Duncan Robinson shined during Miami Heat‘s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Christmas Day. The 26-year-old was key in helping the franchise nab their first win of the 2020-2021 season with a team-high 23 points.
Miami’s third-year forward sank seven 3-pointers, tying the NBA record for most threes made on Christmas Day. While Robinson, who’s 6’8, is not exactly a fierce two-way player like teammate Bam Adebayo, he’s “an indispensable piece of Miami’s offensive attack,” Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro reported.
Robinson, with his “lightning quick release,” is “arguable one of the game’s best three-point shooter, and as a catch-and-shoot threat, he’s among the greatest in league history,” Shapiro wrote on December 25.
👌👌👌 DUNCAN ROBINSON 👌👌👌
He’s 6-8 from deep in the first half on ESPN! #NBAXmas
The accolades for the former Michigan basketball player poured in from all over following his electric performance against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin called him a “nuclear weapon” and “overall best off-ball mover in the world.”
If Robinson can keep this up, he can expect to receive a nice fat contract in 2021 free agency.
Robinson Deflected Praise to His Teammates Following The Heat’s First Win
Look… #TheDragon is BACK 🐲 and he sure is fun to watch
According to Robinson, Dragic, who came off the bench to score 18 points with nine assists in 27 minutes of play — he’s the “ultimate leader.”
“Goran’s presence is huge for us,” Robinson said. “He gets us organized. He’s never out of control. He knows where he needs to get. He knows where he can get on the floor. Just his presence out there, particularly offensively, just allows everyone else to just kind of calm down. And that veteran presence is hard to come by. And just the way he does it is the ultimate leader. And you just feel calm when he’s out there on the floor.”
Robinson also showered praise on Avery Bradley. “It’s no surprise if he comes out and has a performance like he did [ on Friday], even though not playing on Wednesday. That just speaks to who he is as a professional and how he handles himself.”
The Much Talked-About Depth on Miami’s Bench Is a Real Thing
Getty(L-R) Goran Dragic #7, Duncan Robinson #55, Jimmy Butler #22, Andre Iguodala #28 and Kelly Olynyk #9 of the Miami Heat look on from the bench during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Arena on December 14, 2020.
According to Heat Nation‘s Brad Sullivan, the Heat is not going to rush in bringing Jimmy Butler back after he suffered a right ankle sprain in the Heat’s season opener against the Orlando Magic. While he started against the Pelicans, the five-time All Star did not return for the second half of the game.
However, playing without Butler is nothing new for the Heat, and with the amount of talent that can hop off the bench, the 31-year-old veteran can take his time to fully heal before returning to action.
Of Butler’s timetable, “Each situation is different,” Heat head coach Spoelstra said on December 27. “Each player and each injury, you want to treat it with most intelligent response. I thought that was a no-brainer the other night. And then we’ll just see how his body responds with these days of treatment.”
Miami is on a scheduled break until December 29, so there’s a good chance Butler will be back in action to help the team take on Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks in back-to-back home games.
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Miami Heat Star Named Best ‘Catch & Shoot’ Threat in NBA History