The Pistons have experienced a lot of injuries during their 10-game winning streak, but Duncan Robinson has been one of the few healthy players throughout. After a slower start to the season, Robinson has caught fire during this streak and is proving himself as the shooter the Pistons expected. Over the last 10 games, he's averaging 14 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 45% shooting from three.
Robinson has returned to his sharshooting ways
In light of the Pistons' recent injuries, they've relied on Robinson to support the offense with his shooting and movement. With no other established shooters on the team, Robinson has carried the burden of providing spacing very well. He's not just hitting his shots again, he's also running around off screens unselfishly to open up lanes for his teammates. Robinson has even had some big assist games recently, including 4 agains the Pacers and 8 against the Nets, coming off his shooting gravity.
Nowhere is Robinson's off-ball impact more apparent than his synergy with the Pistons' bigs. Jalen Duren has taken full advantage of the attention that Robinson draws to devastate defenses with his interior finishing. In the last three games without Cade Cunningham, Robinson's off-ball playmaking has been a reliable and necessary element for sustaining the Pistons' offensive floor.
He's also stepped up particularly in the first quarter. The Pistons have been known for slow starts throughout this season until the last couple games without Cade. Much of their early surges in these games has been fueled by Robinson, who has frequently hit multiple threes in the opening frame to put the Pistons ahead early. With the team already depleted by injuries, these early scoring runs have been important in creating blowout wins and letting the active players get some more rest.
Robinson was acquired from the Miami Heat during the offseason in a sign-and-trade for Simone Fontecchio. Fontecchio himself is having a bounce-back season in Miami after struggling to fit into the Pistons system last season, but the Pistons have no regrets about letting him go. He likely wouldn't have the same production in Detroit, since the Pistons run a more conventional pick-and-roll offense compared to Miami's innovative scheme.
The most beautiful part of Robinson's game is how seamlessly it will fit into any offensive system. Once Cade Cunningham is back to full health and operating pick-and-rolls all game, Robinson will still be just as effective flying off screens and playing dribble hand-off games with big men. If he can sustain his recent shooting splits for a large duration of the season, the Pistons have a chance to become an elite offensive team and earn one of the league's best records.