Jaxson Robinson didn't play well against Duke, but his 'gravity' helped Kentucky win

Jaxson Robinson did not have a good individual game against Duke on Tuesday night in Atlanta. We don’t need to sugar-coat it. Viewed as Kentucky’s best shot-creator, he could do very little of it against a physical Blue Devils’ defense. Robinson finished with just one point on 0-4 shooting (0-3 from deep) in 27 minutes. After missing back-to-back free throws in the first half, he appeared to be in his own head.

Kentucky still came out with the 77-72 victory, but concerns quickly grew within the fanbase about Robinson’s ability to get a good shot when the Wildcats’ offense is bogged down. Head coach Mark Pope would tell you to keep those thoughts from entering your brain. If anything, it speaks to the depth of this group. Sure, Robinson’s box score numbers don’t look great, but he still played 27 minutes for a reason.

Pope saw the impact he was making even when the shots weren’t falling.

“We didn’t win without Jax because Jax has such an impact. Talk about a gravity guy,” Pope said postgame. “You just throw Jax on the court, and four guys are leaning towards him. His numbers may not be huge, but he has an impact when he walks in the gym, he has an impact on the scout, he has an impact on all those things.”

Robinson’s reputation surely played into Duke’s defensive game plan. The fifth-year guard is coming off a 2023-24 campaign that saw him win Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year by averaging over 14 points per game. He turned down a shot at getting drafted for another chance to get better at the college level. As the only Kentucky player with experience under Pope, he knows the system better than any of his teammates.

Which is why it was a bit surprising to see Robinson struggle with his shot. Duke deserves credit for making his life difficult, especially early on. But Robinson never stopped playing hard. He came out with two blocks and a steal on defense. His teammates picked up the offensive slack without skipping a beat, Robinson cheering them along.

“This team is built this way. Jax is growing into an exceptional leader, just exceptional,” Pope said, turning to Otega Oweh on his left for confirmation, who nodded in agreement. “These guys know that it’s not about him either. That doesn’t mean we don’t all care and want to be successful individually, we sure do, but it’s not about Jax either.”

One bad night against a good team shouldn’t define Robinson either. He had just dropped 14 points in the game prior against Bucknell. Big scoring nights will come at some point this season. If Kentucky can do the same things it did against Duke but with more production from Robinson, it could be scary scenes for the rest of the Wildcats’ schedule.

“I think Jax made a huge contribution tonight in all the ways he does,” Pope added. “Come on, that’s a dangerous man. That’s a really dangerous man.“

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