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Name: James Robinson
Position: Point Guard
Class Junior
2013-14 Stats: 7.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.1 APG
Overview
Robinson had a successful sophomore campaign by all accounts yet struggled to really take over as a scorer. He is the quarterback of the offense and one of the best in the nation in that regard. Robinson was third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio with a ratio of 4:11 last season. This is an incredibly underrated stat for Robinson and one that often gets overlooked due to his inability to score more points.
Strengths
Robinson’s biggest strength is his ability to run the offense. As noted above, his assist-to-turnover margin is the thing that stands out. He has an uncanny ability to find the open man and lead an offense. He is, for lack of a better word, the quarterback of the offense in that the entire offense runs through him.
Weaknesses
Robinson is a victim of his own unselfishness. While his field goal percentage increased from 36.8 percent to 40.1 percent, his scoring only increased from 6.1 to 7.6 last year. This can be widely contributed to his unselfishness and what seems to be his great desire to pass the ball over taking an open shot. In order for the Panthers to be contenders in the mighty ACC, Robinson will need to increase his scoring production, especially while Cameron Wright is sidelined with a broken foot and with the team having lost leading scorer, Lamar Patterson, to the NBA Draft.
Conclusion
Robinson is arguably the leader of this Panthers team. With Cameron Wright being the only senior leader on the team (Derrick Randall is the other senior), Robinson will need to really step up this season. I predict that Robinson steps up as a leader admirably and gets his scoring into double digits. He has the ability to score at a high pace while not taking away from the flow of the offense. I certainly expect his pull up jump-shot from the elbow to be ever more reliable this year as he takes a step forward in his offensive development.