The Miami Heat are deadlocked at two games apiece with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both teams have played a gritty brand of basketball and it has been an exciting series to say the least. However, one Heat player who hasn't seen much action is Duncan Robinson. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra commented on Robinson's lack of playing time.
“He's been on our card even in the games he hasn't played. We'll see what happens tonight.”
Duncan Robinson isn't a star by any means. But he is a valuable knockdown shooter who has played important roles for the Heat in seasons past. But Robinson logged his first DNP in over three years in Game 1 of the series. He followed that up with a one minute effort in Game 2. His lack of playing time is even more surprising after Robinson scored 27 points in a game against the Hawks last round.
The reason for Robinson's continuous absence from the lineup is defense. He is a pure shooter who doesn't offer much in the way of defensive help.
“We're a great 3-point shooting team, we just weren't able to knock those down,” Spoelstra said. “The bigger story was not being able to defend them, disrupt them, keep them off the free-throw line at key moments. I think our offense probably would have been good enough to give ourselves a real good chance, even the way we were shooting from 3. But we weren't able to get the kind of consistent defensive stops that we're accustomed to.”
However, Duncan Robinson is not ruled out for Game 5. And since Kyle Lowry already has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, Robinson could find himself back in the rotation for this crucial Game 5 affair.
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