Duncan Robinson is heading to the Detroit Pistons as a Malik Beasley replacement, and he has even more gravity than the controversial sharpshooter, argues a former Miami Heat teammate.
The Detroit Pistons became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total, winning 44 games, up from 14 the season prior.
A big reason for their success was their improved shooting, having gone from shooting 34.8% to 36.2% between seasons. The addition of Malik Beasley helped, although it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing in the NBA anytime soon after being investigated for gambling.
In order to replace their needs on the perimeter, they conducted a sign-and-trade for the “ignitable” Duncan Robinson.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesUdonis Haslem praises Duncan Robinson
During his seven seasons with the Miami Heat, Robinson shot 39.7% from deep and cemented himself as one of the best snipers in the entire NBA. With Cade Cunningham finally getting a chance to run a real offense with spacing, he managed to make his first All-Star and All-NBA teams last season, and Robinson is expected to continue to unlock Cunningham’s talents.
“He’s a guy who’s ignitable,” summed up Udonis Haslem. “But the thing he’s going to do for them mostly is open up Cade Cunningham and other guys.
“The way defenses react when Duncan steps on the basketball court, they face guard him, they don’t help side defense. I never understood why offensive shooters couldn’t play defense on another shooter. He’s literally doing the same thing you do.”
While Detroit’s shooting improved last year, their defense also got a big boost from Ausar Thompson’s continued growth, and Haslem isn’t sure that Robinson will be able to bring much on the defensive end.
“Shooters can’t guard shooters,” he continued. “Defense is something Duncan got to work on. He knows that. You’ve got to guard somebody, Duncan. But offensively, it’s going to help them tremendously.”
A lineup of Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Thompson, Robinson, and Jalen Duren, with some bench depth, should be more than enough for the Pistons to compete in the East.
Pistons will improve around Cade Cunningham
In Detroit, Cade Cunningham is one of “the guys.” The Tigers have Tarik Skubal and Riley Green, the Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff, and the Pistons have Cunningham, who is expected to only get better as the team around him improves.
With Robinson catching fire from behind the arc and pulling defenses out of the paint, Cunningham is expected to be an even more effective scorer next season.
“With Duncan Robinson being on the floor, it’s going to take so much pressure off Cade Cunningham and those other guys,” said Haslem. “It’s going to free those guys up. Once those guys get free, you’re going to watch Duncan Robinson start knocking down shots.”
While Robinson is far from a solid defender, if he’s in the corner, the weakside rim protector won’t be able to cheat towards the rim, giving Cunningham a dump-off option by the rim in Thompson, or a kickout option in Robinson should the defense collapse.
The Pistons took a big step last season, and this year is a chance for them to prove that they belong with other contenders.