Former Kansas forward Thomas Robinson impressing Kings

Former Kansas Jayhawk forward Thomas Robinson has been turning some heads and impressed Sacramento Kings head coach Keith Smart.

Robinson has shown his athleticism and effort early on in training camp, and those two attributes are a major reason why the Kings drafted the All-American with the fifth overall pick.

Smart credits Robinson spending three years at Kansas, which is longer than most lottery picks, who often spend just one year in college:

"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."

Robinson said his good start in training camp is due to staying relaxed on the court:

"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."

While Robinson is shining early on, Smart knows there will be some growing pains. Physically, everyone feels Robinson is ready, but the team won't know what he's capable of until seeing him in some preseason games against better and faster competition than those from college.