Washington Wizards guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recently revealed who his least favorite player to guard in the NBA is, and the answer may be a bit surprising.
Caldwell-Pope explained why Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson is such a tough player to match up with on defense.
“I would say Duncan Robinson. [And] that’s a great compliment for him,” Caldwell-Pope said.
“Those types of guys that move without the ball and are always moving, I tend to get lost a little bit ball-watching. So, guarding him is always, I’m always focused. Like, he’s my man and I’m guarding him. I probably won’t look at anybody else but him. I’ve got to give him that respect. He’s a great player. Off the ball, he’s one of the best.”
There’s no doubt that Robinson is one of the best shooters in the NBA, and he is elite at moving around off the ball in order to find an open shot.
“That’s the thing,” Caldwell-Pope continued. “I mean, he ran me until I was tired. That’s hard and then you’re trying to do it over 48 minutes. That’s a monster. So, I tip my hat off to him.”
During the 2021-22 regular season, Robinson averaged 10.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Robinson has taken a bit of a step back in terms of efficiency this season, but he has shot above 37.0 percent from deep in each of the last three regular seasons.
The Heat are hoping Robinson can continue to shoot the ball well as they look to make a deep playoff run this season. Robinson knocked down eight 3-pointers in Game 1 of Miami’s first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, showing just how dangerous he can be when he gets hot.
Caldwell-Pope is one of the better wing defenders in the NBA, so his recent comments are undoubtedly a major compliment for Robinson.
