Clippers Select Jerome Robinson with the 13th Pick

With the 13th pick in the draft, the Clippers have selected Jerome Robinson, a 21 year old guard from Boston College. Robinson was a fringe NBA prospect until his junior season, when he upped his efficiency and put together one of the best scoring seasons in BC history.

Robinson is a long player at 6’6”, but is thin at under 200 pounds, and there are some questions about what position he would play/defend in the NBA. He was a horrible defensive player in college, and that deficiency doesn’t promise to improve upon hitting the NBA. If he bulks up a bit he might be able to defend slower wing players, but right now he would be a massive weak link in any defensive scheme.

What Robinson brings is shooting, specifically three-point shooting. In his junior season he shot 40.9% from deep on 5.7 attempts per game, many of which were off the dribble. That kind of shooting is very valuable in today’s NBA, though there are questions about if his shooting was legit (he was a mediocre shooter his first two seasons in college).

There’s no doubt Robinson can score. At the NBA level, he might not have the athleticism to truly break down a defense, but his long strides should help him get by defenders even with average quickness. Still, he profiles primarily as a scoring guard off the bench, not as a starting level player. He needs to improve his defense, passing, and rebounding, but will have a solid NBA career if his junior-season shooting holds in the NBA.

The Clippers loved Robinson’s competitiveness, something they’ve talked about again and again when going over their draft process.