Fansided

2018 NBA Mock Draft: Time for the Final Four

By Brendon Kleen

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Mikal Bridges
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Mikal Bridges /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – April 14: Mitchell Robinson #24 of W. Kentucky in action during the Jordan Brand Classic, National Boys Team All-Star basketball game at The Barclays Center on April 14, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /

C. Chalmette High School. Mitchell Robinson. 13. player. 77.

Going back to high school basketball aficionado Mike Gribanov’s piece at The Stepien from January, which I’ve mentioned in this space before, Robinson’s defensive potential is going seriously underrated in discussions around this year’s draft. I’ve seen many laud Melton for leaving school to train for the draft, and while that may have to do with the circumstances under which he left (already suspended due to USC’s involvement in the FBI’s student-athlete payment investigation), it’s not altogether different from what Robinson chose to do this season.

Take this nugget, which lists Robinson’s high school blocks per 36 compared with those of the other top prospects of this year and next year. Robinson is at the top of the list with nearly six blocks per 36 minutes, ahead of Manute Bol’s son, Bol Bol, as well as 2018 prospects such as Wendell Carter and Jaren Jackson. People compare Carter to Al Horford and say Jackson could be the best defensive player in the league. If Robinson’s athleticism and intelligence develop when he gets to the NBA, where does that leave him among those peers?

Los Angeles is in the market for a De’Andre Jordan replacement, and Robinson could slide right into that role. While he may take as long as Jordan to develop, that type of player is so valuable in the right scheme that Robinson will be worth the time. And if the Clippers didn’t trade Blake Griffin to cash in on younger, cheaper assets, why did they do it?