UNC Basketball: Brandon Robinson can handle a starting role in 2019-20

Unheralded Playmaking

Brandon Robinson is not one who holds the ball much. His touches are low, relegated to minor playmaking and shooting duties throughout the sparse minutes that he sees the court. Thus, his responsibilities, as both a scorer and playmaker, are minimized greatly.

But as a junior, he flashed serious promise as a secondary playmaker for UNC, lending credence to the hope that he could start as a potent complementary piece next to Cole Anthony in the backcourt, capable of lessening Anthony’s facilitating role whilst also helping the team as a whole.

Because, as proficient as his shooting was last season, it was only part of what made his offensive impact — which contributed to his impressive BPM and fiery on-court offensive rating — so damn important. When accounting for both possessions and assists, Robinson’s 1.475 points per possession ranked in the 99th percentile of the NCAA last year according to Synergy Sports, with an elite 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio solidifying a statistical season that was nothing short of spectacular, even when taking his low volume into account.

Robinson’s strength as a playmaker is multifaceted and layered. It is not based solely on intelligence or awareness, but also on underrated vision, touch, and a keen sense of how to manipulate defenders with the slightest of moves.

Vital to any pass is a sense of time and place. No movement should be wasted, no decision delayed. A lag in decision-making time and mental processing can lead to missed opportunities and missed windows. What could’ve been a lob to a cutter or a kickout to a shooter in the corner can be erased in a split second. Snappy processing and recognition is vital to a good passer, and Robinson possesses such quick thinking.

After going long on a pull-up three from the wing, Robinson chases down the flyball to keep it alive before catching the teardrop on the right wing. With the Duke defense scrambling, he hits Cameron Johnson in the corner before receiving a reversal, and, in a split second, spots Luke Maye wide open under the basket and delivers an entry pass over the top of the defense, resulting in the easy deuce.

On the primary break against Georgia Tech, a streaking Robinson catches a trailing Nassir Little in his periphery, driving toward the basket before hitting an over-the-shoulder pass to produce a two-handed slam and two points for the Heels.

What makes some of Robinson’s passes even better — and perhaps what allows him to make them to begin with — is the degree of touch that he has as a passer. Whether he’s floating up lobs or throwing balls through tight windows, Robinson has a natural feel as a playmaker that’s often gone unnoticed. He plays with good pace and can really deliver passes with incredible velocity, helping some passes get to their intended targets in a snap. Likewise, his ball placement on his passes is superb, allowing him to feed backdoor cutters and squeeze passes past numerous defenders without getting intercepted.

Against NC State, Robinson hits Luke Maye on the right baseline, cutting a pass past a closing window.

Running in transition alongside Kenny Williams against Louisville, he delivers a ball with enough spin and precision to catch Williams in stride, thus flossing two defenders without incident.

Eyeing a backdoor cut from Williams, Robinson cocks back his arm and throws a one-handed bullet that careens off the hardwood and right into the cutting Williams, curving as to avoid the outstretched hands of the Virginia Tech defense.

And, incredulously, Robinson accomplishes a similar feat whose level of difficulty is staggeringly higher, this time fitting the ball past all five Davidson defenders, somehow reaching Maye unharmed under the basket. The zip he can get on a ball is simply nuts.