to be an above average finisher at the rim. In the 17-18 season, he scored 1.226 PPP on shots around the basket in the half court that weren’t considered to be post-up’s (69th percentile). He’s a decently crafty finisher around the basket that’s capable of finishing on either side of the rim and with either hand. He’ll need to continue to improve his ability to finish at the rim, especially when attacking off the pick and roll (1.0 PPP when taking it to the basket off the P&R, 47th percentile), but he has all the tools and skills to be a successful finisher in the NBA.
Shooting
Robinson is an elite shooter with buttery smooth and compact shooting mechanics that should translate well to the NBA, especially considering that he’s already capable of shooting from NBA 3 point range. In the 17-18 season, he shot 41% from 3 on 5.7 attempts per game, scored 1.142 points per possession (PPP) on all jump shots in the half court (87th percentile) and scored 1.311 PPP on all 3 point jump shots in the half court (94th percentile). On all catch and shoot shots, he scored 1.186 PPP (77th percentile), and for dribble jumpers he scored 1.066 PPP (91st percentile). His free-throw shooting percentage (which is sometimes a better indicator of a players shooting potential) was 83%. Overall, he’s one of the best shooters in this years draft class both off the dribble and on catch and shoots.
Slashing & Cutting
Robinson is an excellent off ball slasher and cutter when given the chance. He only had 39 cut or slashing possessions in which he received the ball, but of those 39 possessions, he scored an average of 1.553 PPP (97th percentile).
Off Ball Movement
Along with his slashing & cutting, Robinson is excellent at moving without the ball in his hands. He’s a tireless mover off ball that doesn’t settle for standing around on offensive possessions often. With his elite shooting and ability to attack off the dribble, he’s a dangerous player to bring off pin-down or baseline screens, Iverson cuts, etc. This will allow him to play off the ball effectively as a 2 guard in lineups that have more ball dominant point guards or wings, and adds to his offensive versatility.
Ball Handling
Robinson isn’t Kyrie Irving, but his handle is tight and quick. He possesses nice hesitation, in-and-out, step-back and crossover dribbles that allow him to create space for his jumper or get around slower footed defender with ease. He’s also shown the ability to use a hang dribble effectively when he “drags it out” on pick and roll’s as the ball handler, but he’s also capable of splitting defenders or turning the corner on bigs when they overcommit. He’s also more than capable of stringing together multiple dribble moves in quick successive combo’s, which is a strong sign of a players ball handling capabilities.
Self-Shot Creation Upside
He only scored 0.738 PPP on isolation scoring attempts this past season, which is within the average category of the 41st percentile. But because of his above average ball handling, shooting and quickness, Robinson has nice isolation scoring and self-shot creation upside. He’s able to attack bigs off the dribble, drill a jumper if switched bigs drop back on him and create separation against more talented perimeter defenders with jab steps, step backs and other more advanced scoring moves. It’s also to be noted that Robinson carried a large portion of the scoring load for Boston College this past season, so with entire defenses keyed in on him each possession, it may be an unrealistic expectation to have him post better isolation scoring numbers.
3 Level Scorer Potential
His shooting and ability to attack off the dribble has been mentioned previously, but Robinson has also shown some promise in his floater & mid-range game. He took 18 runners (or floaters) this past season, and only scored 0.667 PPP (37rd percentile) on them, so clearly he could work to improve there. But he also scored 1.0 PPP on medium range shots (17’ to <3 point line), which is in the 90th percentile (on 41 FGA’s). If Robinson can improve his floater game, he’ll have the potential to scorer from every level of the floor (3’s, midrange (which includes floaters and midrange jumpers) and at the rim). 3 level scorers are fairly unique, even at the NBA level, so his upside here is particularly intriguing.
Pick & Roll Offense
Primarily a scorer out of the pick & roll, Robinson scored 1.041 PPP as the P&R ball handler (94th percentile, 73 FGA’s). However, he also posted good numbers out of the P&R when including passes: 0.985 PPP in P&R’s with passes included (80th percentile). Although, it should be noted that he struggled with passes to the roll man, scoring only 0.795 PPP on P&R passes to the rolling big (23rd percentile). But it’s hard to put too much stock into that number considering Boston College didn’t have very talented bigs for Robinson to pass to. Regardless, he’s a dangerous scorer out of the pick & roll with his ability to shoot when defenders go under the screen, and his ability to attack the bigs off the dribble on high hedges. He’s also shown flashes of being able to split the D, and his passing is respectable enough that defenses have to respect his ability to get the ball back to the big or swing the pass back to an open wing on the perimeter (1.02 PPP, 68th percentile when passing to spot-up shooters out of the P&R, 42 FGA’s). In the NBA, when he’s playing with more talented bigs, this should only improve, as teams won’t be able to blitz him off the P&R as much, giving him more space for shooting and passing. If he can continue to develop his passing out of the P&R, he’ll be a handful to try and guard.
