The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544538
MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 71 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE F o r m e r M i c h i g a n f o r w a r d D u n c a n Robinson, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound 31-year-old, was a big part of one of the best regular seasons Detroit has ever experi- enced. With a 133-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the April 12 regular- season finale, the Pistons won their 60th game, m a k i n g i t t h e t h i rd - winningest campaign in franchise history, behind only the 2005-06 (64) and 1989-90 (63) squads. The Pistons were No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings from Nov. 6 until the end of the regu- lar season, locking up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs in April. Robinson was in the starting lineup for all 77 games he played, aver- aging 12.2 points, 2.7 re- bounds and 2.1 assists per game. He's easily the best three-point shooter on a group without a lot of firepower from long range, connecting on 41 percent of his triple tries, which ranks 18th in the league. Robinson makes 2.9 threes per contest, leading the team and checking in 20th in the NBA. Robinson's shots are going down lately — he made 45.6 percent of his threes in March and 46.7 percent of them in April. He knocked down 5 of his 10 triple tries in a 127-116 victory over the Toronto Raptors March 31. "Just trying to be aggressive," Robin- son said in his postgame interview. "My teammates found me in good spots and I was able to line my feet up and get it off, just shoot it aggressively. It's always nice to get a couple to go in and build a little confidence." Point guard Cade Cunningham is the star, big man Jalen Duren is the second- ary scorer and Robinson provides spac- ing with his shooting ability. Plus, he's becoming a better playmaker, and the cohesion of the group has been on full display lately. "That's one of his strengths, be- cause of the gravity he attracts and so many bodies want to fly to him when he comes off those actions with the big guys," head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Robinson's passing. "Now the big guys become available in the pocket. He's got that little hesitation, where now bigs are playing two-on- one. They don't know if he's going to shoot the floater or make the dump-off to the lob. Those guys have that symmetry now, they know whatever they're go i n g to d o ba se d o n what the defense does, and the defense can't be right." De t ro i t h a s n 't wo n the NBA championship since 2004 and hadn't been the No. 1 seed in the East since 2007. The Pistons are looking to do something special in the postseason but will have to bounce back from a 112-101 Game 1 loss to the Orlando Magic in the first round. "You want to be play- ing your best at the right time, and we're starting to trend, which is good. … We're ready to go," Robin- son said. FORMER WOLVERINES IN THE NBA Through April 19 • Kobe Bufkin (2021-23), G, Los Angeles Lakers: Re- corded 2.9 points in 7.4 minutes per game in 16 ap- pearances with one start for the 53-29 Lakers … Logged a season-high 18 minutes, posting 9 points and 4 boards, in a 123-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder April 7 … Did not play in Game 1 of the play- off series against the Houston Rockets. • Colin Castleton (2018-20), C, Orlando Magic: On a two-way contract and competed in four games at the end of the season, total- ing 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 21 minutes. • Moussa Diabaté (2021-22), F, Charlotte Hornets: Competed in 73 games with 47 starts for the 44-38 Hornets, who missed the playoffs after losing to the Orlando Magic in the final play-in game … Averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1 block per game while shooting a career-best 63.1 per- cent from the field. ❱ MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Duncan Robinson Helps Detroit Make Regular-Season History Robinson's 12.2 points per game and 41 percent shooting from three-point range helped propel Detroit to the third-winningest season in franchise history. PHOTO COURTESY DETROIT PISTONS