Duncan Robinson yet another diamond in the rough for Miami Heat
By Simon Smith
While he struggled in the preseason, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson is beginning to demonstrate just why the Miami Heat are so high on him.
Given the high praise he received from the Miami Heat entering the season, it came as little surprise to see Duncan Robinson be given an extended run throughout the recent preseason schedule.
Starting in four of the five warmup games, primarily due to the rotating nature of the roster, Robinson was unfortunately unable to completely demonstrate the significant gifts he possesses as a long range bomber.
In shooting at a 28.2 percent clip during this span, it would have been understandable if head coach Erik Spoelstra had decided that once the regular season rolled around that Robinson would revert back to an end-of-the-bench role.
However, with a combination of Spoelstra’s backing and the absence of a number of key rotation players, Robinson has proven to be a significant contributor to the Heat’s 2-1 start to the season.
Just recently, Spoelstra had some glowing words for what Robinson has to offer:
"“I’ve said this for a while, he’s one of the best shooters on this planet….That stroke, three-point shot is not there by accident. There’s a lot of hours behind the scenes when no one’s watching.”"
Although he struggled in the season opening win against the Memphis Grizzlies, Robinson has come up huge over the past two games. During their come-from-behind win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Robinson was enormous, hitting two of his three triples for the game in the final quarter as the reeled off a 39-28 fourth quarter, eventually winning 131-126 in overtime.
And despite not entering the game the following night against the Minnesota Timberwolves until 9:02 remaining in the second quarter, Robinson wound up turning in a career-best performance. Playing 23 minutes, Robinson posted a career-high 21 points on a blistering 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Just as importantly, Robinson demonstrated some other aspects to his offensive game, including taking his man off the dribble and also cutting backdoor off the ball multiple times to finish at the rim.
At 6’7″ and with a very balanced and quick release, Robinson’s sheer presence is bound to provide Spoelstra with a plethora of options moving forward, who’s now entering his second season in the league after leaving Michigan undrafted.
Through three games, Robinson is averaging 11.0 points in 23.2 minutes per game, while returning the excellent .522/.471/1.000 shooting splits. In particular, it’s Robinson’s 5.7 attempts per game from long distance and his elite conversion that have been the most appealing.
In an overall sense, of the 52 players thus far in the league who have attempted at least 5.7 triples per game, Robinson’s 47.2 percent clip ranks 12th.
With the scene shifting back home on Wednesday evening against the Atlanta Hawks, things are going to change noticeably for the Heat. Not only will Jimmy Butler be available to make his Heat debut, but the duo of James Johnson and Dion Waiters, both banished from the team thus far to commence the season, will also be available to provide minutes.
However given his early showings, and the clear support of his head coach, it’d be highly unlikely for Duncan Robinson not to continue to be a vital component of the Miami Heat rotation.