The Detroit Pistons offseason was filled with several eye-opening signings including the deal to bring long-time Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson to the Motor City.
With April finally upon us, the time is now and Detroit is about to find out if their offseason gamble was worth the bet, or if he'll become another mediocre signing that the team has growing regrets about as time goes on.
Pistons need Duncan Robinson's shooting in the playoffs
Obviously, Robinson's calling card comes on the offensive side of the ball, where the Michigan product thrives as a three-point weapon that can not only put pressure on opposing team's with his catch-and-shoot ability, but his ability to move away from the ball.
The former Wolverine has shown flashes of his knock-down shooting all season long, averaging 12.0 points on the season, while shooting 44.7% from field goal range and 40.7% from beyond the arc.
Robinson has been a valuable shooter for Detroit, and his back-door screens has quietly been another weapon from his arsenal that he's continuously impressed with.
Still, the postseason is a different beast than the regular season, and as we've seen during his tenure in Miami, Robinson has plenty of playoff experience under his belt. He's had playoff success shooting the ball in the 70 games he's played, hitting 40 percent of his 3-point attempts, but he was also run off the floor at times.
If Detroit hopes to make a deep postseason run, they'll need Robinson to embrace the strengths that earned him a lucrative deal with the Pistons, rather than the shortcomings that resulted in him falling out of the rotation at times for the Heat.
Robinson has to hide his defensive lapses with sharpshooting
The 31-year-old may be one of the best shooters in the league, but his reputation as a defender certainly isn't among the best in the league.
Robinson is often targeted by opposing teams due to his defensive struggles, and its proven to be an issue in past years, especially when head coach Erik Spoelstra was forced to limit his minutes against the Boston Celtics in years past after the team repeatedly exploited mismatches.
Detroit will have to expect opposing teams to continue that game plan, but if Robinson can consistently make teams pay on the offensive end, it will make Coach of the Year candidate J.B. Bickerstaff 's job much easier.
That job will include finding favorable matchups for Robinson and finding ways to hide him on the defense end.