NBA franchises fine tune their staff for the training camp
As the NBA season approaches, the teams close their final files and sharpen their rotations for the training camp. In Dallas, the Mavericks are already full with their 15 guaranteed contracts, but the training camp is never just a matter of numbers. Six players will try to push the hierarchy and convince Jason Kidd and his staff that they still have a place in the Texas puzzle.
Robinson-Earl's last bet
Among these candidates for surprise, a name emerges: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Interior trained in Villanova, the Thunder's elder refuses to fold luggage and surrender to European sirens despite the insistence of his agent. He still believes in his place in the NBA, even if he accepts an unsecured contract. His numbers at New Orleans last year (6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19 minutes) don't turn the heads, but Robinson-Earl has never sold dream with tap-by-eye stats. His game is based on something else: energy, intelligence and this ability to do the dirty job that few players kiss with a smile.
A traffic jam in the snowshoe
The problem with him? Dallas is not exactly the easiest place for a small interior. Between Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II and the unbreakable Dwight Powell, the snowshoe is already armored. Each of these players brings a specific dimension: verticality, defense, spacing or experience. So, in this painting, Robinson-Earl almost looks like superfluous luxury. But in a long season of 82 games, where injuries and forced rotations are inevitable, it is impossible to say that a profile like his will never be useful.
Open door
That's where Robinson-Earl is playing. If he accepts the G-League option with the Texas Legends, he keeps a foot in the house. And in a league where an opportunity can arise in a snap of fingers, it's worth gold. His experience in two-way contract with the Pelicans could also play in his favor: he knows the way, and he knows that every minute grappled in NBA must be maximized.
The bet on the two-way contract
More and more franchises use two-way contracts as a laboratory. A deal that allows young people, players to restart, to show themselves in a competitive setting while keeping the hope of spending one day from the G-League bench to the NBA rotation. Robinson-Earl is no longer a rookie, but he ticks this player box in search of lasting credibility. A luxury firefighter's position, ready to respond now as soon as he is called upon.
Uncertainty as a horizon
Nothing is guaranteed for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Maybe in a few weeks he'll be back on the plane for Europe, maybe he'll sign a full season in the G-League. Or maybe, and that's what he hopes, that he will be that unexpected player who gains his place in the sweat of his forehead in the Mavericks locker room. His future remains unclear, but one thing is certain: his determination to cling to the NBA forces respect. And sometimes it's that kind of mentality that ends up paying off.
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