Jeremiah Robinson-Earl left his 'fingerprints' on OKC Thunder on road back to NBA playoffs

The crowd at Paycom Center wouldn't let up during OKC's 124-92 playoff win over New Orleans on Wednesday.

But with only a handful of minutes left in the blowout contest, a brief lull in the action allowed for a lone OKC fan's chant to be heard.

"J-R-E," the fan chanted.

It was a call for New Orleans' Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who got traded from OKC to Houston just seven days before the start of the regular season.

Robinson-Earl spent the first two years of his career with the Thunder. He was there before OKC became the biggest breakout team in the NBA. Before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander garnered MVP consideration. Before fans barked with every bucket by Jalen Williams.

Robinson-Earl now finds himself on the opposite end of the sideline for the first-round playoff series, which OKC holds a 3-0 lead in. But after playing on his old home court in the final few minutes of Game 2, he couldn't help but reminisce on his days with the Thunder.

"It was a great time," Robinson-Earl said. "It was a great group. I got drafted here, so we kind of grew up together. We were all kind of in the same situation, so I have a lot of love for the players and staff that are there. It's a great organization."

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The Thunder selected Robinson-Earl in the second round (No. 32 overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft.

OKC was searching for its center of the future following the departure of Al Horford, who got traded to Boston that offseason. And despite being a second-round pick, Robinson-Earl made an immediate impact.

The 6-foot-9 center started in 36 of his 49 appearances as a rookie. He averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes, and he even shot a respectable 35.2% from deep.

"He was highly professional," OKC head coach Mark Daigneault said of Robinson-Earl. "He was very reliable day to day and a hard worker. He really cared about the team and cared about his craft. I really enjoyed being around him."

OKC only went 24-58 that season.

And even though the Thunder followed that up with a 40-42 campaign, which included a play-in appearance, many people questioned how big of a jump the young group could make in a stacked Western Conference.

But Robinson-Earl wasn't one of those people. Not after seeing the way OKC's players prepared during the offseason.

"There's a lot of young players that are willing to get better," Robinson-Earl said. "They were doing, at all costs, what they needed to do to get better and put themselves in that position."

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Robinson-Earl also had inside information on the Thunder's biggest X-factor: Chet Holmgren.

OKC selected the 7-foot-1 center with the No. 2 overall pick in 2022. And even though Holmgren missed all of last season with a foot injury, Robinson-Earl caught an early glimpse of Holmgren's potential during the offseason and preseason play.

Holmgren went on to start in all 82 regular-season games. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and he's a finalist for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.

"He had a great mind frame about how to attack every single day," Robinson-Earl said of Holmgren. "He's done it for the full 82, and he's been doing a good job in the postseason as well. I give a lot of kudos to him."

Holmgren's strong play helped OKC skyrocket to the top seed in the West with a 57-25 record.

Unfortunately, Robinson-Earl watched the breakout season from afar. OKC traded him and Victor Oladipo to Houston in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr. and two future second-round picks on Oct. 17.

Houston waived Robinson-Earl six days later. But the third-year pro signed a two-way contract with New Orleans on Nov. 3, and he later got upgraded to a standard contract.

Robinson-Earl is averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.6 minutes this season. He made his only playoff appearance in Game 2 and scored two points in five minutes.

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Carving out a role in New Orleans has been a process for Robinson-Earl. But after bouncing around the league earlier in the season, he feels he has found a new home.

"It's a great organization over here," Robinson-Earl said of New Orleans. "Very similar (to OKC). We're young, and we've got some veterans as well. But it's a really tight-knit group. We set high standards for ourselves and just keep getting better every day to put ourselves in the best position possible."

Robinson-Earl isn't the only former OKC player who has watched the team's breakout season from afar.

Another example is the trio of Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic and Davis Bertans. OKC traded them and two future second-round picks to Charlotte in exchange for Gordon Hayward on Feb. 8.

Robinson-Earl. Mann. Micic. Bertans. Their days with OKC are over. But a chant from a lone fan isn't the only way their presence can still be felt whenever the Thunder takes to the floor.

"The guys who were a part of this build, they have their fingerprints on the environment that exists today," Daigneault said. "The guys have great respect for those guys. I have great respect for those guys. (Robinson-Earl) is included in that."

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Pelicans' Jeremiah Robinson-Earl left his 'fingerprints' on Thunder