NBA Draft 2018 Prospect Watch: Mitchell Robinson

What the experts say

ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 22nd

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 24th

Sporting News (Chris Stone): 25th

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 15th

The Stepien (Cole Zwicker): 11th, Tier 5

The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): 24th

Quotes:

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony summed up the high-risk, high-reward appeal that surrounds Robinson as a prospect and the commitment teams will have to be aware of in potentially selecting him in this year’s draft:

"“Robinson is one of the most talented prospects in the draft physically — with impressive length, athleticism and shot-blocking instincts — but is far away from contributing. The fact that he elected not to play college basketball this season won’t help his NBA readiness, but at some point in the draft, he’s worth taking a gamble on as a developmental project.”"

Mike Gribanov of The Stepien writes that while Robinson’s raw talent is too hard to pass on the deeper you go into this draft, the character concerns and the big men depth littered throughout this year’s draft class may end up dissuading teams from picking the 20-year-old on draft night:

"“One of the most talented defensive centers in a class full of great defensive centers, Robinson is a tantalizing big man with his combination of commanding size and quick twitch athleticism. However, he is considered a mystery by many since he was ineligible to play in the NCAA this season and his intangibles have been questioned because of the circumstances surrounding his departure from Western Kentucky. To me, his talent is too hard to pass on once you get outside the top 10 but the depth at the center position certainly doesn’t help his case, as teams may look to draft more familiar prospects.”"