Portland Trail Blazers forward Thomas Robinson, right, shoots against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, from Greece, left, and center Zaza Pachulia, from Ukraine, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Hold off on that missing person report for Thomas Robinson.

The Portland Trail Blazers gave their third-year forward a chance Wednesday night, and boy did he respond.

In the first start of the former Kansas star’s NBA career, Robinson went for a double-double (15 points, 16 rebounds) in 29 minutes of a 104-97 Portland win against Milwaukee.

Not only had the energetic 23-year-old power forward spent most of this season on the bench prior to Wednesday, he had barely seen the spotlight of the floor. In Robinson’s previous two appearances, he played nine minutes and three minutes. The Blazers (20-6) went through a nine-game stretch without playing him at all, and he had 15 DNP’s before his starting debut for one of the Western Conference’s top teams.

The people of Portlandia must’ve been looking forward to seeing more of Robinson, because the Moda Center crowd gave the 6-foot-10 power forward a standing ovation when he finally subbed out, following a 5-for-8 shooting performance from the floor.

For the first time in what had to seem like decades for Robinson, he had the freedom to fly around the court and play like he did so many times in a KU uniform. Alley-oops. Chasing down opponents to swat shots. Perfect examples of what he could be capable of in the league if he gives his team the consistency it is looking for.

As Jason Quick wrote for The Oregonian, Robinson became a starter because Robin Lopez is out for a month. What’s more, Portland coach Terry Stotts described the team’s center position as a fluid situation.

Quick’s feature on Robinson includes the still-young big man admitting he wasn’t prepared for the NBA entering his first year, and that led to his struggles — getting traded from Sacramento to Houston mid-season as a rookie, then being dealt to Portland before he began his second year.

“As far as basketball reputation, off
the court reputation, it was just
completely wrong. Not who I am,”
Robinson said. “And I’ve been trying
to feel my way out of that ever since
my rookie year.”

He impressed in his first start, and seems to have taken a major step in the right direction.

Thomas Robinson joins Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton as only Trail Blazers with 15+ points and 15+ rebounds in first career start (Elias).

— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) December 18, 2014

Blazers F Thomas Robinson had 25 points and 30 rebounds for the entire season entering Wed. Posted 15/16 in start vs. Bucks

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) December 18, 2014

Enormous ovation for Thomas Robinson as he is taken out of the game: 15 points, 16 rebounds, a block and tons of energy. A job well done

— Jason Quick (@jwquick) December 18, 2014

And Robinson wasn’t even about to pat himself on the back. After the game, he talked about his mistakes, such as missing 10 of 15 free throws, and allowing his man to score early.

“I’m not completely happy with that
game, so I expect more out of myself.”

Where does Robinson go from here? It’s up to what he brings to the Portland rotation now that he’s got a chance to prove himself.

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