National Basketball Association

Wolves player profile: Glenn Robinson III

Published Oct. 7, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET

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This is the 10th installment in a 16-part series running Tuesdays and Fridays profiling each Minnesota Timberwolves player leading up to the start of the NBA season.

If you believe the Timberwolves' front office members, Glenn Robinson III is a first-round talent with second-round challenges.

President of basketball operations Flip Saunders was surprised to see the small forward available 39 picks into this year's draft. So Minnesota nabbed him quick, happy to get a potential steal in a draft that could end up turning around the franchise's fortunes.

But just weeks later, even after Robinson signed a two-year, partly guaranteed deal, general manager Milt Newton said Robinson must "earn it."

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with its players means there are no guarantees for second-round draft selections. So while the son of Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, NBA pedigree and all, may have the talent of a first-rounder, he'll have to display enough of it in the next month to merit any meaningful place on the roster.

2013-14 stats (Michigan): 13.1 PPG, 48.8 FG %, 30.6 3-point FG %, 4.4 RPG, 75.7 FT %, 1.2 APG, 0.9 SPG during 32.3 MPG in 37 games

2014-15 salary: $507,336 (partially guaranteed)

Last year: If there's one trait that sticks out about Robinson's two-year collegiate career, it's durability. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Michigan product didn't miss a game and started all 76 he played.

After helping the Wolverines to the 2013 NCAA championship game, he was named their captain last season and took on a more central role than he had as a freshman. Michigan went 59-17 during Robinson's tenure and last season claimed its first outright Big Ten regular-season crown in 28 years.

Robinson, who's listed at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, had a huge hand in it.

The two-time all-conference honorable mention selection used his combination of size and athleticism to grow into a stout two-way player. If not for the development of teammates Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary, both of whom were drafted ahead of him in the first round, Robinson's presence might've been more pronounced in 2013-14.

Quick, strong and able to finish at the rim and in transition, Robinson exhibited the physical tools NBA coaches covet -- especially those who prefer a run-and-gun style like Saunders does. If there was one knock on Robinson, it's that he wasn't able to create on his own; his freshman year, he had point guard Trey Burke to set him up frequently.

So Robinson had to wait a while to hear his name called in the June 26 draft.

This year: When Robinson was finally called up to the Barclays Center stage that day, it was just the beginning. Not until summer league play in Las Vegas did he have a chance to prove his worth.

He did to a degree, averaging 7.7 points and three rebounds in six games (four starts). His best performance came against New Orleans, when he scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting.

When first-round pick Zach LaVine and Kevin Love trade chips Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young were introduced to the media and public at the Minnesota State Fair, Robinson was at his own home state's fair in Indiana. The Wolves signed him more than two weeks later, allowing him to get to work with his new teammates before training camp commenced last week in Mankato.

He suffered a minor setback there, sitting out one practice with an apparent lower-leg injury. But he's good to go for Tuesday night's preseason opener at Indiana and, presumably, onward.

While he'll pocket some money in any case, a spot on the 15-man roster is far from secure. He's stuck in a logjam of wings including Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Robbie Hummel and incumbent starter Corey Brewer. With the offseason signing of free agent Mo Williams, the final cut appears to be down to Robinson and point guard J.J. Barea, a veteran entering his ninth NBA season.

Even if Robinson makes it, he's likely to be a healthy scratch with regularity. If Minnesota waives him, he could be D-League or Europe bound.

Quotable: "Some things just happen, and that's the business side of basketball and the NBA. Especially coming from the background I have with my dad, I'm just ready to go out and continue to get better at my game, go 100 percent in practice and training camp and . . . get to know my teammates better. I'm looking forward to learning from the veterans." -- Robinson during the Wolves' pre-camp workouts for rookies

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