Russell Robinson

Robinson came out with guns a blazing in the third game of the day, knocking down a barrage of shots to finish the first quarter with 16 points, and eventually ending up with 34 points. He showed the strengths he brings to the table, mainly his fundamentals, smarts and ability to run a team effectively—although you can tell that the chemistry he enjoys with Desmon Farmer is not great and his turnovers are up substantially this season.

He’s also a physical guy who plays tough defense—his 6-8 wingspan helps quite a bit-- and is very solid on this end as you would expect from a former Bill Self point guard. He’s not the quickest or most explosive player you’ll find, particularly in his ability to finish plays around the rim (he makes just 44% of his 2-point attempts), but the fact that his perimeter shooting has improved substantially-- both from what we saw today and in the fact that he’s shooting 40% from beyond the NBA 3-point line—helps his cause substantially. He did a good job in training camp with the Cavs this past October, and will likely get more looks as the season moves on.

Robinson was with the Cleveland Cavaliers for training camp after spending the summer on Orlando’s summer league team. Always known for his defense and basketball IQ, Robinson seemed to make big strides last season with his offensive game and looks like a far more confident player offensively than he did at Kansas. He’s not a great athlete but surely isn’t that much worse than many 3rd string point guards who make the NBA year in and year out simply due to being known commodities.