In every season except his rookie campaign, Miami Heat Sharpshooter Duncan Robinson helped his team reach the playoffs.
But that hasn’t always resulted in a consistent playoff role for the 30-year-old, whose playing time is often fragile when the playoffs arrive.
One NBA scout described it as a big mystery.
“I always wonder why, when it comes to the playoffs, that’s the biggest mystery to me. Robinson doesn’t see the field,” the scout said. Sports IllustratedAnthony Pasciolla“I know he struggled defensively, but when they got to the Finals two years ago, he improved his game. I think he improved his game more than Bam. [Adebayo]. It was blatant. They pay him a lot of money.
During his second NBA season, Robinson played a major role in the Heat’s run to the 2020 NBA Finals. He appeared in 21 playoff games in the bubble and started all of them, averaging 28.6 minutes per game.
The following season, he again played a solid role in the playoffs, averaging 25.0 minutes per game in four appearances (all as a starter) during the 2021 NBA playoffs.
But the following campaign, Robinson’s role in the playoffs was much different. He played but did not start, averaging just 12.2 minutes per game.
The Heat trusted him enough to give him 23 appearances, one start and 18.2 minutes per game in the 2023 NBA Playoffs as they reached the NBA Finals, but he returned to a more limited role in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, averaging just 12.0 minutes per game off the bench.
Over the past three seasons, Robinson has started 105 regular-season games but just one playoff game, which could indicate the Heat trust him more in the regular season than the playoffs.
As recently as the 2022-23 regular season, Robinson was struggling so much that his place with the Heat was questioned by some fans, but he made the most of his opportunities in the 2023 NBA playoffs and leveraged them to have a strong 2023-24 regular season.
Given these factors, his small role in the 2024 NBA playoffs seems like a step in the wrong direction, though it’s worth noting that he apparently played through a back injury in the playoffs, which could have impacted his role.
It’s a safe bet that the winger will look to secure a key role in both the regular season and playoffs during the 2024-25 campaign.
