Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson has been more present on the court recently. After averaging just 12.0 minutes per game over the first seven games of the season, he has logged an average of 23.2 minutes per game over the most recent seven.
He’s had some strong performances (including four double-digit scoring efforts), and one team insider believes that the Heat are putting him on display to try to drum up some trade interest.
“I have felt since the get-go there has been somewhat of a showcasing of Duncan Robinson,” Ira Winderman wrote in a recent article for the Sun Sentinel. “But when push comes to shove and defensive deterrence is required. it is apparent that it is still difficult for Erik Spoelstra to ride Duncan through those minutes. Even when Duncan is hitting shots, if the game is close or the Heat are ahead at closing time, Erik Spoelstra has shown a clear preference for Max Strus in those minutes. Then again, even when the Heat had to rally from 13 down against the Suns, Spoelstra still didn’t play Duncan in the fourth, while Strus, who had been scoreless through three quarters, played the entire fourth.”
The tough thing for Robinson, and the Heat if they are indeed looking to showcase his talent, is that the 3-point specialist has not been hitting his deep shots at a very high rate.
On the season, he’s shooting just 30.9 percent from the 3-point line. That isn’t going to cut it for a player who really has to hit those shots to have a positive impact on the floor.
For reference, Robinson’s best season came in the 2019-20 campaign, when he hit an astounding 44.6 percent from deep. Since that season, his shooting percentage in each successive campaign has dipped.
In retrospect, the Heat’s decision to give Robinson the largest deal ever for an undrafted player has looked like something of a mistake. They signed him to five-year contract worth $90 million back in 2021.
Now, it looks like the Heat are hoping that with increased usage, Robinson can manage to find his stroke from deep once again. If he can do that, the money left on his deal could be useful in helping the Heat make the money work in a big trade.
The rumors are surely what Heat fans will be keeping an eye on, but it is also important to remember that Miami has definitely started to find its groove in recent games.
The Heat have won four of their last six games, including an impressive outing against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. The Heat will now face a tough stretch of playing three games against three teams currently in the playoff standings in the East.
They’ll take on the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday before heading to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards. After that, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host Miami.
A four-game road trip for the Heat will wrap up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
It will be interesting to see what kind of playing time Robinson gets in all of those upcoming matchups.
