Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Twist of fate leads to Robinson to scoring first career NBA points
MIAMI — The way Wednesday started for Duncan Robinson, he couldn’t have imagined that, by night’s end, he’d have his Miami Heat teammates congratulating him in the locker room for playing in his first NBA regular-season game and scoring his first professional points.
The 6-foot-8 forward on a two-way contract was first held out of morning shootaround with the Heat – to not count against his quota of 45 days allowed with an NBA team.
“I basically tell him, ‘Good luck. Have a great training camp in Sioux Falls,’ ” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, expecting to send him off with Miami’s G League affiliate, Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Then, forward Justise Winslow, who was set to make his season debut on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, felt tightness in his right hamstring in warmups. Winslow was suddenly out of the mix, joining forwards James Johnson and Derrick Jones Jr. and guards Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellington.
“The first part of luck and making the most of your opportunity is just being available,” Spoelstra said. “So he happened to be on the premises. So when we have to make that call, it’s not like we’re trying to track him down at the airport or tracking him at his hotel. He just happened to be here.”
Ninety minutes before tip at American Airlines Arena, Robinson found out he was going to be made available to play. An hour before, the undrafted rookie out of Michigan learned he’d likely to get into the rotation.
“That’s kind of what this two-way’s about,” said Robinson, who without a designated locker in the Heat’s locker room, had to change in a separate area the game. “Just being ready when I’m needed and just stepped in and did what I could.”
At the 9:08 mark of the second quarter with center Bam Adebayo at the freethrow line and the Heat’s offense struggling, down 30-24, Robinson checked in with starting point guard Goran Dragic to replace swingman Rodney McGruder, leading the Heat in scoring to that point Wednesday, and Dwyane Wade, the franchise’s alltime leading scorer.
After Adebayo hit his second free throw and the Knicks missed a 3-pointer, guard Tyler Johnson grabbed a rebound, came down the floor and dished to Robinson, who sank a three-pointer on his first NBA field-goal attempt.
“It felt good to get that one out of the way, kind of get the monkey off the back,” Robinson said. “It was a good pass by Tyler, so thankfully got that first one to go.”
Robinson played just under 10 minutes in the 110-87 win, finishing with those three points on 1-of-3 shooting and snagging four rebounds with one steal.
“A big moment happened for someone, making their first NBA basket,” McGruder said. “I remember that moment when I had [it]. It was just, we’re happy for guys that get their first NBA points. Hit a big three, as well.”
“You never know when you’re going to play, especially in that first year,” said guard Josh Richardson, who recalled his first start within a month of his rookie season in 2015-16, hitting a pair of 3-pointers against the Utah Jazz on a night where Wade was a late scratch dealing with a family matter. “Duncan came in. He was prepared. He does the right thing every day. It wasn’t really a surprise.”
Said Spoelstra: “Those are cool moments. You don’t want to overlook those.”
Robinson summed up the accomplishment, relaying a desire to produce many more career moments.
“To score your first points in the NBA is a lifelong dream for anybody, so it felt good to cross off that milestone,” he said. “I have my sights set on much more than just that, though.”