Kentucky’s painful loss against Auburn on Saturday was followed up by even more unfortunate news – star senior Jaxson Robinson is going to be done for the season following wrist surgery. The Wildcats will now have to move forward without one of their top players.
Jaxson Robinson’s College Career is Likely Over Following Wrist Surgery
Jaxson Robinson’s injury is a devastating one for the senior from Ada, Oklahoma. It spells the end of a spectacular college career and robs him of the chance to participate in senior night and also the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats are now down one of their top players.
Robinson suffered the injury in practice last week and has since battled through the pain in limited minutes against South Carolina and Oklahoma, which were both wins for Kentucky. However, he was unable to participate in the matchup against #1 Auburn, where the Wildcats lost 94-78.
Head coach Mark Pope announced that Robinson would be out for the year and spoke about his attempts to rehab and avoid the surgery that would end his campaign.
“Kind of came to the conclusion last night that he’s going to get surgery. So he’s going Wednesday to the world’s specialist to have surgery on his wrist… We kind of knew he was going to need surgery, he just wanted so badly to play that he rehabbed it and had an injection to try to make it functional.”
Pope, who was Robinson’s coach at BYU last year before taking the Kentucky job, was the primary reason that Robinson transferred. The head coach has a great relationship with him and is gutted by the injury that spells the end of his college career. Robinson’s teammates are likewise devastated. A team leader both on and off the court, Robinson’s impact will be sorely missed. Fellow senior transfer Andrew Carr spoke about how close he and Robinson have become over the year and affirmed that they will continue to fight on for their injured teammate.
“It just even adds to more fight and more passion, we gotta carry on in these next couple games.”
The team will now be without Robinson’s 13 points per game, which is second-highest on the team. He is also one of the better three-point shooters in the squad and has grown into a solid defender over his career.
What Does This Mean For Jaxson Robinson’s NBA Future?
While Robinson’s college career has now ended in a tremendously disappointing way, the young man still has professional basketball in his future. Robinson hopes to be a selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, and while some projections include the versatile wing in the 2nd round, others have him going undrafted.
After Robinson’s breakout season at BYU last year, many NBA mocks included him in the early- to mid-2nd round, with some even elevating him into the first round. Although Robinson had a great season at Kentucky, some inconsistency and lack of dramatic improvement has dampened his outlook. He also now includes a significant injury on his profile, which could discourage some teams.
Robinson’s size and shooting are his main attributes. With 81 made triples last year and another 62 this year in a season cut short by injury, there is a lot to like about Robinson’s ability to space the floor and make perimeter shots.
Robinson definitely has his eyes on an NBA career. After coach Pope left BYU last season, the player participated in the pre-draft combine and entered the transfer portal with the intention of setting himself up for a career in the Association, saying it was “something that needed to be done to make sure I put myself in the best position whether I’m in the NBA or not this year.”
Robinson’s future is certainly up in the air. With surgery scheduled for Wednesday, he will now have to focus on rehab and hope to be ready for the summer pre-draft gauntlet. For now, Robinson will cheer on his Kentucky teammates as they look to finish the year strong and make some noise in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
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