Thunder End of the Year Report Card: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Thunder rookie JRE enjoyed extended minutes in impressive rookie season.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl missed a good portion of the closing stretch due to injury but finished the season strong for the Thunder.

The second-round pick started a solid amount of games for Oklahoma City, especially towards the beginning and middle stages of the year when the Thunder were competing in games. JRE is a smooth fit as a stretch, finesse big man.

Robinson-Earl finished the 2021-22 season averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest in just 22 minutes of action. The big man shot 41% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range, as he was one of Oklahoma City’s better shooters.

The Villanova product has cemented himself into future Thunder plans with his high IQ play and his shooting upside. Robinson-Earl could be a must-have role player that provides a great locker room presence.

As Oklahoma City executives expect a big summer from JRE, here’s how he graded out over his rookie season.

Overall Grade: B+

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For a rookie, Robinson-Earl handled all of the things thrown at him with relative ease. For starters, he was out of position as the Thunder experimented by putting him at center in a small-ball lineup. This worked well for OKC against smaller teams as JRE was a hard matchup for big men to stay in front of.

His 3-point shooting was better than advertised at Villanova and it seems that his signature shot could be the pick-and-pop 3-pointer. He always finds his spots and knows where he wants to shoot from.

His 35% percentage from downtown could be a glimpse of what’s to come when he’s game becomes more consistent overall. Early returns look like Sam Presti hit on yet another second round pick flying under the radar.

Offensively

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

Robinson-Earl doesn’t have a ton of back-to-the-basket big man moves at his disposal, but does guard-like things for a big man.

He also has a beautiful flip shot around the rim, similar to Steven Adams’ signature in the lane. Robinson-Earl plays an old-school style of basketball.

He has extremely quick feet for a post and is surprisingly athletic. JRE looks to be a very complete prospect in terms of what he brings to the table and the direction that the Thunder are heading.

He’s going to have another chance to play significant minutes at some point next year, and the Thunder are looking for a post player to step up.

Defensively

Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports

Robinson-Earl was significantly undersized in some games, playing centers a full head taller and much heavier. What he lacked in size, though, he made up for in athleticism.

JRE flashed elite shot blocking skills on multiple occasions, and some of that was stemming simply from effort. He never gives up on plays and that’s what makes him such a strong fit on the Thunder.

There’s no question the Robinson-Earl will continue to get stronger. As he puts on weight and muscle, the Thunder will really be able to benefit from sliding him at the small ball five spot.

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