NY Knicks: Comparing Mitchell Robinson to 3 star centers

NY Knicks: Mitchell Robinson Comparisons — DeAndre Jordan

Brooklyn Nets superstar DeAndre Jordan.

Alright, Jordan may be past his prime now, but once upon a time he was one of the most athletic and physically imposing centers in the NBA. We’re talking about a former All-Star with an All-NBA first-team selection and two All-NBA 3rd team selections.

Another mammoth athlete with springy legs, Jordan was a part of the old “lob-city” Los Angeles Clippers in the early 2010s.

Jordan, like Mitchell Robinson, was a 2nd round draft pick. Coming into the league, he was another clunky, athletic big man who was a ways away from understanding the nuances of being a productive center in the NBA.

Jordan’s scouting report on NBA Draftnet said:

"“Exciting bigman with a lot of promise At 7-feet, his rare athleticism and explosive leaping ability gives him a tremendous amount of potential Hes got a huge frame and can add a lot of weight and become a dominant interior force on both ends of the floor His combination of size, length, and explosiveness makes him a quality shot blocker now who can develop into a dominant one with added coaching and discipline… Needs to develop his body, strengthening his arms and upper body and toning his legs … Despite being a bigtime athlete, hes still extremely raw fundamentally Right now his offensive game is limited to mostly dunks and follow up shots around the basket Still needs to add a lot to his game, so its unlikely hell be ready to contribute much after just one season at Texas A&M Lacks range. He has decent touch, but lacks any real post moves or great offensive understanding A year in college will definitely help him to pick up better foot work and post moves…”"

Jordan showed a lot of the good and the bad from his draft profile in his first two seasons in the league. It wasn’t until his 3rd year in the league that he eclipsed 20 minutes per game.

Chris Paul arrived in Los Angeles for Jordan’s 4th year, and Jordan began to prove himself as a key player and secondary player for the Lob City Clippers.

Prior to the season starting, Jordan the Clippers matched a 3-year, 43 million offer sheet to keep the still developing Jordan around. He was in a similar spot in his career to Mitchell Robinson now.

Even with Chris Paul’s arrival in year 4, it wasn’t until year 6 that Jordan started to play heavy minutes and start putting up the 13-15 stat lines that became regular season averages in the prime of his career.

Jordan had the physical gifts and basketball instincts, he just needed to be developed. He became one of the league’s best “defensive anchors”. Mitchell Robinson certainly looks as though he’s developed some DeAndre Jordan level strength and size this offseason and he could start having a similar impact soon.