In any gym in the vast American geography, a player was throwing triples non-stop. Time after time the shots crossed the threshold of the net at such a constant rate that it almost seemed like a tune. Chet Kammerer he did not come out of his astonishment. The chief of scouting Miami Heat he had been late for the appointment due to traffic, but neither the heat nor the stress of a long, slow journey clouded his clinical eye. “I don’t care what we do in this Draft, get me Duncan Robinson”. The message to Andy Elisburg, the team GM, was clear and concise. Kammerer had seen one of the best shooting practices of his long career and knew more than anyone that this was a diamond in the rough, one of those stories to keep secret, because they could have found the next great outside scorer in the NBA.
Two years earlier, Robinson had held a position on a team of NCAA Division III, which has been nothingness itself in the university world. Two years later from that training session prior to the Draft, he would score 26 points on 7 of 13 triples to win a game in the NBA Finals in 2020.
The rise story of Duncan Robinson it could perfectly be a sports movie script. From unknown to star matching own numbers of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Thus until confirming himself as one of the highest paid shooters in the NBA with a contract of 90 million and 5 seasons. Despite his defensive deficiencies, the shooting guard was ready to make a career, especially in the very propitious context that the Miami Heat assured.
However, fate is capricious. And as is the case with many other Duncan Robinson-like tales, his ascendant line soon became a parable. The player simply disappeared from the rotation, stopped being important and his minutes vanished. The irruption of Max Strusa similar profile with better defensive conditions, displaced him, to the point of playing garbage minutes in the 2022 Playoffs or not stepping on the court at all.
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Starting the 2022-2023 academic year, the situation hardly changed for him. In fact, the inevitable soon happened, his name began to appear again and again in transfer rumors. Real or not, the reality for Robinson is that his time in Miami seemed to be running out and in the blink of an eye he had gone from being a major asset to a contract player. Without pain or glory, with less than 700 minutes in the Regular Phase and a very low 32.8% foreign success, Duncan Robinson arrived at the Playoffs in a team that seemed doomed to be eliminated at the first opportunity.
But something changed.
A window opened before him once more. And the escort did not let that train escape.
The injury of Tyler Herro at the beginning of the tie against the Milwaukee Bucks made Erik Spoelstra have to be creative in his lineups and approaches, recovering Robinson and taking him out of the ostracism in which he found himself. And he responded. Wow, he did. He connected 73.7% of his triples in a series of 14 of 19 in the First Round. Although Spo I would not call again his name he had lived up to. The tough series against the Knicks prevented him from maintaining his high scoring pace, dropping to 28.6%, but in the Eastern Finals in Boston, the shooter did not forgive and was instrumental in the Miami Heat’s unusual success. With a precise 15 of 31 (48.4% triple) Duncan Robinson was vital in the victory over the Celtics to access the fight for the title.
“There have been a lot of big moments. When there’s been a lull in all this action you can take a step back and appreciate the journey.“He said in the run-up to the Finals, looking back on his path. “When you’re immersed in this on a day-to-day basis, you’re just focused on what’s next. Obviously, your perspective changes as you progress in your career and you want more for yourself, because we’re all competitive people.”
“But there are always moments to be able to sit down and reflect,” continuous. “A lot of it comes from sharing memories and experiences with people who have been there for the whole trip, family, friends, people next to me, who can offer me that perspective. I really value those moments and conversations with those particular people.”
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It is not for less that Duncan Robinson is proud of his trip. The path he has traveled to be back in the NBA Finals has not exactly been a bed of roses. To his introverted personality and his skepticism regarding his own value as a player, we must add physical problems and adaptation to the defensive evolution of the league. That is why the Playoffs suit him so well because there the focus is much more specific because the rival allows it, Spoelstra being able to line him up in zone defenses, something that he knows and masters like few others thanks to his university past.
Heading to the second match of the end of 2023 Against the Nuggets, Duncan Robinson’s value has been reestablished once again, he has left behind the stigma of a contract player and is on his way to finishing with one of the most brilliant performances in the Playoffs of all time thanks to his 43.3% in 5 .1 attempts on average.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
2023-06-03 10:01:49
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