It's an interesting question to ask, because last year at this time most Wizards fans were already in love with Derrick Williams, but like most years, the NBA's lottery wasn't kind to the team from DC. However when I look at last year's draft class and this year's prospects, the biggest comparison is between Williams last year and T-Rob this year.
Both Williams and Robinson are about 6'8"- 6'9" and both weigh about 240-245lbs. Both players were forced into playing "bigger" positions in college than they most likely will at the next level and both must prove that they can extend their offensive games away from the basket.
Looking at their final NCAA seasons, Williams after his sophomore and Robinson his junior, they are very comparable scoring wise, but Robinson definitely has the edge on the boards and one could argue Robinson played on a more talented KU team, with more scoring options.
Williams: 19.5 ppg, 8,5 rpg
Robinson: 17.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg
Williams has had a lackluster rookie season in Minnesota and coach Rick Adelman has already given his orders for Derrick to find his nitche, most likely at SF, but that's not really the position his game is currently designed for. So what does this mean for Robinson? Can he play PF in the NBA or is he another "tweener" like Williams that's not big enough to play PF, but not skilled enough for the perimeter?
While I like T-Rob, I like his intangibles, his motor, his blue collar mentality, it's his lack of a defined NBA position that worries me the most about his success at the NBA level and of course a scenario in which the Wizards draft him with their lottery pick.
This is why I go back to Williams and how he has struggled adapting to find a roll and a position in the NBA, when in fact Minnesota has a clear need for him at SF, with Kevin Love as the franchise's PF. Clearly the Wizards don't have a Love type holding down the PF position, but they do have depth there with Booker, Vesely, and combo bigs like Nene and Seraphin. Would drafting Robinson be redundant since they already have young depth there? And would drafting Robinson retard the development of the entire group of bigs that need playing time to mature?
So what is T-Rob? Is he an undersized PF like David West? Does he have the outside stretch ability of a Josh Smith? Can he play SF? Or will he too struggle to find his way like Derrick Williams has this year?


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