The 2021-22 season has been a grind thus far for the Miami Heat‘s Duncan Robinson. After getting a five-year, $90 million deal over the summer, Robinson has been bogged down in a season-long shooting slump. Through 27 games, the fourth-year wing is shooting just 38.3% from the field and 34.2% from deep.
That’s a far cry from the output the Heat had come to expect from him. From 2018-19 to the 2020-21 season, only two players league-wide attempting at least 1,000 triples had converted at a higher rate from three than Robinson, who hit on 42.3% over that span — Stephen Curry and Joe Harris.
Things apparently got so bad for Robinson that he even stopped uploading new episodes of his podcast, The Long Shot. Over the last few days, though, everything has started coming up aces for the sharpshooter.
Not only is Robinson fresh off of his best shooting night of the year — a 9-of-13 effort during Saturday’s blowout win over the Covid-crippled Chicago Bulls — but he’s also on the verge of breaking one of the longest-standing records in Heat franchise history.
Glen Rice’s Record Will Fall on Monday If Robinson Plays
When he hit the court against the Bulls, Robinson officially logged his 174th consecutive game played. That tied a record established by Glen Rice in 1994 with a streak that dated back to ’92.
Assuming Robinson plays against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, he will officially break the decades-old record. For his part, Rice — who, with all due respect to Rony Seikaly and Steve Smith, was the Heat’s first bona fide star — is happy to see that a fellow Wolverine will now own the mark.
“I’m glad it’s Duncan because he’s a Michigan guy,” Rice said of Robinson’s streak, via the Sun-Sentinel. “It’s hard to get us to miss games.
“And that just shows you the dedication that he has. He wants to be on the floor every minute, every second that he can possibly be. That’s just the type of person he is. And that’s great. I’m happy for him. Records are made to be broken and kudos to him.”
Rice hit the nail on the head with regards to Robinson’s will to play. The 27-year-old has appeared on the injury report a number of times throughout his streak. At the moment, he’s dealing with a left quad contusion. However, all signs point to him hitting the court for a 175th straight time in Cleveland.
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Robinson’s Teammates Speak out on Robinson’s Impact Offensively
Although he has been colder than a Michigan winter this season, Robinson’s Heat teammates continue to back him as a key part of their offensive attack.
“He doesn’t have to make shots,” Heat forward Max Strus said, via the Miami Herald. “Obviously, he wants to shoot better. But just him being on the floor spaces the floor so much for us because guys aren’t going to help off of him… He opens up so much floor space and when he’s in actions as a trigger, he creates so much for our offense because guys overreact to everything. He’s really valuable out on the floor at all times.”
Added Tyler Herro, “When he’s coming off handoffs and ball screens and they blitz, that pocket pass is there. So even if he’s not shooting the ball, he’s a threat to have to be guarded out there.”
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Heat Sharpshooter Set to Break Decades-Old Record