There are many kids who dreamed of one day playing in the NBA as soon as they pick up a basketball. While the Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson was one of those kids, he didn’t really think that he would actually get to live out his dream and was preparing for a career in something other than the NBA while he was finishing up college.
Now that he is about to start for the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, the 26-year-old looked back at the journey to get to where he is, and he said he still finds it hard to believe he made it to the NBA, much less be part of a team that is four wins away from an improbable title.
Via Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post:
“It really wasn't on my radar,” Duncan Robinson said. “Throughout my high school career, I wasn't working or getting in the gym because I wanted to play in the NBA. It was, I wanted to get off the floor at the high school level and I wanted to play in college. The goal posts of playing in the NBA were obviously way down the line, but they were so far down the line, they really weren't even within sight.”
It’s easy to see why Duncan Robinson initially didn’t envision himself in the NBA. Before he was able to play for Williams College, a Division III school, he had to toil for a year at Phillips Exeter Academy in Newbury, Massachusetts. After his freshman season at Williams, he was noticed by the Michigan Wolverines, where he spent his last three seasons in college. After putting up average numbers in college, he went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, but he found his way to the Heat’s Summer League team.
It was here that Robinson distinguished himself through hard work before eventually becoming one of the best shooters in the league. He has continued his strong season in the playoffs, averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shooting 43.5% from the field and 40.0% from downtown in the first three rounds of the postseason.
Duncan Robinson has certainly come a long way, and from the looks of it, the Heat’s young sharpshooter is far from done.
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