Anthony Robinson II still gets his shots. The pull-ups are there. The catch-and-shoot chances still arrive. What’s disappearing is everything around them — space, rhythm, and forgiveness.
With just over 12 minutes left against Georgia, Robinson curled off a pindown, popped to the wing, and caught a clean reversal. A defensive miscommunication left him wide open. He rose, fired, and watched the ball catch front rim.
That was it. He didn’t attempt another shot as Missouri fell 74–72.
Oddly enough, that four-point night — 1-for-7 shooting with three turnovers — marked an improvement. At LSU, Robinson struggled so badly that Dennis Gates benched him 92 seconds into the second half. Against Auburn a week earlier, he hit a three midway through the first half and never shot again.
Over the last five games, Robinson is averaging 5.6 points on 27.2 percent shooting, including 1-for-13 from deep. Even factoring in a strong showing against Florida, his offensive rating has slipped to 95.1. The one steady pillar — his playmaking — has begun to wobble as well.
This downturn isn’t just about missed shots. As SEC play has unfolded, Robinson’s offensive footprint has quietly shrunk — and it wasn’t large to begin with.
Missouri still leans on Robinson’s defense, but the Tigers’ hopes hinge on converting flashes into sustained production. Robinson’s development as a shooter off the catch was supposed to balance the perimeter alongside Mark Mitchell and attract NBA attention. He entered the season as a second-round prospect. The return on that bet has been sobering.
Gates has responded by shifting minutes to sophomore T.O. Barrett and giving Jayden Stone more on-ball responsibility. Those moves feel temporary. Missouri’s NCAA Tournament case likely depends on Robinson rediscovering form — and soon.
Early signs were misleading. In an exhibition against Kansas State, Robinson looked in complete command, scoring 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting night. During Missouri’s early-season buy games, his touches generated nearly 1.03 points per possession — elite efficiency fueled by pace, spacing, and a friendly shot diet.
That insulation vanished against power-conference opponents. Robinson now relies more heavily on ball screens, but those possessions yield just 0.71 points — a steep drop. Spot-up efficiency has cratered even further, falling 40 percent. Increased volume hasn’t unlocked growth; it’s merely masked stagnation.
Despite logging 8.9 half-court possessions per game — a respectable figure — Robinson ranks near the bottom among high-major starting point guards in usage. Among SEC starters, only Georgia’s Jordan Ross is less involved. When efficiency is factored in, the picture darkens further.
Robinson is taking more shots this season, but the slippage is clearest on pull-ups — once his calling card. He still attempts them at a high rate, yet the payoff has dropped from elite to average. The volume remains. The edge is gone.
Film reveals why. Robinson thrives when the floor is clean, gaps are cleared, and reads are simple. Missouri’s most effective actions — away screens, flat ball screens, delay sets — all accomplish that. But as defenses sit in drop coverage and the Tigers layer in more screening actions, congestion creeps back in. Robinson, a lefty who prefers driving that direction, increasingly finds help waiting.
Late in possessions, when actions stall and the clock winds down, Robinson often becomes the bailout option. Those catch-and-shoot threes aren’t born from advantage — they’re born from necessity. The result is a 2-for-12 mark on spot-up threes against high-major opponents.
Transition once offered relief. Not anymore. Against quality teams, Robinson averages just 1.8 transition opportunities per game — about half his early-season rate. Missouri’s slower pace and defensive emphasis have paid off, vaulting the Tigers near the top of the SEC in defensive efficiency. But Robinson’s steals, runouts, and easy rim attacks have dried up along with it.
This wasn’t the plan. Sebastian Mack was added to complement Robinson with downhill pressure, but spacing issues and lineup choices stalled that pairing. With Stone back, Mack has faded deeper into the rotation.
When Robinson is in rhythm, he can still operate effectively in pick-and-roll. But this season has sharpened the questions instead of answering them. Can he score when the floor shrinks? Can he punish conservative coverage? Can he survive without easy points?
The miss against Georgia wasn’t damning because it missed. It was damning because it revealed how narrow the path has become — one clean look, one clean read, and nothing left to follow. It’s a snapshot of a Missouri team living on thin margins, where small constraints compound and precision is no longer optional.
