Miami Heat's Duncan Robinson recovers from timid approach
In year's past, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has used different adjectives to describe the green light he gives certain players.
They range from "fluorescent" to "ultra" to "neon." Spoelstra wants his shooters to do what they are paid for: to shoot the ball.
After forward Duncan Robinson attempted only five 3-pointers in Monday's loss to the Toronto Raptors, the staff made sure he would come out aggressive against the Boston Celtics. Robinson scored 21 points on 5 of 11 3-pointers in the Heat's 112-106 victory Tuesday in Orlando.
"It's a threat," center Bam Adebayo said. "We can't have our best shooter on the team only taking four shots. That just doesn't make sense. That's like (Dwyane Wade) taking six shots and that's it ... "We've got to get Duncan Robinson the ball. I'm glad he came with the mindset that, `I'm going to shoot every time that I'm open."'
Robinson made the adjustment after playing timid against the Raptors. He did not become the Heat's single-season leader in 3-pointers made by second-guessing his shot.
"I feel that I was being a little bit of a spectator," Robinson said. "I was kind of doing some unorthodox things. I was standing a lot ... I tried to be a little bit more aggressive right from the jump and hunt shots. My teammates really found me in situations to be successful. I missed some early but I just try to keep shooting and doing my job."
The next step is dealing the variety of defenses teams are using to defend him. Some have tried defending him with smaller guards.
"I've seen it at different times," Robinson said. "They like to put guards on me that can maneuver screens and make it difficult and stay attached. "It's just finding ways to be creative."
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