Q: Ira, Duncan Robinson looks so lost on the floor. If he scores 15, the other team gets 40 from targeting him. Caleb Martin adds so much more to this team. — Juan, Miami Beach.
A: I’m not sure about the 40 part, but I cannot recall many weeks like this past one, where seemingly the entire opposing game plan was targeting Duncan Robinson as the defensive cover. And it wasn’t even a case of getting leading men lined up against Duncan. It practically was anyone, even Jaylen Nowell on Saturday night for the Timberwolves. Against playoff opponents with scorers throughout the lineup, it certainly will stand as an issue. And at this stage, I’m not sure that Duncan will be playable in clutch time in the postseason. It might take a resurgence of the zone to keep him on the floor. And how many teams are going zone at moments of truth? It is far more likely that Caleb Martin would be featured at such moments. Or perhaps even Max Strus, as was the case Saturday night. His 1 of 6 Saturday certainly didn’t help, either, nor did his minus-21.
Q: Ira, so far Victor Oladipo has just been OK, and Kyle Lowry, although a great playmaker, is providing next to nothing in regards to shooting. If this continues, do you see Gabe Vincent getting back in the rotation? — Joel.
A: The regular-season rotation? Sure. But the playoff rotation? That’s a different story. Because you build your postseason rotation based on best-case possibilities and then only adjust from there if necessary. We are merely in the earliest stages of Victor Oladipo’s comeback. Clearly there is more there. And Kyle Lowry’s career body of work, including in the playoffs, shows that he can and will step forward at the biggest moments. That doesn’t mean that Gabe Vincent can’t help. He can. But his upside arguably, at least at this stage, is not quite as high as those of Victor or Kyle. While Victor remains an unknown, more clearly is needed and expected of Kyle.
Q: How long can you keep Tyler Hero as the sixth man and not starting? Don’t you run the risk of him becoming discouraged and wanting out to be a starter for another contender? — Bob, Davie.
A: Don’t think so. Tyler Herro has been getting all the opportunities a player could want off the bench, while still playing starter’s minutes. It’s sort of the best of all worlds. In fact, if he instead had to share with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the starting group, I’m not sure he would be the same player. He has found his perfect fit. Now as for future seasons? Roles are constantly changing, with players constantly evolving.
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