Jerome Robinson getting his chance with Wizards

With the Los Angeles Clippers, Jerome Robinson was glued to the bench. The 2018 first-rounder was drafted 13th overall, but his situation was less than ideal. Robinson couldn’t find consistent playing time on a veteran-heavy, playoff-caliber team.

But when the opportunity to trade for Robinson arose last month, the Washington Wizards pounced. General manager Tommy Sheppard remembered the guard’s electric pre-draft workout with Washington and was always high on Robinson’s potential.

The team traded starter Isaiah Thomas in exchange for a player who logged just 33 games his rookie year.

“Jerome is part of our future,” Sheppard said at the time.

Robinson’s ceiling, though, is hard to project. Twelve games into Robinson’s tenure with the Wizards, coach Scott Brooks said Friday he still doesn’t know what type of player the 23-year-old can become. Robinson has shown flashes of the athleticism that drew the Wizards to him, but he is shooting just 37% from the field.

To find out what they have, the Wizards are giving Robinson an opportunity to play.

Robinson missed Sunday’s night’s game against the Miami Heat with a sore Achilles. He has averaged 21.3 minutes per game — and even moved into the starting lineup last week. Robinson logged a career-high 35 minutes in Friday’s win against the Atlanta Hawks.

“He’s responded, he’s competed on the defensive end,” Brooks said of Robinson. “The thing I think, he’s still hesitant on his shot. And if you’re hesitant, very rarely are you going to make them. … He has to be confident and shoot it when he’s open.”

Robinson’s shot hasn’t consistently translated to the pros. At Boston College, he made 40% of his 3-pointers his junior year. But the NBA’s 3-point line is a few feet further back, and Robinson’s percentages dropped with the change. This year, Robinson is shooting only 30.4% from deep.

Part of that struggle could be due to a lack of aggression, as Brooks suggested. Robinson, too, said he can sense when he makes a mistake. “Sometimes, I’ll make a move and then I’ll pass and I’m like, ‘That was my opportunity,’” Robinson said.

The Wizards would also like Robinson to become more assertive with the ball in his hands. 

Washington is without Ish Smith (hamstring) and in need of another playmaker. Robinson is being asked to fill those duties occasionally.

Robinson, after all, played point guard in high school and his positional flexibility was a trait that scouts praised out of the draft.

Asked what causes a player to be hesitant, Brooks said a lack of role can cause affect confidence.

“But (Robinson) has a coach and a coaching staff that wants him to shoot it,” Brooks said. “He’s going to eventually feel that, and he’s going to continue to (have) marginal gains in that area.”

So far, Robinson’s best moment with the Wizards was when he sank a game-winning 3-pointer late last month against the Brooklyn Nets. 

With seconds ticking down, Bradley Beal drew the double team and swung the ball to an open Robinson, who released the ball right away.

Robinson didn’t hesitate at all.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better over the course of time,” Robinson said. “Just watching film and seeing the times where I could have been more aggressive, I think it has helped over a couple of games.”