Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
■ Duncan Robinson steps up his game on defense.
One-time shooting specialist proving he can play defense too
It is the type of thing Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra rarely would address in the moment, seldom publicly citing fault in his players.
But now, well after the fact, and with strides achieved, he confirmed the obvious in the wake of Wednesday night’s victory over the Indiana Pacers, when the faith in Duncan Robinson was such that Spoelstra played the 3-point specialist for all but five seconds of the decisive fourth quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“I remember when we first signed him,” Spoelstra said. “That stretch run we had two years ago, it was tough to play him in any circumstance because his defense was so raw at that point.”
That was in 2018-19, when the Heat were eliminated from the playoffs on the final Sunday of the regular season.
Now, Spoelstra finds himself talking about Robinson’s defense without obfuscation.
“But he really committed and he stayed with it, even to this point,” Spoelstra said, as the Heat turned their attention to Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors at American-Airlines Arena. “Every day, he’s treated it the same way as he did two years ago.”
Two years later, there is a limit to the liability.
“It’s not like an overnight improvement,” Spoelstra said. “You’re literally talking about hundreds of days of development and drill work and film work and he’s conscientious about it and he takes pride in it.
“He’s very diligent to schemes. And his effort level is always there. So he’s making those efforts to go from the paint to the 3-point line, and his technique has improved because of all that work.”
No, no one’s talking All-Defense or platitudes on a grand scale. But also not terrible.
“Our strength coach does a great job,” Robinson said, “and I think I’ve improved a lot, mobility wise with my hips, and also stance and quickness.
“I think it’s a combination of things, but probably the biggest one being the game has slowed down and I just have a very clear understanding of what I need to do on that end.”
That has shown in both his closeouts and recovery.
“I think probably the biggest thing is I have a very clear understanding of what my job is on that end of the floor,” he said. “Just getting shooters off the ball and funneling the ball to the baseline is something that I’ve just been able to key in on more this year.”
The Heat soon enough will have a decision to make, with Robinson a restricted free agent this summer. If you didn’t know better, you might think Spoelstra was his agent, including his comments about Robinson upgrading the entirety of his offensive game.
“He’s becoming a better screener, so that’s creating opportunities for other people,” Spoelstra said. “He can put the ball on the floor. Has really improved dramatically as a cutter, off-ball player.
“So it’s not just about his 3-point shooting. But it’s also about staying with it. If you’re getting the right looks and you’re generating the right kind of offense for us, if the ball is not going in, you don’t obsess about the result, you stay with it.”