The Detroit Pistons have undergone drastic changes to their rotation, thus endangering the momentum Cade Cunningham built with his first All-NBA season in 2024-25. Thankfully, Detroit has accommodated those concerns by replacing two of their key departures with a perfect fit.
Duncan Robinson will be joining the Pistons after spending the past seven seasons with the Miami Heat, and there's already an ideal role for him: All but seamlessly replacing Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Detroit has seemingly parted ways with both Beasley and Hardaway. Hardaway has signed with the Denver Nuggets, thus officially ending the time he spent with the Pistons, while Beasley remains an unrestricted free agent a week into October.
All signs thus point to Detroit needing to figure out how to replace the value that Beasley and Hardaway provided in 2024-25.
Cunningham was particularly reliant on the floor-spacing perimeter duo. Only Tobias Harris received more passes from Cunningham in 2024-25 than Beasley and Hardaway, with the two attempting more threes off of passes from the All-Star than each of their other teammates combined.
Having lost two shooters whom Cunningham consistently relied on, the Pistons will need Robinson to step up with perhaps his best season to date.
Duncan Robinson can fill Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. roles
Robinson is widely regarded as one of the best shooters of this generation, if not all time. He boasts a career average of 2.8 three-point field goals made per game on 39.7 percent shooting, and should be well within the top 100 players in NBA history in three-point field goals made by the end of 2025-26.
Robinson has also increased his volume within the three-point line over the past two seasons while shooting 57.9 and 55.6 percent on two-point field goals.
There's no such thing as an identical replacement in the NBA, but Robinson's strengths make him an ideal fit alongside Cunningham. He combines elements of what Beasley and Hardaway bring to the table, including underrated activity and decision-making in transition.
That was evident during the Pistons' recent preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies, when Cunningham all but instinctively sent a pass Robinson's way for a transition 3.
It would certainly be ideal for Robinson to play at a higher level on defense than Beasley managed to, and his three-steal preseason showing against Memphis offers reason for optimism. The more realistic expectation, however, is that a player who comes from an Erik Spoelstra environment understands the importance of team defense.
If that proves to be the case, then Robinson could make an even greater impact on winning than his predecessors were able to.
Duncan Robinson is the well-rounded shooter the Pistons needed
The comparison is less about an outright improvement and more about a type of burden of responsibility. Cunningham is a phenomenal playmaker whose downhill style requires space and whose unique passing angles are best aided by the presence of dependable shooters.
The key to Robinson thriving in his new role with the Pistons will be reminding skeptics of a critical fact: In addition to thriving as a spot-up shooter, Robinson is remarkably efficient off the bounce.
Robinson shot 40.1 percent on 2.5 pull-up three-point field goal attempts per game during the 2024-25 season. He also shot 40.8 percent on 2.2 attempts per contest in 2023-24 and 37.7 percent on 1.3 shots per outing in 2022-23.
71.0 percent of those attempts were assisted, but the point stands that Robinson doesn't necessarily need to operate from a stationary position to be effective.
That makes him the perfect on-paper complement to Cunningham, as well as an ideal replacement for Beasley and Hardaway. Their value wasn't exclusively in catch-and-shoot scenarios, but in their ability to dribble to the ideal spot for their brand of success.
If Robinson manages to prove past success sustainable, then the Pistons will have the perfect role for him alongside Cunningham.