The Detroit Pistons acquired free agent Duncan Robinson last offseason via a sign-and-trade, hoping he'd be a weapon for them in the playoffs, but instead, he's been the opposite. When they needed him most in Game 4, he wasn't there. He scored only seven points on 1-of-6 shooting from three in 29 minutes in their 94-88 loss to the Magic on Monday, and was a team-worst -18.
His shots weren't falling, and the Magic were hunting him on defense. He was a negative on both ends, to the point where J.B. Bickerstaff benched him for the last nine minutes of the game, only subbing him back in with 24.4 seconds remaining when Detroit needed something. Robinson couldn't deliver.
The sad thing is, when Robinson was on the bench in the fourth, fans were wondering why he wasn't playing when the Pistons couldn't buy a bucket. That tells you everything you already knew about Detroit's ice-cold offense.
Duncan Robinson was a negative again for the Pistons
Cade Cunningham has struggled the past two games, shooting 8-of-23 in Game 3 and 7-of-23 on Monday. When he can't get anything going (and he didn't hit a single shot in the fourth quarter), the Pistons desperately need someone else to turn to. At the very least, someone to knock down outside shots to help with spacing. That's where Robinson should come in.
He arrived in Detroit in an ideal prove-it opportunity after coming off the bench for Miami in half the games he played in his final season. Robinson started all 77 regular-season games he played for the Pistons, averaging 12.2 points on 45.6% shooting from the field and 41% from three, the latter being his highest percentage since his second season in the league.
Robinson has yet to hit 12 points in Detroit's four playoff games, averaging nine points on 33.3% shooting from the field and 37% from three.
The Pistons were immediately criticized for signing Robinson to a three-year, $48 million deal after acquiring him, before it was revealed that only $2 million of his $15.9 million salary for next season is guaranteed, and his $15.1 million salary for 2027-28 is non-guaranteed. Detroit gave itself an out in case it needed it.
Wednesday could be the 32-year-old's final chance to prove himself in a Pistons uniform in a do-or-die game. Robinson is capable of helping to shift the tide back in Detroit's favor, but he's yet to show that since the first round began. Fans can only hope that will soon change.
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