Glenn Robinson III Finally Gives the Sixers What They Need Moving Forward
For months, the Philadelphia 76ers have been on the hunt for scorers. They needed experienced veteran wings that can not only create their own shot but also consistently nail a few long-balls from deep. Based on what was reported from the rumor mill, the Sixers looked at nearly a dozen potential trade candidates.
While it took a little while for them actually to strike a deal, the Sixers eventually landed not one, but two candidates that fit the description mentioned above. Three second-round picks ended up being the cost to land Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III from the Golden State Warriors.
As both guys were having career-high seasons in shooting and scoring in Golden State, Philly was looking to take advantage of their newfound production in order to upgrade their squad before heading off into the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
While Burks and Robinson have had flashes during their handful of games with the Sixers so far, the road has been a bit rocky -- especially for Robinson. Last week, Glenn Robinson made headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
After partaking in an interview with Basketball Insiders' Spencer Davies, the newest Sixer created some unwanted drama as he accused his newest head coach, Brett Brown, of withholding information regarding Robinson's role on the team. Brown, who is already under much scrutiny from the public, vehemently denied his player's claims.
Regardless of who was right or wrong in the situation, there was one thing that was for sure; The Glenn Robinson from Golden State wasn't really looking like the same player that has been donning Sixers threads -- not until Tuesday night, at least.
In 48 games with the Warriors, Robinson was shooting 40-percent from deep and averaging 12 points-per-game. Heading into Tuesday's matchup with the Lakers, he was averaging just five points-per-game and was 0-10 from three with the Sixers. Considering he was brought to the Sixers to help with scoring and consistently draining threes, the Robinson experiment was beginning to look like a failure.
However, a nationally televised matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers issued some hope for the 76ers. While Robinson didn't pick up his fifth start for a shorthanded Philly team, the veteran was issued 31 minutes off the bench. During that time, he knocked down 10 of his 15 shots from the field, totaling for his career-high of 25 points.
And finally, the former Warrior drained his first three-pointer with the Sixers, going three for five from deep. Following the game, the veteran felt relieved to finally show signs of success within the 76ers' system. "It felt too good to see shots go down," Robinson said, according to Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin.
Despite having himself a big game, Robinson still wasn't satisfied as the Sixers didn't pull off the upset win over the Lakers. "At the end of the day, it's a loss," he continued. "When me and [Alec Burks] got here, our goal was to help this team win. So we have to continue to figure out ways to do that." Now that Robinson's confidence is growing, Brett Brown might think to utilize him, even more, to see if he can stay efficient so he can get a good measure on how much Robinson should be used when the team gets healthy again.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_