Charlotte Hornets: Was Miles Bridges the right pick?

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 9: Jerome Robinson #13 of the LA Clippers shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Jerome Robinson (#13)

The Good:

-He just continued to get better and better each year in college. His counting stats, team role, and film took leaps. That kind of growth in college has to exist for a 21-year-old to be a disproportionately successful draft pick in today’s NBA (think Josh Hart or Malcolm Brogdon).

-He pretty much does it all. No gaps in his offensive game. Most scouts would rate him as “good” at every important skill outside of defense.

-Strong dribbler with a lot of moves. Many of his highlights include his dribble moves which isn’t something you could say about any of the guys on this list besides SGA.

The Bad

-His defense is, in a word, inconsistent. The advanced stats back that up. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus was .2 for his career. Compare that to Bridges at 4.1. That stat has a lot of noise in it, but it typically grades in all the great defenders in the country (Mo Bamba, Robert Williams, Jontay Porter, and Jaren Jackson Jr. were all top-20.)

-He’s old as dirt. Just kidding. Apparently, being 21 is a death sentence for today’s NBA draft picks. I think it’s an overblown consideration at times, but it is something to consider, of course, since he has less time to grow into his game than a freshman going into the league.

Was Bridges the right pick? Yes, as you’ll see in a second, I think Bridges has everything that Robinson has (minus the handle) and then some–all at a younger age.

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