Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Delivering 30-foot doses of reality
MIAMI – If you didn’t know better, you’d think BasketballReference had a sense of humor while recording specifics of the Miami Heat’s shot conversions this season:
■ Duncan Robinson, Nov. 20 vs. Cleveland, second quarter, 35 feet.
■ Kelly Olynyk, Dec. 3 at Toronto, first overtime, 33 feet.
■ Duncan Robinson, Feb. 24 at Cleveland, second quarter, 35 feet.
■ Kelly Olynyk, Oct. 26 at Milwaukee, fourth quarter, 31 feet.
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
And on and on and on and on.
Bad shots? Not when there are good results.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s never been questioned,” Robinson said of the lengths he has gone this season for 3-pointers. “In college, it was: Work for the best shot, use all 30 seconds. The NBA is a lot different.
“The coaching staff has always been in my ear, and Kelly’s, as well, that if you can get it off, it’s probably a good shot.”
The difference now is that Robinson, in his second season, is getting a feel for just how deep the shots come as he watches the ball being swung to Olynyk for similar attempts. “Whenever Kelly is pulling, I feel good about it.” Robinson said ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena. “A clean look from there is a good shot.”
Olynyk said he never envisioned setting up or stepping up so far beyond the 3-point line.
“It’s weird how the game evolves,” he said. “It just kind of happens before your eyes. Obviously, it becomes something you work on out there, and the coaches are telling you they want you to shoot it.”
Olynyk said the attempts are as much a factor of upgraded defensive schemes as a desire to test the limits of shooting range.
“Players in the game are quicker, faster, stronger, taller, longer arms,” he said. “If you’re sitting on the 3-point line, it’s hard to get an open shot off now. So you’re looking for open shots, and four or five feet back from the line is now where the open shots are.”
As with Robinson, Olynyk said there is a comfort zone in not being the only one testing the limits.
“Duncan does it like on steroids,” Olynyk said, of mode not muscle. “So it’s kind of, ‘Duncan’s getting ‘em off.’ If you’re making ‘em, you’re making ‘em.
“When you’re in rhythm and you’re open, that’s a high-percentage shot. It’s pretty much the same as shooting four feet closer with a contest.”
The changing dynamic even has reached pregame shooting. It is not uncommon for Robinson and Olynyk to warm up from a distance on the court typically reserved for teammates to stretch with trainers.
“If you’re going to take it in a game, you have to practice, you should be practicing it when the lights aren’t on,” Robinson said. “It just becomes a part of my routine.
“I don’t get too many ones with my foot toeing the line or being up close. You have to be able to adjust.”
Just as it has been an adjustment for Olynyk, now in his seventh season, to work at such distances.
“That’s what this team needs me to do, wants me to do,” he said. “So you’ve got to do your part, play your role. If that’s what it is, then that’s what you’ve got to prepare for.”
Already with a bonus for minutes played, perhaps a bonus in the next contract for distance covered by shot attempts?
“That might be a good idea,” Olynyk said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”