Duncan Robinson

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Being underestimated is nothing new for Duncan Robinson.

After a strong ending to his high school career, including a postgraduate season that resulted in a championship, the New Hampshire native did not receive any Division I offers.

Rather than let that affect him negatively, Robinson put in the work at Williams College for a year before transferring to Michigan for his sophomore season. And while moving up like that isn’t too uncommon, he became the first DIII player to transfer and receive a full scholarship from a DI school.

With a new opportunity at Michigan, Robinson took full advantage all three seasons and helped lead the Wolverines to the National Championship Game during his senior campaign.

Despite his success however, the 24-year-old was put in the underdog role once again and went undrafted this past June.

Robinson quelled the pundits with his sharp play in Summer League and earned himself a two-way contract with the HEAT on Tuesday.

“I’m just excited [and] incredibly fortunate,” Robinson said. “[The HEAT are an] unbelievable organization. Words can’t quite put it into perspective. It’s just an incredible blessing.”

Thus far during the summer gauntlet, Robinson has averaged 12.3 points on 58.8 percent shooting from downtown (20-of-34) in six games. In addition to stretching the floor for Miami, the forward has flashed potential as both a defender and playmaker off the dribble.

“Obviously, shooting is at a premium in the NBA, so that’s what attracts you at first, but he’s very competitive on the defensive end, he’s really smart, he knows angles and knows how to put himself in the right position,” HEAT Summer League Head Coach Eric Glass said after Tuesday’s victory over the Jazz.

“And he really has a good feel of the game: he knows when to make an extra pass, he knows when to put the ball on the floor, he knows when to help on defense, so he’s got a good package.”

In just a short period of time with the team, Robinson has already bought into the core tenants of HEAT Culture. With that type of mentality, the potential is endless for the intriguing rookie.

“[For the rest of the summer, I’m looking forward to] really improving my body [and] getting in really good shape. That way, I can really defend at this level,” Robinson said. “I want to get to work right away…I have my eyes set on doing whatever it takes to make it.”

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The Journey Begins For Duncan Robinson

The Miami HEAT defeated the Utah Jazz 98-90 Tuesday afternoon at Thomas &amp; Mack Center in the MGM Resorts Las Vegas Summer League. Bam Adebayo led the way for the HEAT with 24 points.

Since Ike Nwamu played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce this past season, the burly guard knows all about Miami's way of doing things.

That knowledge was on full display Tuesday, as Nwamu did damage on both ends of the floor against the Jazz.

In addition to aggressively attacking the basket, drilling a few treys and throwing down this huge alley-oop jam in transition….

…the 25-year-old also competed hard defensively against Grayson Allen, Stanton Kidd and Georges Niang.

When it was all said and done, Nwamu tallied 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists.

While Bam Adebayo didn’t shoot the ball as well as he’s used to, he stuck with it, absorbed a lot of contact inside and made Utah pay from the charity stripe.

In fact, the former Kentucky Wildcat led all players in free throw attempts and went 14-of-16 from that area.

Naturally, some thunderous dunks like this were also involved:

In addition to his game-high 24 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, Adebayo also racked up two assists, two steals and a plus-12 rating.

After signing a two-way contract with the HEAT, Duncan Robinson came out ready to rock versus the Jazz.

Not only did he hit three treys, but he also created a bit off the dribble and played stout defense more often than not.

An example of the latter came on this nice sequence late in the second quarter against Trey Lewis, which led to a block for Adebayo:

Robinson finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a plus-nine rating.

-Derrick Walton Jr. seemed to have the ball on a string and came through with some fancy finishes on Tuesday.

Walton Jr. ended up with six points and a team-high five assists.

-Derrick Jones Jr. (sprained right ankle) sat out.

-The HEAT will now enter tournament play on either Wednesday or Thursday. Opponent and tip-off time is TBD as of this writing.

