The Washington Wizards landed Jerome Robinson in a three-team deadline trade with the Clippers and Knicks. Here’s a closer look at the 22-year-old guard.
It looked like the Washington Wizards were going to stand pat at the deadline until a little over 30 minutes before the deadline when Candace Buckner broke the news that we had sent off Jordan McRae in exchange for Shabazz Napier.
The #Wizards are trading Jordan McRae to the Denver Nuggets for Shabazz Napier, the Post has learned.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) February 6, 2020
Wizards fans were a little stunned, but the assumption quickly came that the Wiz would move on from Isaiah Thomas. Indeed, just 30 minutes later, IT was on the move in a three-team trade that brought back Jerome Robinson to DC.
The Clippers, Knicks and Wizards have agreed to a three-team trade that will land Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN. Jerome Robinson will join the Wizards, Moe Harkless and a 2020 first-round pick to the Knicks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
While Napier is on an expiring contract, the real get here may just be 22-year-old Jerome Robinson, who is under contract through at least the end of next season, with a team option for 2021-22. The young guard has shown promise in the past, but has a low profile playing for a championship contender in a crowded back court.
So, here are five fast facts that will help fans get to know their new combo guard:
1. He’s a player in need of a fresh start.
Playing in a back court that features Patrick Beverley and perennial Sixth Man Award candidate Lou Williams is not an easy way to begin your NBA career. Landry Shamet has played well and ate into Robinson’s minutes, and when the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Terance Mann this past draft, the writing was on the wall.
Add the fact that the Clippers are playing for a championship this year to all that depth in front of him and you have a bad mix for a young guard just trying to figure things out. Robinson only had the chance to average 10.6 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Clips, but finding himself suddenly on a “retooling” Washington Wizards squad will translate into much more opportunity for him to shine.
2. He’s capable of playing both guard positions.
At Boston College, Jerome Robinson was a man of many hats, filling both guard positions with ease. And why not, with a 6’5″ athletic frame, he has the ballhandling and court vision to play the point as well as the size and speed to finish at the shooting guard position.
He’s quick and shifty, fully capable at changing speeds with the basketball, though he could stand to add some strength to his long frame. He’s not super explosive, but he does have leaping ability, allowing him to play above the rim though he’s going to have to rely on deception to get his shots more so than raw speed or strength.
On this Washington Wizards squad, he’ll probably see time at both guard positions but will primarily be the backup for Bradley Beal until Garrison Matthews can get back into the fold.
3. He can be an excellent spot-up shooter.
Case in point is this November 16th game against the Atlanta Hawks where Robinson scored a career high 21 points on 5/7 shooting from behind the arc. What I like most isn’t that he just nails the shots, it’s the smart motions he makes off the picks and flow of the offense.
4. He’s capable of more than just scoring.
In that same game against the Hawks, he didn’t just have 21 points, he also contributed two blocks and two steals. In the 18 games that Jerome Robinson played more than 14 minutes for the Clips, the team went 10-8, so his impact extends to every facet of the box score.
5. He has struggled to shoot the ball at the NBA level.
Any good news on Jerome Robinson has to come with a grain of salt. In his two season career thus far in the NBA, Jerome has shot the ball with a putrid 37/30/61 split. Most notable is that awful free throw percentage, sitting at just 60.7 on his career.
He has, however, shot the ball better between years one and two. Going from 33.8 percent on field goals to 40 percent, 28.4 percent on 3’s to 31.6, and 57.9 percent on free throws to 66.7. So there is hope he can figure it out.
At Boston College, he shot the ball much better with a 45/38/76 split. Let’s hope he can get his numbers back up towards those levels with your Washington Wizards. He should get plenty of run with not much to play for the rest of this season.