Kassius Robertson is playing more minutes at point guard for Mizzou. Again

After Missouri’s 18-point loss to Auburn on Wednesday, coach Cuonzo Martin heard a question about fatigue. Graduate transfer Kassius Robertson had just played 39-plus minutes for the third time in the past four games. Did Martin worry some of his players might wear down?

He did not deny the possibility, but he said there was little he could do about it.

“It is what it is right now,” Martin said.

Michael Porter Jr.’s possibly season-ending surgery and point guard Blake Harris’ mid-season transfer to N.C. State have shrunk the roster. Freshman center Jeremiah Tilmon’s foul troubles make him unreliable.

Martin said that in a few years, once he has recruited more of his own players, fatigue can be more of a consideration. But for now his choices are limited — nowhere more so than at point guard, a position Robertson has had to play more minutes in recent games despite seeming to be a more productive player away from the ball.

Jordan Geist is starting at the position, but Robertson has played 22 percent of the Tigers’ minutes at point guard during Mizzou’s past five games, according to KenPom.com.

The Tigers have another option at point guard — Terrence Phillips — but he has struggled to earn Martin’s trust.

In the six games since Harris’ departure, Phillips has played fewer than 10 minutes four times. Against Auburn, he turned the ball over at midcourt by running into a defender and losing the ball when he seemed confused about what to do. He played just three minutes in the second half. So he hasn’t claimed many of the 13.9 minutes Harris averaged while starting for Missouri.

“We expect him to produce,” Martin said of Phillips earlier this week. “Hopefully we can get to that point.”

Until then, Robertson often has to handle the ball while Geist gets a rest. Robertson had never played point guard prior to this season. He started at the position in Missouri’s season opener but then moved away from it until recently.

Robertson said little changes for him when he becomes Missouri’s primary ball handler, other than an increase in ball screens teammates set for him.

“It’s really an interchangeable position at this program, on this team,” Robertson said. “The plays we run, the point guard and the wings, they all do the same thing, really.”

Martin echoed that — but only kind of. He said only true post players, such as Tilmon and Reed Nikko, move differently on the court compared to the other four men playing with them at any time. But Martin has also said all season that point guard is the toughest position to learn because of the increased mental responsibilities it presents. When Robertson plays point guard, Martin said, he must know what all of his teammates should be doing at the same time. He can’t just worry about himself.

“He can dribble the basketball,” Martin said. “But there’s more to it than dribbling and passing at that position.”

Martin recruited Robertson from Canisius, a low-level Division I school, to be a dead-eye three-point shooter, someone who could make defenses pay for collapsing on Porter. He was not supposed to be a player Missouri asked to create offense.

Even without Porter keying the Tigers’ offense, Robertson his shooting touch has held up at the high-major level. He’s shooting a career high 41.1 percent from three, and against Auburn on Wednesday, he made three shots from beyond the arc … all of which came while he wasn’t playing point guard. He either had a catch-and-shoot opportunity or caught a pass, dribbled a couple times past a screen and rose for a jump shot.

He scored 21 points against Auburn and played until the end, even when the game was out of reach. His coach didn’t have many other options.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Kassius Robertson is playing more minutes at point guard for Mizzou. Again."