Illawarra Hawks import Justin Robinson admits it is taking time for the mental scars of his long-term knee injury to heal, saying he had "one of the worst games of my life" in the NBL loss to Adelaide.
But the former NBA guard is remaining calm, insistent that all players go through rough patches.
Robinson, 26, was charged with helping Illawarra transition out of the Brian Goorjian era when he arrived last year but tore his meniscus in the season opener.
He recovered to play Summer League with the Charlotte Hornets in July and then joined the Hawks for pre-season to plot a comeback from their last-placed finish.
But things have not gone to plan on a 1-4 start to Jacob Jackomas' second season as coach.
Robinson piloted Illawarra to victory against South East Melbourne with 26 points in round two but has otherwise struggled to get his eye in from the field.
He made only one of 15 field-goal attempts in a nine-point loss to the 36ers, who were tipped as wooden spooners in the pre-season.
Robinson said coming back from a long-term injury posed mental obstacles.
"It puts you in different scenarios," Robinson told AAP.
"When you've been a year removed, you play a bad game and it feels a little bit more of a bad game than what it would normally, because it's been so long since you've been through that emotional state.
"In the second game (against South East Melbourne) I came out and played really well, felt like I was back grooving in my spot. Then I go into a bad box and play one of the worst games of my life.
"It's mental.
"You're just overthinking, you miss the first couple of shots, you want to be so great for your teammates that you put a little bit more pressure on yourself than you normally have because you haven't been in that position for a while."
Robinson has taken up meditation to ground himself each day, having first done so while playing for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
He also knows he's not alone in having a shocker of a game.
Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole also shot one from 15 attempts in a NBA pre-season clash with Toronto last week.
Three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton made only one more basket from as many attempts in Perth's upset loss to Adelaide in round four.
"Everyone does it," Robinson said.
"It's just kind of figuring out that you are who you are and you've got to embrace the hard times, just like you do the good times.
"It's just being able to bounce back. It's who I am, I will get back to the same flow that I had against South East and I'm just ready for that to come."
