The Golden State Warriors signed numerous veterans this past offseason, and Glenn Robinson III is one of few taking his opportunity and proving himself.
It’s been a sad season. The Golden State Warriors are 4-17 and just lost to the Nikola Vucevic-less Orlando Magic. It wasn’t a fluke. This team is not better than the Magic, and overall, there’s not much concern among Dub Nation.
It’s easy to see why they’ve been so awful. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry is out till at least February, five-time All-Star Klay Thompson may not play a game in the 2019-2020 season, and D’Angelo Russell has even missed the last few weeks as well.
That’s forced them to play numerous players that signed veteran’s minimum contracts this past offseason. The two that come to mind immediately are Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, both making the most of their high-volume minutes.
Robinson III came to Golden State without many other options. Since arriving, he’s shown a unique blend of high-percentage three-point shooting and athletism. Sadly, like Terrance Ross, he’s yet to take his game to the next level for a full season.
He’s averaging 5.0 points per game on his career. With Golden State, Robinson has more than doubled that. Averaging a career-high 11.5 points (13.1 per 36 minutes), it’s not just that Robinson scoring, but it’s that he’s doing it efficiently.
The 6-foot-6 small forward is shooting 46% from the field and 38.5% from downtown. While neither of those are career highs for the five-year veteran, they are good enough to get him recognized by teams as the February trade deadline will eventually near.
It’s even more than just his efficient scoring; Robinson is doing just about everything better than he has in the past. One of the key threats on Golden State’s Western Conference-worst team, it’s not shocking that Robinson is making his presence felt.
This may have been Robinson’s last chance at NBA success, and it may have gone down differently had the team been at full strength. But, it hasn’t, and he’s rebounding his value behind 30-plus minutes a night.
For now, it’s exciting to see Robinson thrive even the Warriors struggling.