Thunder’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Slated to Make Key Return

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is set to make his return to the court against the Pelicans.

After suffering an ankle sprain in December, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl returned to the basketball court last week, but not with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, he played three games with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

In three games with the Blue, Robinson-Earl averaged 18.3 points per game in 29 minutes per game. His numbers were solid, and he did so efficiently. He shot 68.8% from the field and 60% on 3-pointers.

Now, Robinson-Earl has been called back up to the Thunder from the Blue, in a move simultaneous with Tre Mann being sent to the Blue in the meantime.

However, don’t expect Robinson-Earl to jump back into playing heavy minutes. Jaylin Williams has held it down while the Thunder has dealt with frontcourt injuries and Dario Saric, the Thunder’s newest addition, will lobby for a chunk of center minutes too.
With the three big men all being able to play the center position, they’re all interchangeable and provide a different look on offense. Williams is more of a connector while Saric is a floor spacer, but Robinson-Earl provides a bit of both worlds while showing solid size.

The biggest bright spot of the 6-foot-8 big man’s return is that he adds plenty of versatility to the Thunder’s lineup. The Thunder have proven to need the depth, especially in the frontcourt, and despite Aleksej Pokusevski still being out with injury, the Thunder will still have that.

The next two games ahead of the All-Star break could be huge for the Thunder, they get a healthy Robinson-Earl at the perfect time. If all goes well, Robinson-Earl could help boost the Thunder to an above .500 record heading into the break. 

---

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.