The Duncan Robinson Path: Who’s got next?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the NBA Finals coming to a close, we start to fizzle out with talking about the players that participated and start talking about what's next. But why don't we do both? Duncan Robinson has now made the Finals twice in 3 seasons, and has now made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 4 of his first 5 seasons in the NBA. Let us not forget his improbable journey to get there though. People forget that Robinson did not come from a place in the competitive basketball world where he was set up to get to where he's reached at this point. In 2012 he graduated from a Prep High School in Boston, Governor's Academy; which primarily sends their players to the D2 and D3 level for those that do make it to play at the collegiate level. This was no different for Robinson, because following High School he went on to play at Williams College in Massachusetts, after not receiving any D1 offers at the conclusion of his Senior year. He then brought Williams to a D3 National championship, making himself noticeable enough for John Belein to get him to Michigan to be a Wolverine, the rest is now history. With the transfer portal making it more possible for players to take the road less followed as Robinson did; we'll look at who can be the next player from New England to blossom and take a similar path to Robinson's to give themselves a shot to get to the pro ranks:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1477891"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eAt 6 '10, [player_tooltip player_id='1477891' first='Tate' last='Laczkowski'] imposes himself as a threat as soon as he steps on the court for most teams. Size aside though, the Texas native and Army commit displays elite level ball-handling, with the ability to run your offense in a point-forward/center role. Not only that, but he also displays the ability to be a knockdown shooter from the perimeter, as well as the defensive presence to be a high level shot-blocker. He was able to make a name for himself at u003c/spanu003eu003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eWilbraham and Monson Academy in Mass, and before that St Marks in Texas during his high school seasons, while also playing on the Nike EYBL Circuit for ProSkills Basketball during his AAU seasons. No dig at Army, but the Mules of West Point aren't the Marquee division one program, and with the potential Laczkowski has with how prevalent the transfer portal is in college sports right now, we can see the current 55th-ranked player in the class of 2023 in New England really see his stock rise with a good first year with Army. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["959248"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eA more raw 6 '10 talent in New England, but an exciting one nonetheless is Hotchkiss's [player_tooltip player_id='1477786' first='Arop' last='Arop']. A real freak athlete on the court, Arop uses his high flying ability and speed to get to the rim at will, run the floor effectively, and affect any shot that comes his way. With the right coaching, Arop can find himself being a true impact player at the D1 level. Despite being unranked in New England, he will be starting his collegiate career in D1 at Columbia this fall, but if that staff is able to develop his jump shot and improve his ability to take contact around the rim, some power 5 teams may very well be reaching out at the conclusion of his first year with the Lions. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1408310"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eArop's teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1408310' first='Davyn' last='DeJongh'] is also one that may be under the radar now, but we should definitely be keeping an eye on him moving forward because Dejongh's intangibles are certainly there. His blazing speed and quick first step allows him to get into the paint at will where he displays a high level finishing ability around the rim. Dejongh also possesses extremely active hands around the perimeter on the defensive end, where he is able to turn a lot of steals into quick points; reminiscent of what Bob Huggins found in Jevon Carter during Carter's WVU tenure and NBA pursuit. The 35th ranked player in New England has received interest from a number of Ivy League schools, but currently sits with Yale being his lone official offer, meaning Dejongh could be quite the diamond in the rough down the line. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1468248"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eThe highest-ranked D2 commit from New England is primed to make this list. [player_tooltip player_id='1468248' first='Tayeshawn' last='Cunningham-Pemberton'] is our 47th ranked player in the region, but is the only one within the top 50 to this point to commit to a D2 school as Cunningham-Pemberton announced his commitment to Assumption College in Mass just a few short weeks ago. Don't let that fool you, Cunningham-Pemberton is a D1 caliber talent. He received a few offers from D1 schools during his recruiting process that included Lehigh and Texas Au0026amp;M Commerce. What Assumption is now getting is a certified 3-level scorer, able to score from anywhere on the court whenever he pleases; but the question is how long will he be a Greyhound?u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2325765' first='Taj' last='Walters']","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Greenwich Day School","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"Wiz Kids","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eThe lone 2025 prospect to make the list is Greenwich Day School's [player_tooltip player_id='2325765' first='Taj' last='Walters']. Walters presents himself as a shifty and athletic combo guard and may be another example of a prospect that may just be a jump shot away. His deep bag of ball handling mixed with his athleticism gets him to the rim whenever he wishes to attack. At 6 '5 he also is able to be an extremely effective post presence and is a constant double-double threat. He currently sits with just one D1 offer from Hofstra University, but don't expect that to remain this time next year.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64928c5ed2a85"} /-->