James Robinson has had a productive first half to the summer. As being part of the gold-winning USA U18 squad, he played with a lot of top freshman talent. Robinson was something of a surprise to make the U18 squad. Even acknowledged by the U18 and Florida coach Billy Donovan.
“We weren’t sure we were going to keep him. We cut the team from 25 to 14 and then kept guys around to 12. He was originally on the outside looking in. But once we started practicing we saw that he’s a winner and a great role guy. He’s a typical Pitt player. Jamie [Dixon] will love coaching him. I’m not sure of his impact on the team but people will say, ‘Where did this guy come from?’ The kid is a winner. I liked coaching him. He was the same guy every day.”
If you watched any of the FIBA you saw that Robinson is a very strong kid. He’s decisive and definitely a facilitator as a point guard. He sees the court and knows how to control the tempo. His game is predicated on directing and decisiveness. The more comfortable he is with his teammates and what the team wants/needs the better he is.
He is not a slashing, fast guard. He will not blow past guys on the perimeter. Most of his teammates — and opposing guards looked almost a step faster than him in the U18. He is much more in the mold of Fields and Knight. Guys who ere at their best within the system — on either side of the ball. It made them appear swifter at times because they saw and knew what to do before an opponent. Not a surprise, as even the recruiting sites noted that speed and explosiveness were not his strengths.
