Miami Heat Playoffs: Will We See Duncan Robinson In Pivotal Game 5 Clash?
By Will Salinas
The Miami Heat are tied 2-2 with the Philadelphia 76ers and while you can point fingers as to why this series is tied, the easy answer is that there’s no shot-making for the Heat side and especially over the last two games.
Outside of Game 2, where they shot 48.3 percent from three, the shooting hasn’t been there. In a series where the Miami Heat are struggling from behind the arc, it’s weird that we haven’t seen Duncan Robinson.
You want to tell yourself they’ll pick up the shooting, but when Jimmy Butler is your best three-point shooter in Game 4, it just seems unlikely. Philly being able to tie the series doesn’t mean that Miami needs to panic and just throw lineups at the wall, but you have to wonder why Robinson isn’t getting any burn?
Nobody is also to say that Duncan Robinson not playing is why they’re losing, but if you’re struggling from three, why isn’t your $90 million dollar shooter touching the court, at least, for a minute? That’s especially on the road.
The Miami Heat have been struggling from three and while it’s not time to panic with rotations, would it hurt to give Duncan Robinson minutes?
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We’ve seen Robinson have a lot of his big games on the road, which is where most role players struggle. We’ve seen big games in Phoenix, Atlanta, Utah, Indiana, and even Philadelphia!
Knowing what he is capable of on the road, it’s quite shocking to have never seen him once in Game 4. Heck, you even saw Markieff Morris minutes before Duncan, albeit that Dewayne Dedmon was out with a non-COVID illness.
For Game 5, there probably won’t be any major change-ups as far as rotational concerns, but I do think we see Duncan at some point. Coach Spoelstra has to, at least, give him a shot in that one, especially if the Heat continue to struggle.
They need a spark on offense and what Duncan can do, at times, is documented.
It hasn’t been his best season and he has definitely been fighting slumps, but he seemed to be shooting fine in the Atlanta series. Robinson shot nearly 53 percent from three on a total of 19 attempts.
His defense probably has something to do with why Spo is sitting him, but now you need shot-making against Philly, which the new starter in Max Strus has not been able to give you. For that matter, his defense hasn’t been the best either, but that’s neither here nor there.
Nobody is trying to point fingers because everyone needs to be better, but in the regular season, there was a supposed belief that Miami having both Strus and Robinson was a luxury, as either one could light it up any night. So, if one sharpshooter isn’t hitting, why not try the other?
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Erik Spoelstra always knows best, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what Duncan can bring. You have to still remember the times when Miami would “run on Duncan.”