Why there’s growing optimism for the Miami Heat regarding Duncan Robinson.
Despite battling the injury bug for the majority of the season, through the first 30-ish games of the season the Miami Heat are 19-13 and just 1.5 games back of the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, apart from injuries, one concern that was quickly growing for the Heat was the less-than-stellar play of Duncan Robinson.
Even though, for the most part, the Heat has had success this season, Robinson had struggled – and mightily – out of the gate.
During the first 22 games of the season, Robinson was shooting just 35 percent shooting from the field overall and 32 percent shooting from 3-point range. The saving grace for the Heat was that the team, despite Robinson’s struggles, still managed to play at a high level.
However, in nearly every game, Robinson’s struggles were easy to point out on the television screen. As a team, through the first 22 games of the season, Miami ranked 14th in 3-point percentage and 17th in made 3’s per game.
Though, there is some reason for optimism regarding Robinson and his early-season struggles. In his last 10 games, Robinson is averaging 14 points and three rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from 3-point range. Over that stretch, the Heat as a team has felt the Robinson effect – in their last 10 games, Miami is ranked No. 1 in the league in 3-point percentage and No. 2 in 3-pointers made.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Heat has transformed into an elite 3-point shooting team as soon as it appears as if Robinson has broken out of his slump. In the last 10 games, with Jimmy and Bam out, the Heat’s 3-point shooting surge has helped keep this team afloat offensively.
But there’s no question that as soon as Jimmy and Bam return if the Heat can maintain this level of 3-point shooting – and that might be an unfair ask, but if they can – there’s no question that this team goes from must a pretty good offense to an elite one.
And if they can add an elite offense to a potentially elite defense, the Heat becomes that true contender that they looked like through the first handful of games of the season in which they blew out the Milwaukee Bucks and beat the Brooklyn Nets.
The Heat has more than a few things to worry about – such as the health of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who are both currently out with injuries – but the fact that Robinson appears to possibly have turned a corner on his early-season struggles is encouraging.
If the Heat is going to accomplish the lofty goals that they had for this season, they are going to need Robinson at full strength and at the height of his powers. That wasn’t the case during the beginning season. However, that has begun to change it appears.