By not attending the NBA Combine, Robinson blew his chance to be a first-round draft pick–and the guaranteed contract that goes with it.
Now that the NBA draft lottery selection has passed, it’s time to look at the prospects who’ve declared. And there’s one player, Mitchell Robinson, who made a decision recently that put a serious dent in his draft stock.
Mitchell Robinson (courtesy, 247 Sports)
Robinson, a five-star recruit out of Chalmette High School in Louisiana, was offered scholarships from UMass, Texas A&M, and others. He committed to A&M, then followed his coach to Western Kentucky, but left Western soon after arriving. He decided (instead) to train for a year to prepare for the NBA Draft.
If that wasn’t problematic enough, Mitchell made another decision recently that I believe will haunt him.
He withdrew from all NBA combine activities.
Other players, like Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, have skipped the NBA Combine in the past due to injury concerns. But coaches and scouts had a chance to see those prospects play in college. Robinson, on the other hand, is a relative unknown.
The NBA Combine is a place where teams interview prospects, get to see them perform live, and make real-time, first-person evaluations. They can judge how well prospects measure up to team standards, not just athletically but personality-wise, as well.
With all of that in mind, I have absolutely no idea why Robinson opted out of the Combine. Sure, scouts may have seen him play a few times in high school and there are no doubt tapes of Mitchell playing, too.
NBA teams don’t like to make draft decisions based on highlight reels.
Mitchell might be able to schedule a few private pro days, but this isn’t the NFL, where private pro days are common. And even if Robinson gets to feature his skills in a pro day or two, it’s not the same as the Combine, where coaches and scouts can compare and contrast prospects side-by-side.
In the end, I think Robinson’s decision will hurt him. Why?
A risk to begin with, Robinson is now an even bigger risk. The NBA doesn’t know what it’s getting.
My prediction: Mitchell Robinson just blew his chance to be a first-round draft pick–and the guaranteed contract that goes with it.
