Robin Lopez, a 7’00″ and 250-lb. center from Stanford is famous for playing on a good college basketball team, for being the twin of Stanford star big man Brook Lopez and for dating pro golfer Michelle Wie. But will he ever be famous for playing basketball in the NBA?
Maybe, though probably not right away. Lopez is very likely to be a first round pick in the 2008 draft, but very unlikely to be a lottery selection or someone who can start for an NBA team right away. Lopez made some real improvement from his freshman to his sophomore season. He made substantial improvements in his scoring and shooting percentages from the field and the line. However, he still commits too many turnovers and while his rebounding his very good, it could be better still. Lopez is a nice shotblocker who works hard on defense and runs the floor well. He is a high-effort and intensity player who almost never takes a play off.
Offensively, Lopez is very raw. He’s got some post up moves that work primarily because of his good hands and physical dexterity. Robin has a certain ‘slitheriness’ in traffic that his brother Brook does not. Nevertheless, his feet are fairly leaden right now, despite the fact that Lopez has the athleticism to do better. He seems to still lack some confidence in his offensive game and if he gets the ball in a place where he is not comfortable, he will look to get rid of it as quickly as possible, leading to a turnover all too frequently. He needs to improve his footwork and his strength before he can be a real offensive presence in the paint in the NBA. Unfortunately, Robin also has no real game facing the basket. Getting a decent midrange jumper would improve his game considerably. No sign of it yet, though.
Defensively, Robin is a player. He’s a hard worker with real physical skills and good, though not special, athleticism. He needs to be more aggressive defensively, though, denying position in the paint and getting out on the pick and roll. Because he’s a fairly smart player and has the size and quickness necessary, hard work is all that will be required for Robin to become a very good NBA defender. Since hard work is not a problem for Robin, it’s a good bet he’ll be a real defensive presence on the next level.
I think Robin could use at least one more year in college and might really come into his own without his brother Brook around. However, they want to leave Stanford together so Robin is in the draft this year.
Summary: He’s not a lottery pick, but should definitely go in the first round based on his size, potential, work ethic, and defensive prowess. Teams like the Bullets [18], Nuggets [20], Nets [21], and the Utah Jazz [23] could really use a player like Robin Lopez.
Here’s some video of Robin Lopez playing some serious defense.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LTHT9uqWuM&hl=en]
May 22nd 2008
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