While a first-round exit in the 2021 NBA Playoffs wasn’t the most pleasing, the Miami Heat were severed by a relentless and dominating Milwaukee Bucks franchise. However, in the entire four games of disposition, confusion, and doubt, a bright spot for the Miami Heat in this series was none other than the improved defense from one of the league’s premier marksmen, Duncan Robinson.
While there were several Heat players who just couldn’t get it going, offensively, through the entire series, Robinson wasn’t an exception. After scoring 24 points in Game 1, with all seven of his 13 field-goal attempts from beyond the arc, the Bucks limited Robinson to just 17 points on just 3-16 in the final three games.
This display has drawn similarities to last year’s Semi-Finals, where the Bucks keyed-in on the Miami Heat sharpshooter. There wasn’t a tremendous difference in the shot attempts this time around either.
After totaling 37 field-goal attempts in last year’s six-game Semi-Finals against the Bucks, Robinson had just 29 in this year’s series. Although it’s been documented and proven that Duncan has made adjustments in many areas of his game or though it wasn’t enough to change the fate against this team, they are still worth a mention.
For Duncan, you like his upgraded abilities to make timely cuts to the hoop, seeing the floor, and most importantly, a vast uptick in his defense — for what’s been the largest negative connotation early in his career. And while it isn’t a huge sample size with Milwaukee’s three-game onslaught, there were some incredible moments where the 27-year old forward took on the Bucks’ top stars.