Robinson Has Revived His Career

It wasn’t too long ago that Duncan Robinson was out of the Miami Heat rotation.

Fast forward a year later, and he’s now playing the best basketball of his career. Robinson is shooting the ball like the player that earned a five-year, $90 million contract back in 2021— shooting 44.2% from three on 7.1 attempts per game.

But he’s been far more than just a shooter this season. Robinson’s improvement as a driver has turned him into one of the most improved players in basketball.

Since entering the starting lineup in place of the injured Tyler Herro on Nov. 11, Robinson has been one of the best shooters in the association. The Michigan alum entered Thursday’s game against Chicago shooting 47% from beyond the arc— 48% on catch-and-shoot threes, 44% on pull-ups and 66% when wide open. Among all players who have played 10 games while averaging at least seven threes per game in that span, Robinson is the second most efficient three-point shooter in the league.

Robinson already surpassed his three-point total from last season despite playing 20 less games and leads the league in expected field-goal percentage on pull-up jumpers.

But it’s the counters from the three-point shooting that has revived his career.

Robinson is driving the ball far more than any other point in his career, averaging 5.5 drives per game. That number is up from just 2.1 per game last season. Amongst all Heat players averaging at least two drives per game, Robinson has been the most efficient in those scenarios, shooting 55.8%. He’s also assisting on 11% of his drives while averaging a career-high in assists.

Robinson is taking 31.5% of his shots this season from less than 10 feet — almost 20% higher than the second highest mark of his career. The percentage of shots Robinson takes after 3-6 dribbles has also skyrocketed — going from 3% last season to 13.1% this season.

After back-to-back 20-point outings against Charlotte, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said that he’s interested in seeing how teams will game plan against Robinson’s paint attacks.

Robinson is averaging 2.3 field goals attempted inside the restricted area after averaging the lowest mark on the team last season, making just 12 shots. This is the first season of his career averaging over one attempt per game inside the restricted area.

Robinson’s three-point shooting is once again elite, but the leap as a playmaker and driver to complement his shooting has transformed him into a far more complete player.

Miami is 10-5 since his insertion into the starting lineup and Spoelstra has a tough call to make when Herro returns from injury.

“With Duncan, it’s not at all even a surprise anymore,” Spoelstra said. “He’s so skilled offensively and he fits with any unit. He knows how to complement either unit. He also knows how to be a focal point of actions. He creates overreactions.”

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