Indiana State’s Robbie Avila has taken social media by storm recently, even earning the nickname “Cream Abdul-Jabbar.” The Sycamores big man, who wears goggles like the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did, had 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal against Evansville on Wednesday, and his highlights from that outing went viral.
NBA fans reacted to Avila’s highlights.
One said Avila is Nikola Jokic-lite, “Vanilla Jokic.”
Another fan too felt Avila is a replica of Jokic, “I swear we get replicas of whoever wins the latest championships.”
A fan got Kevin Love vibes from Avila, “I’m getting Kevin Love vibes from his game.”
One fan hilariously compared him to Larry Bird, “All I’m saying is Larry Bird went to that school. All I’m saying is he moves like Larry Bird. All I’m saying, he might be a dawg. Idk. But he might be.”
A fan said Avila is the best college player in the US, “He’s honestly the best college basketball player in the nation.”
While calling him the best college basketball player is definitely going too far, Avila has been quite impressive. The 20-year-old sophomore is averaging 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game this season.
Avila, who stands at 6’10” and is listed at 240 pounds, presents quite an interesting challenge to opposing defenses. His frame means he can physically overpower defenders but he also has a soft touch.
Avila is a threat from beyond the arc as well, as he is shooting 40.0% from three this season on 3.9 attempts per game. He is an able playmaker too and the slow pace he plays with causes problems as well. With their big man leading the way, Indiana State has put together a respectable 25-5 record so far this season.
On February 12, the Sycamores were ranked in the AP poll for the first time since the 1978–79 season, when Larry Bird took them to the NCAA title game. Consecutive losses right after that got them removed from the poll the following week, so it remains to be seen if they will make the NCAA tournament.
If they do make it in, it will be interesting to see if Avila can take them deep into the tournament.
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