Jaxson Robinson is shooting lights out in SEC games -- does he need to shoot even more?

Jaxson Robinson‘s on-court play went through ups and downs in the nonconference. The fifth-year BYU transfer was hovering around 40 percent shooting from the floor and under 30 percent from beyond the arc. There were some special performances mixed in there (his comeback-leading efforts on the road against Gonzaga sticks out), but there just as many games where his confidence waned.

At least with his shooting stroke, that hasn’t been the case in the Southeastern Conference. Robinson has been lights out through six SEC games for Kentucky. His 15 points per game (on 10.7 shots per outing) are second on the team against conference foes behind only Otega Oweh. Robinson is shooting 48.4 percent from the field (31-64) and 45.7 percent from deep (21-46) in league play. He’s scored at least 11 points in five of six SEC games, the lone blip being a five-point clunker in the road loss to Georgia.

Robinson was special in back-to-back wins for the Wildcats earlier this month. He exploded for 27 points in a road win over Mississippi State and followed that up with 22 more in a home win against Texas A&M. Those were two timely victories over Top 15 opponents. To play that well after scoring just five points vs. Georgia the game before was impressive.

Over his last two games, both losses for UK, Robinson has still shot the ball well. He’s a combined 8-18 from the floor and 6-12 from deep in those outings. But does he need to (or does Kentucky need him to) shoot the ball even more? Jack “Goose” Givens asked Robinson about that idea following Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt over the weekend.

“In my mind, I think for you, as talented as you are and as well as you shoot the basketball — and I’m a shooter from back in the day. I like getting shots up at the rim,” Givens said on postgame radio. “But I think you are good enough that 12 to 16 shots a game is where I would like to see you. You’re gonna make 60 percent of those, which now gets you into the 20s. This afternoon, you get eight shots. And I’m thinking that’s eight fewer than you need to get. How can you work your way into getting more opportunities?”

Robinson’s response was interesting. Some of it was regular media talk, but he mentioned having to be more assertive when it comes to demanding the ball. Robinson’s eight shots (of which he made half, three coming from long range) against Vanderbilt were second on the team, but six fewer than Oweh attempted. Calling for the ball and hunting shots has never really been his game while in a Kentucky jersey.

“Just being aggressive. I think that starts with me. Just cutting harder, being more aggressive,” Robinson answered. “I think I get caught up sometimes just trying to let the game come to me. But as a leader, I’m still figuring it out, just figuring out ways to be more effective and assertive as far as calling for the ball and things like that. Otega had a great night tonight. He did what he needed to do. He stepped up. We just gotta have everybody else come along with him.”

A lack of aggression — whether predetermined by the game plan or not — has often been something hindering Robinson throughout the season. He’s second on the team in shots per game, but his percentage of possessions used, per KenPom, ranks sixth on the team during SEC competition. If he has the ball in his hands but isn’t shooting, Robinson tends to float out of the offense.

Would being more aggressive and squeezing off 5-6 more shots per game, as Givens requests, pay off for Robinson? He’s not as skilled at getting to the rim as the likes of Oweh or Lamont Butler. His best attribute is shooting and opposing defenses are doing everything to take that away. Robinson has to chase most of his shots through pull-ups, spot-ups, and cuts. He’s not going to consistently beat his defender off the dribble for easy layups.

Would taking an extra five shots per game mean that a few of them are forced? Would that bring the offense down more than it would elevate it? He can fire from well beyond the three-point line — should he bake a few more of those per game into his shot selection? Kentucky could use a few more 20-point games from the veteran.