Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson
has had his fair share of ups and downs in the NBA.
After going undrafted and
becoming a key player in the 2020 NBA Finals, he got paid the big
bucks and then was unplayable at times in the playoffs.
Now, Robinson has once again
emerged as a vital piece in Miami’s offense under Erik
Spoelstra.
At 6-foot-7, Robinson can shoot
the lights out. The threat of his shooting from beyond the arc
stretches the defense out, allowing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to
operate from inside the paint.
However, over the past two
seasons, Robinson was close to unplayable (especially in the
postseason) as teams exploited his inability to put the ball on the
floor by running him off the three-point line and attacking him on
defense.
Robinson made it a point in the
offseason to develop his in-between game and how to attack
closeouts off the catch (either getting to the rim or dishing to
teammates). This work paid
off, as Robinson is currently averaging a career-high 2.8 assists
in addition to his 13.2 points and 40.6% shooting from
deep.
By improving his ability to put
the ball on the floor on dribble handoff actions – a staple of the
Heat’s offense – Robinson is earning significant playing time
again. He now makes it a point to find his rim-running teammates
and make kick-out passes to the wings.
On Monday against the Sacramento
Kings, this was on full display as Robinson dished out a
career-best 11 assists as the Heat played without their main
playmakers Butler, Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro Robinson’s previous career-high in assists was
7 (which he did four times — three of which came this season).
This is a testament to his incredible growth as a facilitator, and
he deserves credit for correcting his biggest weakness.
Most of Robinson’s assists were
from Adebayo’s dribble-handoff actions, finding him multiple times
by going downhill and dropping it off in the paint. When Adebayo
wasn’t available for the roll, Robinson kicked it out to Caleb
Martin for a corner three.
Duncan Robinson dribble handoffs pic.twitter.com/f2WFMAfWa7
– Mon Anthony Valmoria (@morval_)
February 27, 2024
On these couple of possessions,
Robinson connected with Kevin Love in another dribble handoff that
flowed into a pick-and-pop three as well as finding Love on the run
for a transition triple.
Duncan Robinson connecting with Kevin Love
pic.twitter.com/XnmluzNFXJ– Mon Anthony Valmoria (@morval_)
February 27, 2024
Robinson is giving Miami’s
offense a different look and an additional option. Rather than just
shooting off of screens, he’s looking to set up his teammates by
picking his spots and playing at his own pace.
Gone are the days when teams can
run Robinson off the three-point line because he can’t attack
closeouts, and that’s great news for Miami come playoff
time.
