Man he hit some tough shots there too. He’s really shooting with a ton of confidence
It’s unfair to compare a G league game to college basketball.
In the G league, players are trying to get theirs much more than play within a system. Moreover, the defense by the other team was just lazy. Players in college play with a lot more hustle to contest shots.
4 Likes
Thought you were kidding. I guess you are serious. Sad.
2 Likes
It’s always good to keep improving, as JB often says, and I’m sure he be happy to consider ways to instill more confidence in players. That being said, Duncan had a 6 game stretch early his senior year where he shot 22% from 3, and the rest of the year he shot 43%, still finishing 38% on the year. He shot 42% and 45% from 3 the years before that, finishing as a career 42% 3 point shooter. He was a D3 guy who averaged 25 minutes a game on some pretty good Michigan teams and finished with 237 3s over 3 years. All this despite, as JB noted repeatedly, not leaving him open from 3 being top of the scouting report. I’d say JB got a lot out of the guy.
7 Likes
If we’re actually seriously talking about whether JB held Duncan back…
You guys should know that G League numbers are a joke. Everyone who is sent down to the G League puts up crazy numbers, as they are massively featured and built around by the directive of the NBA team. The number of possessions is also much much higher than college.
1 Like
Defense may not have been great on Robinson but you are completely wrong about there being more hustle and defense in college. The g league is full of grown men trying to get one last shot at the nba. They compete their asses off and the ticket for most guys to get to the he nba is finding a niche and one of the most common niches is becoming a very good defensive payer that competes and hustles.
3 Likes
Good to see The Dr. Filling it up. I don’t think JB was holding him back but rather had a different set of expectations. Spoelstra told Duncan in camp that he has to shoot the ball every time he touches it…that’s his job, his role! If teams don’t play him to shoot there is absolutely no reason for him to be on the floor, he’s not an athletic slasher FWIW. His new coach needs him to shoot and keep the floor spread, at this stage he needs to demonstrate he can consistently score from three…if he can he will punch the golden ticket.
2 Likes
It’s terrible that John Beilein was only able to take a Division 3 player and develop him into a three year contributor to a very successful division 1 college basketball program and then earn an 2 way NBA contract. If Beilein were better at helping these guys reach their full potential he would have been able to have Robinson replicate last night’s hot performance in a nondescript D-league game in the National Championship game instead and we would have beat Villanova. Come on.
8 Likes
No. I was not kidding at all. I thought Robinson passed on a ton of good looks at Michigan. There were times at Michigan when it seemed like he was not even looking for his own shot. I am not saying JB had him on a short leash. I am just proposing that maybe JB could have found a way to bring this out of him sooner.
(oh I guess I was kidding about the sports psychologist but I do wonder if JB might be wise to consider what things he might have done differently in order to bring about an even better outcome for Robinson while he was here.)
I do not follow the NBA or D league but I was under the impression that Robinson has had quite a few of these “hot nights” this year. Maybe not this hot, but I am under the impression that he has really been doing well hunting his shots and knocking them down.
1 Like
Just looked up his stats. Duncan is averaging 10.0 3 point attempts per game and making 47%.
Back of envelope math says he’s attempting 11.9 threes per 40 minutes and making 47%
Over his career in college he attempted 7.9 per 40 and made 42%.
Gotta adjust for tempo in there too but I’m too lazy to do that. Sioux Falls averaging 104.4 possessions per game compared to in college he was usually playing games in the 60 possession range.
He’s shooting well (remember it is a longer line) but it is also a different game in the G-League compared to D1 college hoops.
3 Likes
Duncan did lose some confidence at the beginning of his final season but it wasn’t about Beilein. He just went through a rough stretch and started pressuring himself mentally. Beilein talked about him over working in practice and got him to dial it back some. Then Duncan went on a tear for a long stretch there.
I do think he and MAAR our too much pressure in themselves in the final game, but overall, Duncan was a great shooter under Beilein and Beilein never told him to stop shooting.
1 Like
When he was a top 3 option in his first two years here he’d get face guarded for the entire game by a good chunk of teams… Getting off 4 clean looks in those games was an X’s and O’s win for Beilein at that point.
3 Likes
His G League coach, Nevada Smith, is a former D3 player and coach. He’s known for putting up a ton of 3’s and playing with a fast tempo. It’s an ideal system for a 3 point shooter like Duncan.
1 Like
For the record I was being sarcastic with the question of whether or not JB held Duncan back. I was more getting to the point that no one expected Duncan to do this at the G league level or even be playing in the NBA.
3 Likes
You forgot to wink.
4 Likes
FWIW, it probably helps that he can spend every minute he wants in the gym now and doesn’t have to worry about being a student-athlete. I don’t think its crazy for any player to see improvement in their game after college, especially one with as special of a skillset as Duncan.
I give all the credit to Dickie V, who said during Duncan’s first year that there would be a spot in the league for a shooter like him 
4 Likes
I remember Vitale’s comment! It was against Maryland back in 2015-16. Dick Vitale is the man.
1 Like
I didn’t hear it. I have a Dick Vitale mute button on my tv remote.
3 Likes