2023-12-26 05:08:20
Duncan Robinson（控球者）。（NBA Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images） (Megan Briggs via Getty Images)
In the fourth quarter of the game once morest the Atlanta Hawks on December 23, Duncan Robinson, a small forward and shooting guard of the Miami Heat who came off the bench and is well known to Taiwanese fans as the “dry noodle brother”, scored 21 points in a single quarter and directly defeated his opponent. He played hard and scored 27 points efficiently in 25 points in the game, which can be called the hero of the victory. Since the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, Robinson has maintained excellent form. In terms of total field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage, he even surpassed the team’s ace star Tyler Herro, who has a maximum salary contract.
God knows just one season ago, Robinson fell out of the rotation and played at the end of the bench, almost only appearing in garbage time. What happened between this change?
Robinson, who had a very low starting point in basketball, had mediocre physical fitness and the only thing he might do well was shooting. He was not selected in the NBA draft without any surprise. However, the Heat later signed a contract with him to play in the summer league to seize this short period of time. The coaching staff was deeply impressed by the opportunity to appear, and they officially recruited him with a two-way contract.
After a season of training in the G League, Robinson realized that his confrontational ability was seriously insufficient, so he used the off-season to actively gain weight. When the epidemic broke out and the bubble park closed for operations, it happened that his first brother Jimmy Butler was slightly ill, and Robinson replaced him as the starter. Work, unlike the previous season when he was at a loss when playing in garbage time, he was clearly well prepared this time, ambushing on the outside and succeeding frequently, and his efficient offensive input covered up the deficiencies on the defensive end. From then on, he became a regular starter, and continued to successfully play the role of a deadly shooter in the next season. In the summer of 2021, the team directly offered a five-year, $90 million contract (all of which can be obtained with attached conditions). It was the largest undrafted draft pick in history, and it was immediately spread as an inspirational story.
However, the crisis came quietly at this time. Robinson’s job was very simple. He used various off-ball movements and screens to receive passes from the outside and immediately complete the shot. He used his precise shooting to force the opponent to be unable to defend and retreat. . After other teams in the league became familiar with their offensive routines, they sent out wing players with better defense and the ability to follow every step to death. The gaps became fewer and fewer and there was a lack of other effective scoring methods. As a result, in the first season following getting a long-term contract, The total field goal percentage fell below 40%, and the three-point field goal percentage was also the worst since he became a full-time starter. You must know that his existence value depends entirely on shooting. Now he has lost his accuracy and tactical status and is gradually marginalized. Last season’s regular season was directly affected. Until he was abandoned, his average playing time was only 16.4 minutes. Not to mention he only started once. In 13 games, he even sat on the bench and turned into a rock zone audience without any injury problems. People have completely Forgetting this desperate shooter who once created the most three-pointers in a single season and career in team history, media writers even satirized that the high-paying contract given by the team would be nailed to the pillar of shame.
Although the development of the situation was very unfavorable to him, Robinson did not give up. “Seriously, will I have suffered fewer setbacks in my basketball career? Difficulties will always be encountered. You have to work hard to find a way to break through. The most important thing is not to lose.” Confidence and fighting spirit are drowned in the emotion of self-blame.”
Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images (Eric Espada via Getty Images)
Robinson turned to his former teammate Ryan Anderson for help. This white power forward who was good at the perimeter only played for the Heat for a short time, but the two became close friends. They also lacked talent other than height and only had one shot and started. He ran both ends of the bench, but survived in the highly competitive NBA for 12 seasons. The advice given by the latter made Robinson determined to make adjustments in his playing style, and another opportunity for resurrection happened to emerge at this time.
The undrafted Heat, ranked 7th in the Eastern Conference, have to start the playoffs in the playoffs. Main backcourt general Tyler Herro is injured and cannot play, and backup candidate Victor Oladipo is also exempt. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has once once more asked Robinson to return to the starting lineup. In formation. The defenders still used their usual thinking to prevent him from running without the ball and then catching and shooting. However, they did not expect that his offensive strategy had changed significantly. After raising his hand high and easily pretending to deceive the opponent, he quickly cut into the penalty area or easily made a mid-range shot. To score two points, he will also use the high center to attack inside following the pick-and-roll, completely disrupting the defender’s predictions. He also dare not position himself too close to leave room for pursuit, otherwise he will be attacked by ruthless and precise three-pointers. Routinely Robinson, who had a career-low shooting percentage, became a sharp blade, repeatedly piercing the enemy’s vital points. The Milwaukee Bucks became the first victim and were upset and eliminated. His total shooting percentage in the series was as high as 6.54%. , 14 of 19 three-pointers! The Heat went all the way to the championship game before losing to the Denver Nuggets. Their total field goal percentage in the playoffs was 475%, and their three-point shooting percentage was 442%, both career highs. The most exaggerated thing was that they were the “shooters” at the basket. He created an incredible 83% shooting percentage in the penalty area, which was an outrageous high. He completely won back the coach’s trust and was also the first invisible contributor to the Heat’s playoffs.
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The Heat have actively tried various player combinations this season, using 16 different starting lineups in 28 games. Robinson is extremely competent no matter what role he plays. In the off-season, he strengthened his ability to break through with the ball and Increase the training proportion of pull-up jump shots and continue the previous playoff style. You can see it clearly with two sets of data: the proportion of two-point shots so far this season is as high as 34.3%! He has never exceeded 20% in a single season in his career, and has a record as low as 11.8%. In a true sense, he can no longer be positioned as a pure shooter.
Relying on skillful fake moves and using various screens to get rid of defenders, Robinson’s average number of cuts per game this season has reached 5.5. He has never exceeded 2 times in a single season before. After getting closer to the basket, Robinson is unstoppable in the mid-range. His pull-up jump shot percentage ranks first in the NBA, with shooting percentages in three ranges: from the basket, 3 to 10 feet, and 10 to 16 feet. “The worst” has a terrible 564%, coupled with the original top three-point range, the offense completely opens up the two channels of Ren and Du. Head coach Spoelstra said with a smile: “Now I am observing how the opponents are trying their best to prevent Robinson from penetrating into the paint. This is really a scene that I have never imagined.”
Because opponents have to move in from time to time to double-team, while setting the highest scoring average in a single season of his career so far, Robinson has also developed some passing ability to teammates in open spaces. His average number of assists has doubled, and his total field goal percentage has doubled. 497% and 447% three-pointers are perfect. The most exaggerated thing is that the true shooting rate is as high as 664%, ranking 8th in the league, and the first 7 players are almost all players in the penalty area.
The 21 points in a single quarter mentioned at the beginning is not just a matter of luck, but Robinson has been unstoppable since the beginning of the season, but he still maintains the same low-key style. When interviewed, Robinson said: “Many people have said that I have received too much since I entered the industry. Salaries and skills were overrated, and that really bothered me. I’m glad I got through the lowest point. It doesn’t matter if I’m starting or coming on the bench, it’s enough to just go out and enjoy the game every game with my head held high.”
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