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Detroit Pistons player preview: Expectations for Glenn Robinson III

By Steve Pelletier

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 26: Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a foul shot against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 26, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 26: Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a foul shot against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 26, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 27: Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 27: Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The No. 2 expectation for Glenn Robinson III

Run the floor.

If you pull up any highlights on Glenn Robinson III, you will notice that they are dominated by two types of field goals: 3-pointers and break-away dunks.

He is a good transition scorer, as evidence by the percentage of his offense that fell into that category. Until this past season, his points off of the fast break accounted for 16.0 percent or more of his total offense.

Robinson dealt with the dreaded, high-ankle sprain for the majority of last year. So it’s understandable that his percentage dipped to 14.7, as he had to get healthy before being able run at full speed again.

Now, having a full off-season to recover, we can expect him to get back and run on the break to throw down those slams that helped him win the dunk contest in 2017.

Beyond that, though, it’s difficult to confidently predict what Robinson can bring to the table.

As a defender, he seems to be a mystery. No one has called him a bad defender, but no one will confuse him for Andre Iguodala or even someone like Danny Green.

He’s also not one to hit shots off the dribble. This is evidence by the percentage of his field goals that are unassisted. In his first season, 38.5 percent of his field goals were on unassisted attempts, and that percentage has gone down every year – with last year being a career-low of 22.2 percent.

I have been at the University of Michigan since 2012 and remember Robinson’s time on the team here. While I haven’t seen as much of his NBA career, what I have seen seems to indicate much of the same as what I saw when he was in Ann Arbor.

Pull up his scouting reports, and the only area where he’s greatly improved is his shooting. Otherwise, I think “potential” is the optimal word when describing what else Robinson offers at this point, beyond providing space and transition scoring.

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