Fred Vinson spoke at length about what Duncan Robinson brings to the Pistons

Shortly after he helped lead Detroit to a 128-112 preseason victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Pistons assistant coach Fred Vinson joined the 97.1 The Ticket radio show to talk about his extensive coaching career, the current trajectory of the Pistons and what he’s been working on with the players lately.

Vinson’s interview on the show spanned over 20 minutes, but there were several moments where he took time to single out the work he’s done with the current Pistons, and of note was Vinson’s comments regarding new arrival Duncan Robinson, a noted three-point marksman in his own right. To begin his commentary, Vinson said that Robinson “absolutely” still has it before stacking the eighth-year player with superlatives. 

“Duncan's been great,” Vinson said. “He's been great for me to watch and study because I have this thing where I can't control where I'm watching shooters all the time. I'm looking at, ‘hey, what are the different ingredients that are allowing them to be successful.’”

Throughout his seven-year career in the NBA, all spent with the Miami Heat, Robinson made it to the NBA Finals on two separate occasions, and he’s posted a remarkable 43.4% from three-point range during that time frame. Just based off that blueprint alone, Robinson has provided an example of how a successful veteran player operates on a day-to-day or even practice-to-practice basis.  

“So, he's been fun to watch, and he's also allowed me to show Ausar [Thompson] and Ron [Holland II],” Vinson said. “‘Hey, look, look at what Duncan's doing here. Okay, look at Duncan, his seriousness on the floor.’ So he steps on the floor, he's going through his routine, and he's serious. That’s what shooters do, like they have their own process and look at how much he's shooting. He's been a joy for me to have around from that perspective.”

As Vinson said, the Pistons have a host of young players who are still rounding out and developing their game at the NBA level. While Robinson is about as sharp of a shooter as one can find, other players, such as Thompson and Holland, are still finding their three-point stroke, and the influence of Vinson and Robinson could help refine that process. 

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The Detroit Pistons sank a franchise-record 1,051 three-pointers last season, so Vinson’s work with the team seems to have been paying off although it is not singularly-focused. Vinson is also keying in on the team’s defensive ability, and he’s noticed some sound defensive tendencies out of Robinson so far. 

“But also, I think in our system, and I know in the past obviously he's had defensive challenges where teams have tried to challenge him defensively because he's so great shooting the basketball and offensive side,” Vinson said. “But he's really good at positional defense and understanding where to be, understanding his role within your defensive concepts. Again, he brings a ton of experience. Has been to the Finals and done all the things that he's done. I think he's going to be great for our group.”

The Detroit Pistons second preseason game comes tonight on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks at 8 pm.

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