Pistons caught in Duncan Robinson paradox in the playoffs

The Detroit Pistons desperately need Duncan Robinson’s shooting but he’s also one of their worst defenders, which is a paradox coach JB Bickerstaff will have to crack. 

Robinson isn’t quite at Malik Beasley levels when it comes to 3-point shooting this season, but he’s not far off and has a better all-around offensive game. He’s leading the team in 3-point makes by a mile and is really the only Pistons player that concerns opponents from long range. 

Detroit has spacing issues at times even with Robinson in the lineup, so he’s a guy they will have to play in the playoffs. 

But he’s also a guy other teams will target, which sets Detroit up for the same problem Miami had with Robinson. 

Can’t play Duncan Robinson, can’t sit him 

The Pistons need Robinson’s shooting in the lineup and have done a great job this season of covering him enough defensively to keep him in for nearly 28 minutes per game. 

He’s part of most of the Pistons best lineups, so his defense is not killing them, at least not in the regular season. But we know the playoffs become more matchup dependent, and that teams are going to look for any way to exploit the Pistons’ defense, which will mean Robinson will have a target on his back. 

The Miami Heat faced this problem for several seasons in the playoffs, which led to Robinson getting pulled when teams were able to abuse his defense. 

Has anything changed? 

Duncan Robinson is a smart defender the Pistons can hide 

No one would mistake Robinson for a good one-on-one defender, but he’s smart enough to be in the right spot and to use his size to at least make shots difficult. 

The Pistons can help him by putting him on the other team’s worst offensive player (regardless of position) and forcing the other team to try to run offense through one of their weak links. 

If the other team wants to target Robinson, the Pistons have to make that painful by forcing some of their least dangerous players into action. Robinson will also need help from his teammates who will have to be ready to close gaps and recover quickly if Robinson gets beaten. 

Teams sometimes get out of a rhythm when they try to force things to exploit a mismatch, and the Pistons have to use that to their advantage. 

Kevin Huerter could be huge 

Though he doesn’t provide the 3-point shooting Robinson does, Kevin Huerter has been good lately and is a guy who can get a bucket. His 3-point shot is heating up and he’s shooting over 65 percent from two-point range. 

He’s also a solid defender compared to Robinson, so we may see coach Bickerstaff swap the two if the other team is punishing the Robinson matchup. 

It’s a problem coach JB Bickerstaff will have to figure out, as he needs a shooter on the floor, but can’t do it at the expense of his defense.