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Summer League: Jazz 90 - HEAT 98 Game Recap

Irene Herrera

MIAMI, July 10 – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed forward Duncan Robinson to a Two-Way Contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Robinson has appeared in five Summer League games (all starts) with the HEAT in both Sacramento and Las Vegas and is averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 25.0 minutes while shooting 57.9 percent (22-of-38) from the field and 63 percent (17-of-27) from three-point range. He connected on 5-of-6 from three-point range on July 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento and followed that by shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in his next game on July 5 against the Sacramento Kings, both wins. Additionally, in his two games in Las Vegas so far, Robinson is shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from downtown.

Robinson appeared in 115 career games at Michigan shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from three-point range and 86.4 percent from the foul line. In just three seasons, he finished fourth on the school’s all-time three-point field goals made list with 237 while helping the Wolverine’s to two Big Ten titles and to the NCAA Tournament each season. Last season as senior, the tri-captain captured the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award and helped led the team to the NCAA Championship Game.

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HEAT Signs Duncan Robinson

The Miami HEAT fell to the Charlotte Hornets 94-90 Sunday afternoon at Cox Pavilion in the MGM Resorts Las Vegas Summer League. Daryl Macon led the way for the HEAT with 17 points.

While Rashad Vaughn had a solid start to the contest, he really rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter.

Well, he scored nine points in the fourth, including this big three that cut the deficit to 88-87 with 40.1 seconds left:

Not too long after that, Vaughn nailed two clutch free throws to narrow the gap to a single point once again.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough in the end.

When it was all said and done, Vaughn tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.

After some solid outings thus far in Summer League, Macon put it all together on Sunday.

In particular, he wreaked havoc in the third quarter with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting thanks to his usual barrage from the perimeter.

Then again, he also came through with this nifty reverse in the period:

It didn’t stop there, though, as Macon dove to the floor for a loose ball late in the fourth.

In addition to his team-leading 17 points, Macon also amassed six rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Landry Nnoko is known for his defense, but he showed what he could do on the offensive end and displayed nice touch around the rim against the Hornets.

Oh yeah, he also threw down this huge alley-oop in the second quarter:

In all, Nnoko recorded a double-double with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a game-high 13 rebounds.

-Duncan Robinson did his thing from deep once again and ended up with 10 points.

One of his more impressive makes came on this play in the second quarter where he moved well off the ball and utilized a screen from Nnoko at the elbow for a clean look:

-Although Derrick Jones Jr. exited the game in the first quarter with a sprained right ankle, he still did a major amount of damage before he went down.

I think you know what to expect by now...

Jones Jr. finished with nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, two rebounds and a steal in just seven and a half minutes of action.

-After an off day on Monday, the HEAT will get back to action on Tuesday at 4:30 PM against the Utah Jazz. Television coverage will be on ESPNU.

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Summer League: Hornets 94 - HEAT 90 Game Recap

The Miami HEAT fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 110-84 Saturday afternoon at Cox Pavilion in the MGM Resorts Las Vegas Summer League. Duncan Robinson led the way for the HEAT with 18 points.

With Miami trailing at halftime, Robinson did all he could to try and rally the team back after the break.

Well, he scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the third quarter thanks to some of his usual shots from deep.

Oh yeah, he also came away with this nice block on Walt Lemon Jr. in the period:

While Robinson continued to show his shooting prowess, he also did some damage off the dribble.

For a perfect example of that, just check out this dunk in the first quarter:

In addition to his block on Lemon Jr. and team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, Robinson also accumulated six rebounds and a steal.

Like Robinson, Jarrod Jones kept fighting regardless of the circumstances.

Whether he was showing soft touch inside, crashing the glass or hitting a shot from the perimeter…

As such, he recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards (five offensive).

As the elder statesman on the HEAT’s Summer League squad in terms of NBA experience, Rashad Vaughn continued to show the ability to get to the basket and finish tough plays at the rim.

Vaughn ended up with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, four assists, two steals and a block.

-Derrick Jones Jr., Derrick Walton Jr. and Landry Nnoko sat out.

-The HEAT will get right back to it on Sunday at 5:00 PM against the Charlotte Hornets. Television coverage will be on NBA TV.

