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During the fourth quarter of the Miami Heat‘s matchup against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, November 20, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson suddenly exited the game and headed to the locker room.
Robinson would remain out for the rest of the game as the 27-year-old forward suffered a right knee contusion, as tweeted by Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang.
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While the severity of his bruised knee was not immediately revealed, ex-Heat player Kendrick Nunn, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been out nearly a month after suffering the same injury, and is still “ways away from returning,” per SB Nation.
Robinson signed a five-year $90 million contract extension this summer, the biggest deal ever offered to an undrafted player in the NBA. In the past two seasons combined, only two other players have scored more threes than Robinson (520), Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard (545), and Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield (553).
Before exiting the game on Saturday night, Robinson scored seven points in 20 minutes of play including one from beyond the arc. While Jimmy Butler stepped up to score 29 points, the Heat ultimately went down to Wizards in a 103-100 loss.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gave an update on Robinson’s status during the postgame conference “It’s a knee contusion. He got hit above the knee and hyperextended it a little bit. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Spoelstra Is Not Worried About Robinson’s Shooting Slump
Robinson was shooting 12-0f-43 on threes before briefly breaking out of his slump against the Memphis Grizzlies on October 30. During the Heat’s 129-103 road victory, the 6-foot-7 forward nailed 5-of-10 on threes.
Robinson’s struggles returned, however, and over the past two games prior to Saturday night, he’s scored just four threes. But the juice is still there. On November 15, he scored five threes against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and on November 13 against the Utah Jazz, he drilled six threes.
“I never was concerned,” Spoelstra said. “As a shooter, you’re going to go through these stretches of the season and there will be a few of them in the season.”
“Look, it’s a tough league,” Spoelstra continued. “So you, more often than not, have to manage disappointment of not playing to whatever standards you may have. That’s not exclusive to Duncan. That’s virtually every single player in this league. You have to manage those emotions, stay the course. He has uncommon persistence now. He’ll break through. I have no doubt about that. His teammates, the same way and the staff, the same way.”
Robinson Admitted That It’s ‘Frustrating When the Ball Is Not Going In’
GettyDuncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks at FTX Arena on October 21, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Hopefully, Robinson’s injury is not serious as he’s still looking to be more consistent this season.
“Any time you go through a stretch when the ball is not going in, and I’ve had them before, it’s frustrating,” Robinson said earlier this season. “It’s particularly frustrating when you’re starting out a year and you’re starting with a clean slate. It’s a great thing that a team is winning.”
“But at the same time, I want to feel like I’m doing my part and contributing,” Robinson continued. Guys are being super unselfish and putting me in situations to be successful and I don’t feel like I was capitalizing.”
Robinson’s teammates are confident he’ll get back on track. All shooters go through slumps,” guard Tyler Herro said. “Dunc is one of the hardest-working guys on this team. First one in the gym, last one to leave. I mean, he has been the best shooter in the world since I’ve known him. So we’re not worried about Duncan.”
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