Source: Sacramento Bee

It was a simple game of 4-on-4 in his second day of practice.

But it only took a few seconds for Thomas Robinson to show why the Kings are so happy to have him.

There was a missed shot and a rebound to be had, and the rookie from Kansas made sure no one else would grab the basketball.

Robinson sprinted toward the basket and snatched the ball off the rim for a powerful dunk.

Hustle, athleticism and enthusiasm all in one fell swoop.

The Kings have needed someone to play like that for a while.

Robinson's combination of athleticism and uncontainable effort were just two of the reasons he was the second player on the Kings' draft board. So when Robinson was available at No. 5, there was no way Sacramento was passing on the All-America forward.

And at these very early stages of his career, Robinson is who the Kings thought he was.

"I was more comfortable out there than I thought I'd be, so it's been good so far," said Robinson of his first week of NBA training camp. "I'm just trying to pick up everything I can."

Kings coach Keith Smart has praised Robinson's effort and technique in defending the post. Smart credits that to Robinson playing three seasons at Kansas instead of being a one-and-done player like many lottery picks.

"You have to practice hard and play hard (at Kansas)," Smart said. "Obviously, he does those things. The next part of that is he comes in as a true veteran in a sense because the little things rookies go through, the frustration, he's already gone through that in his life off the floor."

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