YouTube Gold: Leonard “Truck” Robinson

It’s good sometimes to look at just how much the game has changed. For instance, Zion Williamson came along and is profoundly athletic despite his immense mass. When he’s healthy, no one can stop him.

He’s sort of a basketball descendant of Charles Barkley who played at around 250, more or less 30 pounds less than Williamson.

Both guys are generally regarded as power players despite being only 6-6, which in today’s game is more guard size than forward.

But a few decades ago, basketball players were more likely to be lean than muscular. For instance, in the mid-’70’s and early ‘80’s, Leonard Robinson was a power player.

Leonard Robinson - his nickname Truck reflected the sense that he was seen as powerful - was just 6-7 and 225.

That’s just 10 pounds more than similarly sized Klay Thompson and RJ Barrett, both of whom are versatile but hardly power players.

At his peak in 1978, Robinson averaged 15.7 rebounds and 22.7 points.

Could he play today?

It would be a lot harder without a more versatile game.