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It’s been a learning process for Duncan Robinson this year after going from an under-the-radar sensation to a key starter for the Miami Heat. His numbers are slightly down through the first 26 games, something the undrafted player must fix on the fly.
Robinson was held to just eight points on Saturday night as the Utah Jazz blanketed him every time he caught the ball. He was held to eight points and saw just four shots from deep (2-of-4). The 26-year-old sniper needs to watch the film and learn how to get open, according to Jimmy Butler.
“As far as Duncan is, that’s part of being a pro, you have to watch the film and figure out where you can get open,” Butler told reporters after the Heat’s 112-94 loss to Utah. “Like I always say, nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We’re all going to be better. I think just as much as he [Robinson] can work on getting open, we got to do a better job of getting him shots as well.”
No, Butler wasn’t pinning all Miami’s woes on Robinson who is averaging 9.75 points in his last four games. The Heat shot 40.7% as a team (35-of-86) against the Jazz and 33.3% (12-of-36) from beyond the arc. Credit the Jazz defense for bottling up Robinson and making it harder for everyone else to get open looks.
“They were trying to take Duncan out of the game,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “The stuff we were doing with Duncan last year we can’t do this year, so we just got to adjust and watch the film, get it together and figure it out.”
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Bam Adebayo: ‘I Can’t Shoot That Bad’
Adebayo, in typical Bam fashion, put the struggles on himself while promising that he and Butler would figure it out. Adebayo went a dismal 7-of-17 from the field versus Utah and finished with 14 points. The All-Star center admitted to stinking up the joint after the game.
“We gotta figure it out, me and Jimmy gonna figure it out,” Adebayo said. “I can’t shoot that bad from the field again and I gotta keep being aggressive, but I can’t shoot that bad from the field.”
What really killed the Heat on Saturday night was turnovers, an Achilles heel that has plagued them all year. They are averaging 16.8 turnovers per game (worst in the NBA) this season and coughed the ball up 17 times against the Jazz. Unacceptable.
“We had a lot of careless ones [turnovers] to tell you the truth, mishandling the ball, being over-passive a little bit,” Butler said. “We know that we got to keep the turnovers down to give us a chance, we got to get more possessions. We know all of this. We know all of that. We just got to go out there and take care of the ball, it gotta mean more.”
Heat Gearing Up for Los Angeles Clippers
Miami (11-15) travels to Los Angeles next for a matchup against the Clippers (19-8) who are coming off back-to-back wins.
It will mark the third straight away contest for the Heat as they try to survive a grueling seven-game road trip. The last time these two teams met was on Jan. 28 when the Clippers won 109-104 in Miami.
“It’s important for us to bounce back, you know this next game, that’s what we gotta do,” Adebayo said. “That’s what we get paid for. We play to win, so we gotta bounce back.”
It starts with limiting those turnovers and playing sound defense.
“We just got to be able to anchor down and guard somebody,” Butler said.
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