Mitchell Robinson Scouting Report

Tip: To play clips, you may need to disable AdBlock

Mitchell Robinson (Big, 20, 7'1", 225 lbs)

• No Statistical Profile Available

Strengths

Robinson has elite physical tools with a 7'4" wingspan measured in high school to go along with very long legs and excellent athleticism. He takes enormous strides and covers large distances with ease. He possesses great vertical explosiveness and gets off his feet quickly. He has the tools to be a great lob catcher and a remarkable rim protector due to his wide catch radius and wingspan. He is a good mover for his size and leverages his stride length in transition.

Offensively, Robinson is limited at the moment to a role as a rim runner and lob catcher but he does have some decent skill. His touch is average for an NBA big prospect and his jumper is fluid with some room for improvement. He won’t be a jump shooter early in his career but the upside is there for it to develop, more so than a Robert Williams type.

Defensively, Robinson is a great shot blocker and was a better rim protector in EYBL than Mo Bamba, Jaren Jackson and other highly touted bigs in this class. He has excellent timing, a great second jump, and is very aggressive blocking shots. He will do a good job controlling the paint and dissuading drivers. He is less a fluid athlete and more of a quick twitch player who can close out very well due to his stride length. He is also a good jump shot blocker on close outs.

Weaknesses

Robinson has a thin frame, and his long legs in combination with this frame are not an advantage when battling for position in the post. He is not prone to boxing out and can be a liability on the defensive glass as opponents get under him and drive him away from the hoop. He is a shot blocker at heart and goes for everything around the rim which will get him into foul trouble early in his career. Defensively, he’s not the best switching candidate due to adequate lateral movement and poor technique in closeouts and dribble drives where he does not maintain a consistent stance and is wild when guarding in space. He doesn’t have the frame to guard inidvidually in the post and will get eaten alive by guys with advanced post moves. He’s more of a rim protector in a team sense in help situations around the basket.

Offensively, Robinson is limited and has no post game at this stage. He doesn’t have much of a handle and is developing as a jump shooter. He isn’t a good passer or cutter and doesn’t have great feel for the game on offense. His upside as a screener, rim runner and roll man may not be as high as his physical tools suggest due to poor instincts and a reliance on athleticism.

It will take Robinson time to improve his footwork, technique and positioning on both ends and he must prove he is coachable. Leaving Western Kentucky was an odd choice and it’s fair to question his intangibles and wonder if there are legitimate off court concerns when one observes some of his public comments in interviews and on social media. It would have been helpful to see him against college competition due to a weak schedule in high school, making the EYBL circuit the only true evidence of his success against better players.

Summary

Robinson has excellent physical tools and functional athleticism to be a great roll man and rim protector at the next level. He has great talent defensively and is a quick twitch athlete who thrives on his intimidating stature at 7'1" and his long strides. However, there are so many questions about him both on and off the court that he is a massive risk in a class with a lot of high floor bigs. If he is able to answer those off-court questions, his talent and physical tools are certainly up there with Bamba and the other top bigs, but without that knowledge and with a limited offensive game, it is hard to draft him in the top 20 based simply off his athleticism and shot blocking ability.