Saturday night at the Kaseya Center, Duncan Robinson returned to face the franchise that helped him author one of the NBA’s more improbable stories.
As a junior in high school in Maine, a state that, with all due respect to Cooper Flagg, is not known for being a basketball powerhouse, Robinson came off the bench. Most players who reach basketball’s highest level are already local stars by the time they reach that age.
That didn’t convince Robinson that he wouldn’t live out his hoop dreams. After graduating, he played at a prep school. He parlayed that opportunity to a spot on the team at Williams College. The six-foot-seven sharpshooter maximized his time there, converting it into the chance to make the leap from Division III to the University of Michigan.
Robinson made his mark in Ann Arbor, but he was coming off the bench. Like his journey to get there, few NBA players can relate. However, even after going undrafted, he never abandoned his pursuit.
The Miami Heat saw his potential and took a chance on him. They signed the undrafted free agent to a two-way deal. That paid off in spades. Robinson became a prime example of