After a regular season stuffed with the absence of playing time and a lack of opportunity to prove himself, Duncan Robinson is delighted to seize that productive presence when the stakes are high in this year’s NBA Playoffs.
Robinson admitted that he is ecstatic to gain a chance to play a major role for the Heat this postseason and be able to bounce back from being almost unplayable for the squad back in the 82-game regular season campaign this 2022-23.
“It’s very gratifying,” Robinson said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think the biggest aspect of it is just developing the resolve and confidence and knowing that you can go through stretches where you feel like nothing has kind of gone your way, your back is against the wall and nothing can kind of break right for you, and you can still find a way to get out and persevere.”
Robinson only logged 42 games of appearance for the Miami Heat in the regular season wherein he averaged 6.4 points in 32.8 percent shooting from downtown. These numbers are too low for a player who is set to earn more than a generous $57 million for the next three years of his contract.
But as the playoffs hit the calendar, the marksman found that sudden life to perform once again on the big-time stage. He capitalized on the sudden absence of Tyler Herro from a hand injury and answered the call of Erik Spoelstra to step up, tallying 9.2 points average while shooting a highly efficient 44.5 percent in threes per 5.0 attempts for the last 18 postseason games of the Heat.
“When you look at my career, I’ve had a lot of setbacks,’ Robinson said. “It’s kind of like the story of my career, to be honest. Setbacks followed by breakthroughs followed by setbacks. I think I’ve learned over time to trust it and know that this journey is not linear. Any one who tells you that it is wrong or lying to you. If you can embrace those moments, those kind of downturns, the reward waiting on the other side is worth it.”
With the Heat on the brink of elimination, Robinson remains ready and equipped to help his squad.
Miami created an improbable postseason run that made them the second-eighth-seeded team in the entire NBA history to reach the NBA Finals. As they now trail 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets, Robinson stated that he is all geared up when called up once again about his service to continue their magical ride.
“I was doing everything I can behind the scenes to be prepared for an opportunity,” Robinson said. “That was really the goal, whether it was an opportunity that would present itself here or just I wanted to better myself for the sake of my career in general and who I was as a player.”
