With the Miami Heat getting back Tyler Herro from an injury that made him miss the start of the season, the team is now at full health ahead of Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons. As it'll be another game where the Heat will show off its new offense, it will also be a homecoming game for Duncan Robinson.
The 31-year-old had spent the first seven seasons with Miami, evolving into one of the league's most dangerous three-point shooters, holding the record for the most three-pointers made in franchise history. Playing well with Detroit, he comes back after the sign-and-trade this offseason to the Pistons, with head coach Erik Spoelstra admitting how “strange” it is to watch Robinson not in a Miami uniform.
“It’ll be strange,” Spoelstra said, according to The Sun Sentinel. “I catch a lot of their games, and I’ve watched their highlights a lot. I still root for Duncan. He’s one of the great success stories from our building. I wrote him a note after the deal, and I’ve told him this before, but I really do think his story is so inspirational that eventually it can be a book, a movie.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Duncan Robinson's journey
While Robinson went to the Pistons from the Heat in a sign-and-trade that also saw Simone Fontecchio in the deal, who has played well this season, the 31-year-old's stint in Miami was unforgettable. Even before playing for the Heat, his journey to the NBA was one of resilience, with Spoelstra praising Robinson for going from a Division III school, transferring to a big university, going undrafted, and then carving out a role in the NBA.
“That just doesn’t happen, where you come from Division III, then transfer, be a sixth man (at Michigan), and then to come into the league and get to 1,000 threes as quickly as he did and break our record for threes, and then he’s going to continue to go,” Spoelstra said.
“That’s just a credit to his fortitude and grit, just an amazing super power. So I do root for him, but it looks strange, him in that uniform, it really does,” Spoelstra continued.
There were memories made between Robinson and Miami, but starting a new chapter with the Pistons, he's been averaging 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. At any rate, Miami looks to win seven straight games on Saturday as they take on Detroit, who's currently No. 1 in the Eastern Conference with a 15-3 record.
