After losing Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the offseason, the Detroit Pistons desperately needed to find more shooting to replace their contributions. They ended up trading for Duncan Robinson with the hope that the veteran sharpshooter could provide them with the volume and accuracy beyond the three-point line, as well as much-needed spacing for the rest of the Pistons. Wednesday's season opener against the Chicago Bulls was a disaster for the Pistons on this front, raising serious questions about Robinson and his fit with the team.
Duncan Robinson's Dud in Season Opener Raises Serious Concerns
Robinson was a non-factor offensively all game. He missed all five of his three-pointers and scored two points on 1/7 shooting from the field in 32 minutes of action. He didn't contribute any other box score stat except for a turnover in that span, finishing the game -7 in his minutes. The 31-year-old is already a very poor defender, and when he is not providing anything offensively, he becomes a big liability.
Perhaps the most concerning part of his game was that he was only able to get up five three-pointers. Last season, Beasley averaged 12.1 three-point attempts per 36 minutes. Robinson needs to get as close to that number as possible to unlock the Pistons' offense. Yet, his lack of intensity and aggression hurt the team's spacing and made things more difficult for Cade Cunningham.
Robinson got the start over Caris LeVert and Ron Holland and played more minutes than the two. Since the team is low on shooting and Robinson is the best shooter on the team, this is understandable. Yet, it highlighted a serious roster construction issue for Detroit. The lack of other viable shooters on the roster forces J.B. Bickerstaff to play Robinson more than he needs to, even on his off nights.
When he was with the Miami Heat, Robinson was reduced to more of a bench role in recent years, and his minutes fell to 24.1 per game last season. That is a more appropriate role for the veteran small forward, but the Pistons unfortunately don't have much of a choice but to give him extended minutes after inexplicably giving him $16.8 million for the 2025-26 season.
Robinson will obviously play much better than he did in the season opener. But, for him to be worth his salary, he needs to replicate what Beasley gave the Pistons last season. Right now, it is very hard to imagine how he can get to that level, making him a potential disappointment throughout the campaign.