Passing & Playmaking Upside
Predominantly a self-shot creator right now, Robinson only averaged 3.3 APG (with 2.7 TO’s), but his combination of shooting, scoring and attacking off the dribble (especially in the P&R) makes it easy to see how he could develop into a nice creator for others. Specifically within the P&R, he averaged 0.985 PPP (80th percentile) when passes are included (compared to his 1.041 PPP as the P&R ball handler when scoring for himself).
Offensive Versatility
The culmination of all of Robinsons’ offensive talents means that he has the potential to be a versatile offense weapon. He has the handles, passing and basketball IQ to be a primary or secondary ball handler that’s capable of playing out of the pick & roll, but his elite shooting and high level off ball movement and cutting also means that he can be used as an off guard. This is very important in today’s NBA that puts a premium on versatility.
Intangibles
Robinson was only a 3 star recruit coming out of high school (ranked 308th nationally) but has worked himself into being a legitimate NBA prospect. Additionally, he’s made strides each year of his collegiate career, most notably in his shooting. He went from shooting 45% 2P%, 38% 3P% and 64% FT% his freshman year to 53% 2P% (+8%), 41% 3P% (+3%) and 83% FT% (+19%) shooting this past season while taking 5 more shots per game. He's also not afraid to be physical with bigger opponents or talk some trash. He's a fiery competitor that came up big in the clutch and against some of Boston College's biggest opponents (24 points against Duke, 29 points against Virginia, 28 points against Clemson, 32 points against Virginia Tech, 46 points against Notre Dame and 29 points against Miami).
Weaknesses & Concerns:
Defense?
Robinsons’ clear strength as a prospect is his offense, but with an increasing demand for strong two-way players in today’s NBA game, his defense remains a big question mark and point of concern. When defending the P&R ball handler, Robinson allowed 0.833 PPP, which is only within the 35th percentile. Additionally, when defending in isolation, he allowed 0.735 PPP (57th percentile); and when defending spot-up shots, he allowed 0.938 PPP (50th percentile). There’s some promise in his defense against shots around the basket (not post-ups) where he only allowed 0.829 PPP (75th percentile), but that doesn’t do much when his defense against short-range shots (<17’) was within the 18th percentile (0.952 PPP) and his defense against medium range shots landed within the 12th percentile (1.0 PPP). His size and quickness seems to indicate that he has the tools to develop into at least an average defender, but he’ll need to prove that he can defend NBA caliber athletes on the perimeter moving forward.
Floater Game?
Robinson is an elite shooter and good finisher at the rim, but is only average when it comes to floaters: 0.667 PPP on runners (or floaters) in the half-court, 38th percentile. In the NBA where defenders are bigger, longer and more athletic, he’ll need to develop a more polished floater game for when he can’t get all the way to the basket or finish over bigger rim protecting C’s. However, it should be noted that he’s an excellent mid-range jump shooter: 1.0 PPP on medium ranged jump shots in the half court (17’ to <3 point line), 90th percentile.
Passing?
As mentioned prior, Robinson has strong scoring and passes numbers in the P&R when acting as the ball handler. However, his offense from isolation when including passes isn’t as good: 0.823 PPP (48th percentile). If he’s ever going to develop into a starting caliber guard, he’ll need to find a way to better create for others off the dribble in isolation. It’s also possible that these numbers are depressed due to the lack of talent surrounding him at Boston College, so keep that in mind.
Strength?
Not something to be overly concerned about as he’s proven to be a tough competitor against larger opponents and doesn’t get knocked off balance or his spots easily on offense or defense, but weighing in at a reported 181 pounds, Robinson is a little on the light side and could use to add some strength/weight for the NBA.
NBA Fit: Coming soon!
Draft Range:
Robinson has been a bit of a late riser throughout the season, and some teams will be concerned with how his game will translate to the NBA. But with Robinson proving he can produce against NBA caliber talent multiple times throughout this past season, that should help quell the majority of those concerns. His age (21 years old) will also cause some teams to think twice about drafting him in the 1st round, but he's talented enough offensively to garner legitimate 1st round interest, regardless of his age. At the very worst, Robinson should be an early 2nd round pick for a team looking for a bonafide and versatile shooter with upside.
Projected draft range: 20 to 35
