The elephant in the room only took two shots and scored three points. But his presence couldn't be missed, and his future can't be ignored.
Glenn Robinson III got another starting call for the Pacers Monday, this time replacing Monta Ellis in the backcourt and finding a variety of ways to be instrumental in their 110-94 victory over Charlotte at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Ellis, who pulled a groin muscle in Saturday's win over Portland, will not accompany the team on the upcoming road trip through Miami, New Orleans, and Detroit, meaning Robinson has three more starts awaiting him.
At least. Should he continue to play well, and should the Pacers continue to win, it could mark a turning point in both their season and his career. Ellis has been erratic this season, and struggled in four of the five games leading up to Saturday, when he had a strong first half before suffering his injury. Coach Nate McMillan had already experimented with moving Ellis to the bench for a game in Philadelphia on Nov. 11, and there been growing sentiment among the fan base to try more of that.
McMillan isn't ready to announce any changes to his starting lineup. He did acknowledge before the game, however, that Ellis needs the ball in his hands to be effective, which is difficult when Jeff Teague is locked in at point guard, and added he's willing to look at anything that improves the team.
"We're going to put the players out there who give us the best chance to win," McMillan said.
Robinson, meanwhile, doesn't mind making his intention clear. He played well enough in five starts while Paul George was injured to earn a place in the rotation. He hopes to play well enough now to earn a place in the starting lineup.
"That's my goal," he said. "That's what I'm coming into this thinking. It's sad to see Monta out, you never want to see anyone injured, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity again. I definitely want to be a starter in this league and I think I can help this team out, bringing energy and being ready to play every tonight. Energy is the biggest thing we need in the starting lineup."
Coincidentally or not, the Pacers started the game with great energy. The combination of their ball movement on offense and pressure on defense was the best it had been all season over the first nine minutes, when they built a 20-10 lead over the Hornets. Then, after trailing late in the third period, they regrouped to dominate the fourth quarter, 34-21.
Robinson played all 12 minutes of that period, contributing three rebounds, an assist and a steal. He also had grabbed what McMillan called a "monster rebound" on the final halfcourt possession of the third period, running into the lane and leaping high for the miss of Rodney Stuckey's jumper, which led to C.J. Miles closing the quarter with a 3-pointer that opened a three-point lead.
Robinson's only points came on a 3-pointer in the first quarter from right in front of the Pacers' bench, which lifted his teammates out of their seats. Overall, he grabbed six rebounds, blocked three shots, and didn't commit a turnover in 32 1/2 minutes.
He also played outstanding defense, whether he was guarding Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nicolas Batum or Marco Belinelli. Kidd-Gilchrist and Batum, both starters, combined to hit 5-of-22 shots, while Belinelli scored 14. Nine of those came in the fourth quarter, three on free throws after drawing a questionable foul from Robinson on a 3-point shot and another on a free throw after a technical foul on Aaron Brooks.
In other words, Robinson did exactly as McMillan had instructed before the game. Defend, rebound, and don't worry about scoring because you're the fifth option in the starting lineup.
"We just needed him to be solid, and to allow the game to come to him offensively," McMillan said. "I thought he played a real solid game when we spread the floor. He took the shots that were good shots."
He only took two. But that was fine with everyone concerned.
George and Myles Turner led the Pacers with 22 points each while Teague added 16 points and 11 assists. All of them, however, were quick to praise Robinson, who brought more size, rebounding, defense and a threat of perimeter shot-making to the starting lineup.
"I thought he was great," George said. "He's going to get better by the game. I thought he was active with cuts, rebounding, moving the ball.
"It's tough for him in this role. We know how much he can do and how much offensively he has in his package. We want him to play his game, but he's the fifth option for us. He's growing. He's good now, but when his time comes he's going to be really good."
Robinson's time could come soon, it seems. Whether he continues starting after Ellis returns remains to be seen, but Robinson appears to have earned a role of some sort – a non-sedentary role. He's seen it all this season, having been kept on the bench in two games, playing varying amounts of minutes as a reserve in others, starting those five games for George and now starting four games in place of Ellis.
What happens after that remains to be seen, but all Robinson's offseason work and in-season patience is finally paying off.
"I'm going to stay ready no matter what happens when Monta comes back," he said. "But the biggest thing is I've learned a lot and I've proven not only to myself and my teammates, but to the coaches and the rest of the league that I belong and I'm here to stay."
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