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Summer League: HEAT 84 - Pelicans 110 Game Recap

The Miami HEAT defeated the Sacramento Kings 86-76 Thursday afternoon at Golden 1 Center in the California Classic Summer League. Derrick Jones Jr. led the way for the HEAT with 19 points.

I mean, there’s really no other way to describe it.

While those dunks got everyone excited, Jones Jr. also did his thing on the defensive end as usual. In particular, the 21-year-old did a nice job against Marvin Bagley III and made things very difficult for the highly touted rookie out of Duke.

Just take a look at Jones Jr. as he holds his own in the post and strips the ball from Bagley III on this sequence early in the third quarter:

As a result of his fantastic play on both ends, Jones Jr. recorded a game-high plus-18 rating to go along with his 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds and two steals.

Although Derrick Walton Jr. struggled a bit with his shot, he still found a way to impact the game.

In addition to playing hard-nosed defense against Frank Mason III and Daxter Miles Jr., the former Michigan Wolverine probed his dribble, drew the defense and found the open man with regularity.

In fact, he dished out a game-high seven assists, including this nice no-look pass to Duncan Robinson late in the second quarter:

Walton Jr. ended up with 10 points, one steal and a plus-11 rating to go along with his seven assists.

Like Jones Jr., Bam Adebayo also rocked the rim a few times, but his biggest contribution came late in the game with the Kings trying to mount a comeback.

Right after Justin Jackson cut the deficit to four with 5:03 to play, Adebayo responded with a tough alley-oop tip-in with his off hand.

Of course, the former Kentucky Wildcat also dug in on the defensive end against both Harry Giles III and Devin Williams.

When it was all said and done, Adebayo tallied 14 points and nine rebounds.

-Duncan Robinson continued to find the stroke from deep and finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

-The HEAT will now head to Vegas for more Summer League action and take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday at 5:00 PM. Television coverage will be on NBA TV.

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Summer League: HEAT 86 - Kings 76 Game Recap

The Miami HEAT defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 89-74 Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center in the California Classic Summer League. Derrick Jones Jr. led the way for the HEAT with 21 points.

After putting together a fantastic all-around performance against the Warriors on Monday, Jones Jr. was at it again versus the Lakers.

Whether he was attacking the basket, stretching the floor or staying active on the offensive glass, “Airplane Mode” certainly made his presence felt.

I mean, just look at his athleticism on this offensive board and short jumper midway through the third quarter:

Of course, rim-rocking jams were also part of the equation.

That said, Jones Jr. balled out on the defensive end, too, and made life difficult for Josh Hart, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Alex Caruso.

While the 21-year-old showed his unique length often, nothing quite touches this superb block on Johnathan Williams at the rim late in the first quarter:

In addition to his game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, Jones Jr. also amassed five rebounds, a game-high four blocks, three steals and a plus-21 rating.

Simply put, Duncan Robinson got the party started with two threes and never looked back.

As the night progressed, the former Michigan Wolverine continued to convert from deep and led all players with five treys.

When it was all said and done, Robinson accumulated 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-6 from downtown, four rebounds, two assists and a plus-28 rating.

Although Bam Adebayo didn’t record a double-double this time around, he still played a major role in the HEAT coming away with a wire-to-wire victory.

For starters, the former Kentucky Wildcat competed hard against Moritz Wagner and helped hold the rookie to just 3-of-9 shooting.

Naturally, he also converted this tough and-one finish in the third quarter with the German guarding him:

Sure, that was impressive, but we can’t forget about this remarkable pass to Jones Jr. a little earlier in the contest:

Adebayo ended up with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and a game-high plus-31 rating.

-Yante Maten showed what he could do and knocked known a handful of jumpers on his way to a 15-point night on 6-of-11 shooting. The former Georgia Bulldog also grabbed five boards and swiped three steals.

-The HEAT will wrap up play in the California Classic Summer League on Thursday at 5:00 PM against the Kings. Television coverage will be on NBA TV.