The Brooklyn Nets Could be the fit for Thomas Robinson

When Thomas Robinson left Lawrence, KS to go to the NBA, the prevailing thought was that he was going to be a solid professional player.

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He may not have been viewed as a perennial All-Star type player, but he definitely was viewed as a player that could be a piece to help a franchise get to their ultimate goal.

No one thought that after averaging 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds in 2011-12 for the Kansas Jayhawks en route to being named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, and being selected with the No.5 pick overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, that he would bounce around as much as he has in the space of three seasons.

In fact, he has been with four franchises in three years. Four franchises could not find use for a 6-foot-9, 240 pound forward that was a lottery pick and healthy.

He did not stick with the Sacramento Kings who took him in the 2012 draft. He was then dealt during his rookie year to the Houston Rockets who basically did not have room for him either.

Then he went to Portland in 2013-14 where he played 70 games. Then ultimately he was dealt again last season from Portland to Philadelphia where he finished the 2014-15 season.

It is quite odd that none of those teams could find a use for him. Robinson is young, athletic and energetic. He gets on the offensive and defensive glass pretty well and can run the floor.

A lot of people would say that his game would be a perfect fit for today’s NBA, especially since he could be an undersized center in this era of small ball.

Even off the bench, he should be able to give a franchise some quality minutes right?

I mean last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Robinson averaged 8.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in 18 minutes, so he is capable of being productive when given the time.

All this bouncing around will give people the impression that there is not a place for him in the pro game. That is completely false.

He has shown flashes during his NBA career of being able to have strong outings, but in the end his play has been sporadic.

This is a player that has grabbed 18 rebounds in a game. It takes effort to grab that many rebounds in a single game.

The fact of the matter is that it is highly surprising that Thomas Robinson has bounced around this much, which is why the upcoming 2015-16 season is going to be a crucial one for him.

When the Brooklyn Nets picked up Robinson in August for the veterans minimum, it gave him a new opportunity to show his worth in the NBA to a team that could use him and believes in him.

Nets general manager Billy King sees Robinson as a valuable asset to their frontline. He was quoted as saying in an NBA.com piece that Robinson is an “aggressive rebounder who will add a physical presence to our frontcourt“.

Kansas Jayhawks /

Kansas Jayhawks

This is a 24-year old player with potential that we are talking about. It is just a matter of him finding a team that he can settle in and grow with.

Are there parts of his game he could work on? Of course there are!

If he developed a consistent shot from 15-feet or longer he would be an ideal post player. Quiet as it’s kept, that might be what is keeping him from sticking with a squad. Even developing a go-to post move would help his cause.

But in the end it is about finding a niche that he can lean on and performing it to the best of his ability.

If Brooklyn feels that Robinson’s best role is to be rough and rugged in the paint, owning anything that hits the glass, he has the youth and athleticism to perform that task.

Brooklyn might be the place where Thomas Robinson finds his stride and actually is able to rest his head for awhile.

All the bouncing around he has done to this point in his career really does not make sense.

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