Miami Heat's Duncan Robinson No Longer Hearing the Doubts
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Earlier this month when Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson bounced back from his shooting slump, he responded to a reporter's question by asking, "You doubted me?"
Since, few have had reason to question Robinson's shooting. He made a season-high eight 3-pointers and finished with 26 points in Tuesday's 119-122 victory against the Washington Wizards, helping the Heat to their fourth straight victory. They go for a fifth consecutive Wednesday at the San Antonio Spurs.
“You look at all the best shooters in the league, they have nights," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You have to have that kind of resolve and determination to continue to play your game. I think that’s probably where he’s made the most adjustments in his short career. Three years ago when we first met him, if he missed his first three, there’s no way he was shooting another one. Now he just continues to play his game.”
In November, Robinson shot just 36 percent from the field. That wasn't what the Heat expected when they signed him to a five-year, $90-million contract. Robinson has shaken off the slow start, recording five 20-point games in December.
Even though Robinson is 27, he is still a relatively green NBA player. His success has made some forget he was undrafted and entered the league on a two-way contract. After Tuesday's performance, he admitted he is still continuing to get a feel for the game.
“It’s definitely been something that you grow with. It’s a feel thing. At this point, I’ve kind of seen just about all of the different ways someone can guard me”, Robinson said. “It’s all about reps. You get more reps and you get more comfortable with it.”
Robinson threw up a game-high 16 3-point attempts, a number Spoelstra wants to see increase.
“I don’t know if Spo was happy," Robinson said. "I think there were three or four more that he wanted me to take. I think he’d want that number to start with a two and not a one in the 20s. Just trying to be consistent with my approach and continue to let it fly.”
Corey Holmes is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at coreyrholmes4@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreyholmes4
