The Pistons are seeing a lot of evolution from their supporting pieces this season, and perhaps none has been more underrated than Duncan Robinson's new ability to draw fouls. So far this season, Robinson is averaging 4.1 free throws per game, up from a previous career-high of 1.4. He's been more aggressive both hunting his outside shot and driving, which has forced defensive mistakes.
Robinson is taking the next step as a scorer
By now, we've all realized that Robinson is growing in his offensive game even at age 32. He's scoring 18.6 points per game - also a career-high by far compared to a prior best mark of 13.5 per game. Robinson's personal growth as a scorer has helped the Pistons evolve their entire offense and is keeping the team afloat in Jalen Duren's absence.
But probably no one expected him to take a leap in the free-throw department. He's currently second on the team in free throw attempts per game, behind only Cade Cunningham. In fact, he's 60th overall in the league - a very high mark for a player that's primarily an outside shooter. Typically, a significant growth in foul-drawing ability is a sign of a player making a star leap in scoring.
It's unclear if Robinson is becoming a star this late in his career, but he's definitely adding more tricks to his scoring bag. His foul-drawing has helped him lock down big minutes even in a crowded Pistons guard rotation. It also has some potential translation to bigger games and the playoffs, since Robinson is adding versatility to his scoring package.
The Pistons don't mind Robinson's free throws
Becoming over-reliant on free throws can be a weakness for players and teams in the playoffs, but Robinson doesn't seem to be at risk of the same dropoff. For one, he's not egregiously flopping and looking solely to draw fouls on most plays. When he does get fouled, he's generally looking to actually score - and capable of hitting shots from anywhere on the court.
This season, he's still shooting lights-out from the 3-point line: almost 46% to be exact, on a career-high 9.2 attempts per game. He's grown his drive game too, leading to some easy layups when defenders overplay him or dumpoffs for open teammates. The free throws are an additional wrinkle, but they're not a focal point of his game by any means.
Robinson has also seen his free-throw percentage dip a little bit with the added attempts, but he's still nailing 83% of them. That's a solid number for a team that's been lackluster from the charity stripe as a whole. Hopefully, the percentage will even creep up over the season as Robinson maintains his aggression and gets more comfortable earning free throws.
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