Duncan Robinson's Improved Defense Has Impressed Pat Riley the Most

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley says Duncan Robinson is more confident on defense
Duncan Robinson's Improved Defense Has Impressed Pat Riley the Most
Duncan Robinson's Improved Defense Has Impressed Pat Riley the Most /

The Miami Heat have always been a defense-first organization. 

Despite forward Duncan Robinson's improved 3-point shooting, team president Pat Riley took notice of another area of growth in the defense. Riley said Monday he has been impressed with Robinson's play at the defensive end. 

"They know if you want to be on the court at the end, somewhere you have to show during the course of the season, my defense isn't going to hurt me in the last (few) minutes," Riley said.

With that said, the Heat know Robinson's true worth. He remains one of the league's top 3-point threats. He already holds the franchise record for 3-pointers made in a season.  

"Duncan has become one of 10 or 12 guys that has changed the game," Riley said. "Back in teh 200s, the first couple of years of the turn of the century, you get 15, 20 3s ... Now you're putting up 50 3s. Guys like Duncan Robinson, they create a skills set that you really need in today's game. They have the nerve to put up 35-footers without any consequences." 

Riley said that was the main reason the Heat signed Robinson to big contract in the summer. They know his value. 

"You need players like Duncan," Riley said. "He's valuable. He was paid ... He might miss three or four but he hits four in a row. He's a valuable player. 

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here