2018 NBA Mock Draft: The summer is decision time

Imagine if, at age 19, you told your family that instead of going to school for free, instead of traveling the world making money doing what you love, and instead of trying something completely new alongside some brave and talented compatriots, you were just going to skip all of it and spend a year in a gym.

I don’t know what the rest of you were doing when you were 19 (and I’m sure some of you are not yet 19 yourselves), but I can tell you for certain that that plan would not have flown where I grew up. It’s risky. Even for a basketball player about whom that story makes much more sense given the circumstance, it’s risky. Robinson is a supremely talented player, someone who I consistently place higher than most others because of his physical gifts and defensive potential. But missing a whole year when you were originally set to play at a small mid-major anyway is tough to understand.

Breaking down a decision like that for your family is one thing, but imagine having to tell a potential employer about that in a job interview. You had an opportunity to get better at your craft and make yourself more desirable to them, and instead you stepped down and practiced with your friends. That’s really tough to sell.

These conversations are the ones Robinson will have to navigate to rise this high and make the money that comes with a lottery selection. His talent says he deserves it. Do his actions back that up?