Duncan Robinson’s hot start for the Detroit Pistons has been about a lot more than the shot that made him famous.
He drilled six more 3-pointers last night, and that keeps him on a blistering pace that could put Malik Beasley’s team record for 3-point makes in serious danger. Robinson is already putting together career highs in points per game at 17.9, 3-point attempts at 8.9, 3-point percentage at 45.2 and free-throw attempts at 3.7.
Some of that production will almost certainly settle down as the season goes on, but the bigger point is that Robinson has looked completely comfortable in his role. With Jalen Duren sidelined, he has become the Pistons’ second option and has helped fuel their 6-1 start even with several early injuries.
The shooting has been no surprise. The defense, though, has been the real twist.
Robinson is leading the Pistons in steals, which is not exactly the kind of headline anyone would have predicted. Detroit owns the league’s top defense, and Robinson is averaging two steals per game. For a player whose defense has long been criticized, that stands out even more because he had never averaged even one steal per game in any previous season.
His best steal average before this year was .7 per game, so this start has the feel of a statistical outlier. But there is more to it than a fluky number.
Robinson may not be a strong one-on-one defender, but he has clearly become a smarter team defender. His positioning has stood out, especially when opponents try to pick on him. He has been sharp at reading entry passes, jumping passing lanes and getting a hand on the ball when the pass is loose.
It looks like he put in real work in the film room over the summer, because he seems to understand where the pressure is coming from and is getting there first.
The best way to keep teams from hunting him on defense is to keep the ball away from his man, and that has been working well for both Robinson and the Pistons. Ausar Thompson has also played a role by quickly trapping Robinson’s man, which has helped pad Robinson’s steal numbers.
Robinson probably won’t finish the season as Detroit’s steals leader. But right now, his defense has taken a clear step forward, and paired with his scorching shooting, it has given him the best start of his career on both ends.
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The encouraging part for Detroit is that it did not look like a one-night fluke. Huerter had already gone 2-of-4 from deep in the previous game, which suggests his shot may be settling in after a rougher start. If that trend holds, the Pistons could be looking at a useful two-way piece who gives them more than just perimeter shooting. [Read more 🡒]