Okay, so news just came out that ESPN no 9 prospect, Mitchell Robinson coming out of high school has decided to not go to college but rather spend the year in the gym with a basketball trainer. While I definitely think this will help him develop as a player I think it could really hurt his stock. With the Lakers pick and limbo and maybe ending up in the late lottery, this kid could be the young future franchise center this team needs.
Link on why he decided to leave colelge
http://scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Five-star-big-man-Mitchell-Robinson-will-bypass-college-begin-tr-107602754I decided to find all I could about this kid. Turns out he only started playing basketball in grade 10 so he could go to college. You could tell just how raw this kid was in his interview as a junior. He almost sounds like he doesn't even know the rules to basketball in the interview. Yet his potential was so great he made the was invited to the U18 basketball camp.
U18 interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G0JrtkWreIHis skill level was really just running the floor and dunking the ball. He stood over his peers immensely leading to very little challenge at the rim.He was a little uncoordinated at timing his blocks. On occasion, he could hit a mid-range jumper. As you can see lots of room for improvement
His junior year highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnzpvwexmlwOne year later
This kid is being interviewed by Draftexpress after being invited to McDonald's All American game.
He seems like a genuinely nice guy, very polite. He is a nice southern kid who doesn't seem to feel much pressure from the limelight. He doesn't have a big ego whatsoever. If he were to come into the Celtics situation he would be surrounded by stars in Irving and Hayward.Who knows maybe even Tatum and Brown. Ainge his shown in his last 2 drafts that he really values character among his players. Even though in the last 2 drafts a good chunk of people thought Tatum and Brown should have gone 3rd. He claims to have learned a 3 point shot and handles. This is a big improvement from last year when his big goal was to learn how to catch the ball correctly.
Link to his interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRcA4QLyGUQAfter watching a number of his highlights, He has indeed learned how to shoot the 3. His handles have improved tremendously. Thus, making him a beast in transition. He has learned to time his jumps which made him a much better shot blocker. Surprisingly, he has also improved in his steal percentage. Showing that his defensive game has also taken a big leap forward. The best thing I am taking from this is that he has improved A LOT. I think this speaks to his work ethic. I understand that starting from the bottom, of course, you are going to improve. Still, it is hard to make such a leap forward.
Senior year highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GP42IEGzH8Mitchel has transformed himself into an explosive athletic player who can shoot the 3 and protect the rim. His quiet demeanor and strong work ethic are surely a big plus as well. However, there are 2 major concerns in his game. Due to his inexperience in his game, he is bound to have gaps in his basketball IQ. While experience will no doubt improve his basketball IQ, I worry how he could handle hard defensive schemes. His second biggest weakness is probably his most obvious one, the fact that he has not really played with the big boys. He will not be playing college ball. There will be no stats to show how he can perform against better competition. I do not know how strong his post defense will be against bigger men. I don't know how consistent his 3 point shot is in games. I do not know how he performs in key moments. In conclusion, He is a great prospect who fits a lot of the Celtics needs. However, without playing college ball there is a lot of unknowns to his game. If the Lakers pick lands in number 7,8,9. I would definitely have to take a good long hard look at this kid.
Topic: A hidden gem in next years draft (Read 2623 times)