Thunder End of Year Report Card: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Early on in the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder reverted to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl plenty as the fifth starter. The Thunder’s season and rotation was thrown for a loop when Chet Holmgren was ruled out for the season, but Robinson-Earl played a key role in the Thunder filling that void.
For Robinson-Earl, an eventual ankle injury would turn his season upside down and knock him out of the rotation. However, he appeared in 43 games, just six less games than his first season.
Overall Grade: C+
This grade goes for his overall season, and Robinson-Earl’s solid start can’t be overstated. He had taken a leap and was a solid presence at the center position. He would easily be creeping into the territory of B grade had an injury not ensued, but that’s the unfortunate reality of this league.
Because of the injury, minutes fall off and the general repercussions of the injury, Robinson-Earl’s grade takes a natural hit, and it’s not completely his fault.
Offense
Considering Robinson-Earl went from 22.2 minutes per game in his rookie season to 18.9 minutes per game this season, his offensive game wasn’t all that bad. His shooting was much improved in the first half of the season, though it didn’t hold post-injury.
After shooting 35 percent on 3-pointers in his rookie year, Robinson-Earl shot 33 percent on 3-pointers this season. The percentage drop-off isn’t too much, but the 6-foot-9 big man showed promise in that aspect this season.
Defense
While Robinson-Earl doesn’t play vertically on defense, he had a much improved defensive first step and was moving his feet well pre-injury. He played well within the Thunder’s systematic defense, though he’s not the best one-on-one defender.
After the injury, the 22-year-old saw defensive dropoff as he did with each of the other aspects of his game. So, again, Robinson-Earl was showing promise in another aspect but was hindered by an injury midseason.
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