Bucks Sign Justin Robinson to Two-Way Deal

Just over a month after signing second-round pick Sandro Mamukelashvili to one of their two-way contract slots, the Bucks made a move Sunday evening to fill the other vacancy by agreeing to a deal with former Wizards and Thunder point guard Justin Robinson, per Shams Charania of The Athletic:

Not to be confused with NBA legend David Robinson’s son and former Duke Blue Devil Justin, this Robinson was undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2019. In his four years as a Hokie, he averaged 11.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG on solid .445/.385/.773 shooting. The 23-year-old has appeared in just 18 NBA games: 9 with Washington in 2019–20 and 9 with OKC in 2020–21. As you might expect, most of his minutes occurred late in blowouts, which were mostly losses since he played on two pretty bad teams.

Washington waived Robinson two months into the 19–20 season and until signing a couple of ten-day contracts the past April with OKC, he was plying his trade in the G League for the Sixers’ affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. There he averaged 14.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 5.8 APG on .405/.349/.648 shooting over 28 games covering two seasons. Last month he was on the Lakers’ Summer League roster and averaged 8.3 PPG in four contests.

At 6’1”, Robinson is undersized in the NBA even at the 1, but he has decent offensive skills and a nice pedigree from running the point on an ACC team for two seasons. Our friends over at Peachtree Hoops put together a nice writeup on him before the 2019 draft: he can pass, shoot a little, makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, and defend pretty well for his size (stuff Bud and Horst often state they look for first in players) despite lacking length or athleticism.

Robinson does fill a definite need for the Bucks too since they have only two point guards on the roster. I for one hoped they’d acquire a third PG as insurance with their other two-way spot, much like when they signed Frank Mason III in 2019–20. While Robinson might not become the G League MVP like the similarly undersized Mason, he should get serious action as the Wisconsin Herd’s starting point guard. He’s unlikely to see much playing time with the Bucks at all since he’ll be behind both Bucks’ point guards as well as secondary ballhandlers like Grayson Allen and Donte DiVincenzo—who can each play the 1 in a pinch.

After this signing, the Bucks only have one remaining spot on their training camp roster, which begins in just a few weeks.