At the start of the season, the talk surrounded James Harden, and in the weeks leading into the trade deadline, speculation surrounded the Miami Heat and their potential pursuit of veteran Kyle Lowry.
Throughout it all, the name of Duncan Robinson was front and center as it pertained to trade packages involving these aforementioned players. But with the trade deadline now a thing of the past, it’s certainly no coincidence that Robinson is enjoying his best stretch of play this season.
With the trade deadline now behind him, Duncan Robinson has again reminded the Miami Heat and the rest of the league of his devastating impact.
Leading into the March 25 deadline, Robinson shot an uncustomary 28.6 percent from 3-point on 8.8 attempts per game in the final four games. However, since the burden of trade talks elapsed, Robinson has rapidly returned to the form that saw him produce one of the most prolific 3-point shooting seasons in NBA history.
Duncan Robinson is shooting 22 of 37 since the trade deadline. I think we forget how that can hang over a player.
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) April 1, 2021
Over his past four games, Robinson has shot at a 57.1 percent clip from long range on 8.8 attempts, while averaging 16.5 points per game. Breaking this down even further, over his past three games, Robinson has been a plus-53 when on the floor, with the Heat shooting at a 50.0 percent clip from the field during these games when he’s on the floor, and just 32.3 percent when resting.
Following the Heat’s latest win, 92-87 over the Indiana Pacers in which Robinson posted 20 points on 6-of-11 from 3-point range, head coach Erik Spoelstra commented on Robinson’s recent output:
"“It’s also about staying with it, you know, if you’re getting the right looks and you’re generating the right kind of offense for us, if the ball’s not going in, you don’t obsess over the result, you stay with it….He’s taking the right shots….all the great shooters go through some ups and downs, but it all evens out if you have the skill level, and Duncan clearly has that.”"
And yet despite his obvious exploits from behind the 3-point line being his clear number one weapon, coach Spoelstra was just as effusive for the progress Robinson has made on the defensive end of the floor:
"“It’s not like an overnight improvement, you’re literally talking about hundreds of days of development and drill work and film work….he’s very diligent to schemes and his effort level is always there.”"
Heat's offensive rating in the 32 minutes Duncan Robinson played tonight: 123.3 points scored per 100 possessions.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) March 30, 2021
In the 16 minutes Duncan was off the court? 75 points scored per 100 possessions.
Spacing matters.
Watching Robinson now at the defensive end of the floor in comparison to when he commenced his career with the Heat in Oct. 2018, it’s hard to ascertain that it’s the same player. From rotations off the ball to closing out on shooters, Robinson’s improvements defensively have been significant, and are only going to become more vital as the ensuing postseason arrives.
But ultimately, Robinson’s true value for the Heat lies in his ability to stretch the floor and scare the hell out of the opposing coaching staff. Given the transformation in his play over the past week, this could be the last time in which the Miami Heat and Duncan Robinson are mentioned together in trade rumblings.