OKC Thunder: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Faces Uncertain Future

Between homegrown products and offseason acquisitions, the Thunder have some tough decisions when deciding who to keep and let go.

One of those players on the bubble is Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a second-round pick in 2021. He has spent his first two seasons in varying roles as he has been a starter for stretches and found himself outside of the rotation at times.

Injuries have plagued Robinson-Earl in his young career and made it difficult to find his footing. He missed nearly half of the 2022-23 season, playing in just 43 games and notching 20 starts.

Robinson-Earl’s struggles last season were made more notable by his lack of energy. It is a long season, but he spent many possessions seemingly going through the motions. Albeit, some of that can be attributed to his injury troubles.

The most disappointing part of Robinson-Earl’s season may have been his 3-point shot. After shooting 38% from beyond the arc in his first 26 games, he shot just 22% when he returned from injury in mid-February.

Aside from the rust after not playing for weeks, Robinson-Earl’s problems late in the season were partly caused by there being no clear role for him. In his and Aleksej Pokusevski’s absences, rookie Jaylin Williams emerged as an important contributor and began to solidify his role as the starting center.

In the 28-game stretch Robinson-Earl missed, the Thunder went 16-12 and were one game under .500 at that point. That success added to his issues as the team had figured out a winning formula and was understandably hesitant to mess with what was working.

Williams had become Robinson-Earl’s replacement and was not in danger of losing his spot. Both are slightly undersized at center, but Williams fit perfectly with the rest of the starting five and was integral to OKC’s spacing as a 40% shooter from 3-point range.

Those two should set to battle in training camp for backup center minutes, with Chet Holmgren taking over as the starter. Robinson-Earl will also be vying for forward minutes off the bench as his game is a bit more perimeter-oriented than Williams’s.

The Thunder’s roster situation provides Robinson-Earl no room for error. If Williams stakes his claim as the backup big, Robinson-Earl will be competing against the likes of Pokusevski, Ousmane Dieng, Davis Bertans and Kenrich Williams for potential minutes as a forward.

Given his underwhelming summer league performance, that could spell trouble for Robinson-Earl. He does not provide a specialty like Bertans does with his shooting or make the all-around impact that Kenrich Williams brings. And while Robinson-Earl’s skillset may be on par with Dieng and Pokusevski, his upside is not on the same level.

With the stiff competition, Robinson-Earl’s time in OKC may not extend to a third season. Even if not with the Thunder, he still has a bright career ahead of him and can be a meaningful contributor in the NBA.