James Robinson, guard recruiting

[pittlaw98]

Wow! 5 pts (2 pts in garbage time) in 35+ minutes. The next time he drives past his defender will be the first time. Teams dare him to drive and he can't do it. And don't tell me his role is to just run the offense, take care of the ball, and play defense. That is his role because that is all he is capable of doing. We need guards that can penetrate and shoot to take the pressure off of Young and Artis. It is just sad that he has been the PG of this team for 3 years and hasn't gotten any better. Tell me one thing he does better this year than he did in his first year. (And, I know, Newkirk is way worse right now, downright awful - no confidence).

Jamie really needs to work on recruiting guards who can penetrate and shoot. They don't need to be elite, top 50 guards - just look around at these other teams that play us, there are plenty of guards that can do both. I don't know what Jamie looks for in guards, but it sure isn't ball handling and driving ability (or shooting - look at Robinson and Newkirk).

 

[The Sisco Kid]

And guess who starts next year too-----wooooooo. It's hard to gain confidence when you don't play. Look at the improvements Jeter and Jones made when they played more minutes.

 

[thebadby2]

Former major JROB supporter here.....

1. You talk about needing to bring in more highly rated guard prospects-I believe James is the highest rated guard we've had here since Carl Krauser, or maybe even Vonteego Cummibgs.

2. He seemingly has not improved in any facet. One could make a case that he was all around better as a true freshman.

3. He's a big PG who doesn't play like one. Couldn't he take advantage of his size and strength in some way on the offensive end? Back his man down and score or dish? Simple stuff. He rarely does. He can't shoot, he can't beat anyone off the dribble, so why doesn't he take advantage of what he does have-size, strength, a strong handle and some touch? As it is, we are playing 4 on 5 on offense. He seems to view himself as a 5th option, a last resort.

He has been very disappointing. Based on his freshman year, I really thought he would develop into a Deron Williams type player. He's not done yet, but he shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Williams at this point.

This post was edited on 3/4 11:09 PM by thebadby2

 

[noelr]

all of our pg"s improved, including woodall, except robinson-he seems the same as day one as frosh. not meant to be a knock, but he his plateau was frosh

 

[Jeffburgh]

I always felt his participation in the U19 held him back

he looked gassed as the season wore on.

I thought playing oversees during the summer for u19 wore him down and kept him from training for the season, and expected him to be a lot better and SHARPER this year.

He was in better shape this year, but my biggest thing with him is he plays in a fog so much.

For a guy with his "pedigree" you would expect him to be sharper, cagier ...

He just is too passive and does not have enough focus, imo.

That said, with more pieces around him, he would be a good lead guard.

This team just has too many issues and it makes him look worse than he otherwise might look.

 

[ameoba defense]

Re: I always felt his participation in the U19 held him back

He's a guy who would be effective on a loaded team, but on a team with as many holes as Pitt, his weaknesses become glaring.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I wouldn't say 2 were in garbage time, since that bucket made it a one possession game.

But, the greater point that he's a non-factor to score is a valid criticism.

I've said this in another thread..but, we REALLY need to take the Rick Pitino approach to guards...stop worrying about size.
Find guards that #1 have a great handle, #2 Are fearless in scoring, and #3 can defend like crazy.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I wouldn't say 2 were in garbage time, since that bucket made it a one possession game.

But, the greater point that he's a non-factor to score is a valid criticism.

I've said this in another thread..but, we REALLY need to take the Rick Pitino approach to guards...stop worrying about size.
Find guards that #1 have a great handle, #2 Are fearless in scoring, and #3 can defend like crazy.

 

[thebadby2]

Re: I always felt his participation in the U19 held him back

He'd look a lot better if we had a scoring machine 2 and a true post man. Then again, so would our overall record.

 

[shortball]

Let me say this right off the bat. JR is not a starting point guard on a D-1 level power conference as the ACC. This guy was so overrated coming out of High School. The truth of the matter is these rating sites are so off the mark in most cases.
JR got this rating due to the fact he played at Dematha Catholic out of Wash. DC. If you play for them you automatically become a super star which just is not true. No question they have had some great players flow from program with legendary coach but most of their above average players are well overrated.

I like JR for his character and commitment to the Pitt program but not as a starting point guard. Based on his skill level I
see his role as a support role off the bench . This really fits his abilities from the stand point he does not have to looked upon to score but just run offense and play a little defense.

JD biggest problem is he has slow feet and is not quick in space. To be a good penetrating point guard you do not need to be fast just quick. JR cannot create off the dribble and create separation between himself and defender. This lack of quickness is why we don't see him drive to the hoop very often. The same can be said on defense with slow feet. He plays high when defending and has a slow first step which makes him easy to drive around.

The kid has a good head on his shoulders but not the physical assets to play as us fans expect at this level. As some posters have already eluded to we would not be having this conversation if Pitt had a consistent starting offside guard
who could shoot the 3's. JR is really being exposed because everyone can see Pitt needs a good outside shooter who can pull the defense out and provide some inside space for Artis and Young to operate. Right now the scouting report on Pitt would be to pack and sluff defense in and let JR shoot. Just no respect for Pitt's outside shooting game.

Playing in the ACC is a must for high skilled point guards. Cannot get to next level without them. Not sure how much Pitt will be able to improve next year without better outside scoring help.

 

[braves2121]

Originally posted by SoufOaklin4Life:
I wouldn't say 2 were in garbage time, since that bucket made it a one possession game.

Miami basically snow-plowed a path for him to the basket because all they cared about was avoiding a 3. Which is what we needed

 

[GrowthHormone]

Re: Former major JROB supporter here.....

Originally posted by thebadby2:
1. You talk about needing to bring in more highly rated guard prospects-I believe James is the highest rated guard we've had here since Carl Krauser, or maybe even Vonteego Cummibgs.

2. He seemingly has not improved in any facet. One could make a case that he was all around better as a true freshman.

3. He's a big PG who doesn't play like one. Couldn't he take advantage of his size and strength in some way on the offensive end? Back his man down and score or dish? Simple stuff. He rarely does. He can't shoot, he can't beat anyone off the dribble, so why doesn't he take advantage of what he does have-size, strength, a strong handle and some touch? As it is, we are playing 4 on 5 on offense. He seems to view himself as a 5th option, a last resort.

He has been very disappointing. Based on his freshman year, I really thought he would develop into a Deron Williams type player. He's not done yet, but he shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Williams at this point.

This post was edited on 3/4 11:09 PM by thebadby2

I agree with you top to bottom. It's frustrating. I had high hopes for him. I really think he was better as a freshman.