LAS VEGAS -- Thomas Robinson has been one of the more underwhelming first round picks at the NBA Summer League, though that’s partially due to the high expectations bestowed upon the first round pick. The Sacramento Kings played their fifth and final game on Thursday evening, though, giving Robinson one last chance to keep Kings fans from becoming too concerned.
Mission: Accomplished.
Robinson’s box score still wasn’t overly impressive as he made just six of his 14 shot attempts and only hit half of his six free-throw attempts, but watching him for the fifth time over the course of this week, the rookie showed the reason he was made the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft (and, due to a uniform snafu, he did it all without a name or number on his back).
Robinson had a better attitude than he’s previously showed at Summer League as it didn’t seem like he got down on himself after every missed shot he took and, with that, came an increase in rebounds. The power forward pulled down 16 rebounds while matched up with Jared Sullinger who, for the first time since the Orlando Summer League began last week (eight games of Summer League action thus far for the Celtics), looked underwhelming.
Sullinger and Robinson were likely matches many times throughout the pre-draft process and, had it not been for Sullinger being red-flagged, it sounded like they might be selected in roughly the same spot in this year’s Draft. Robinson showed Thursday that that would have been a mistake, however, as Sullinger was held to just six points on seven shots to go with five fouls and four turnovers.
It’s tough to make too much of a Summer League performance, but Robinson seems closer to being who we thought he’d be following Thursday’s performance.