Yesterday, the Oklahoma City Thunder had an opportunity to waive a player they selected with the No. 32 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, or to guarantee his salary for the upcoming season. They guaranteed it.
With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Robinson-Earl is now slated to make $1.9M in 2023-24 but will find himself at the Thunder’s mercy in 2024-25 due to having a club option in the final year of his deal worth $1.99M.
The Thunder’s decision to guarantee their former second-round pick comes after the Villanova product averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist while shooting 48.9% from the floor, 38.2% on 3-pointers, and 78.6% on free throws, through his first 26 games last season before a “grade three” ankle sprain sidelined him for the next 28 games.
And despite a healthy return to the floor just before the All-Star break, the 22-year-old forward struggled to regain his footing on the court, and subsequently, the rotation.
Robinson-Earl would play in just 17 of the Thunder’s next 27 games to close out the season, averaging only 4.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in just 15.6 minutes per game while shooting an astonishingly poor 33.8% from the field while converting just 22.9% of his 3-pointers.
His third season will be a crucial one as the onus will be on him to prove to the Thunder that he can get his game back on track, up his shooting efficiency, and look like the same player pre-injury. With Summer League play soon approaching and a training camp filled to the brim with new talent, Robinson-Earl has an opportunity to show the Thunder’s coaching staff he’s still worth keeping around.
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