Duncan Robinson made a long way to becoming an important part of the Miami Heat. The proficient three-point shooter was raised in a tiny town, but his dreams were beyond the city borders. At first, he wasn’t offered many scholarships, but he somehow made his way from Division III to the NBA. Now, he is considered one of the best shooters in the league, shooting lights out from the three-point range.
Duncan Robinson – Early Life
Duncan Robinson was born on April 22, 1994, in York, Maine but grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire as the youngest of three children. The town is the smallest in New Hampshire, so small that he was one of four students that graduated from Maude H. Trefethen Elementary School in 2006. To get his high school education he has chosen The Governor’s Academy, which was definitely larger than his local school.
From the beginning of his adventure, Robinson took basketball seriously, spending hours practicing shooting. As a freshman, he was 5 feet 7 inches of height and he didn’t play much until his junior year Then, he started working with trainer Noaj LaRoche to work on his craft. Still coming off the bench, he averaged 18.5 as a senior and was selected to the 2012 All-NEPSAC Class B first team as well as the 2012 All-Independent School league team.
Duncan Robinson – Phillips Exeter Academy
The summer was kind of a breakthrough for Robinson, as he played for Michael Crotty Jr.’s Middlesex Magic team in Amateur Athletic Union and studied as a postgraduate at Phillips Exeter Academy. He finished high school with a 3.55 GPA which wasn’t enough to get into a top-notch college. He did a lot of growing this summer, both mentally and physically as he grew to 6 feet 8 inches.
In 2013, Robinson guided Phillips Exeter to win the NEPSAC Class A championships, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, for which he was named the tournament’s MVP.
TweetDuncan Robinson – Williams College
During the weekend of September 30-October 2, 2012, while on a campus visit, Williams college made Robinson an offer that he accepted right away because the school was known for being a basketball powerhouse. Under head coach Mike Maker, they had a 93-22 record in the past seasons. Duncan became the only freshman in the starting lineup and was named New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Week twice during the 2013-14 regular season.
The team made it into the 2014 NCAA semifinals when Robison scored 30 points against Amherst College. Williams College made the championships but lost to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, despite Robinson scoring 17 points. After the season, Robinson led the team in minutes played in a game, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, blocks and steals as he averaged 17.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 34.7 minutes per game. He was awarded the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and named All-American. No other freshman from Williams college has been named All-American before Robinson.
After one of the best freshman seasons in Division III, Robinson was contacted by many other schools with scholarship offers. He waited until he got an offer from the prestigious college because he didn’t want to change his ways of playing. After he visited the University of Michigan, he decided to transfer there.
Duncan Robinson – University of Michigan
The University of Michigan was a big jump for Robinson, as he transferred from Division III school to Division I and was granted a full scholarship. He couldn’t participate in the 2014-2015 season, according to the transfer rules, but he managed to ravish his coaches during the practices, as he broke the practice record for three-pointers in a drill with 78.
In the second game of the 2015-16 season, he posted 19 points and in December he made his first start. He broke his own assists record, posting 6 assists on December 23, against Bryant’s Bulldogs. Later in the season, he went on a 17-games streak where he scored at least two three-point shots. He became the Big Ten Conference’s leader both in three-pointers and in the three-point field goal percentage, which lasted until a game against the Michigan State Spartans, where he posted none.
Michigan went into the 2016 Big Ten Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, where Robinson contributed 21 points. Two games later he made his 90th three-point shot, becoming only the fifth player to do so in Michigan’s Wolverine’s history. On March 16, he made his first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
During Robinson’s junior year with Michigan, he mainly came off the bench, despite huge changes in the roster. The team won the 2017 Big Ten Conference championships and went as far as the sweet sixteen round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Duncan Robinson – Big Ten Sixth Man
In the 2017-18 season opener, Robinson scored 21 points against North Florida. Later in the season, he was coming off the bench, until his teammate Isaiah Livers was sidelined. He went hot and heavy, recording 18 points from 6 three-pointers, making his total 215. After the season, he was named the Sixth Man of the Big Ten for his incredible input.
On March 2, 2018, Robinson scored his 1000th career point on a three-point field goal in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan University won the 2018 Big Ten Championships and Robinson was awarded Academic All-Big Ten honors. The Wolverines went as far as the 2018 NCAA Championship game, where they lost to Villanova.
Robinson’s college career ended in the same place that it began: at the top of Michigan’s all-time list. Over the course of three seasons, he made 237 three-point field goals (41.9 percent accuracy) to fourth place on the school record books.
Duncan Robinson – Miami Heat
Despite excelling at three-point shooting Robinson wasn’t picked in the 2018 NBA draft. He joined the Miami Heat for the NBA Summer League. But it wasn’t the end for him, as he signed a two-way contract with the Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce after just 5 Summer League games. During the summer, Robinson also participated in the Basketball Tournament as a part of the Big X team, created by former Big Ten players.
Robinson had his eyes set on a goal and threw himself into training even before the Heat’s training camp started. He was so serious about his development that he refused to participate in the G-League team made for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
For the Heat, the season started with injuries and Robinson became a part of the main roster. He made his NBA debut on October 24, where he contributed three points and four rebounds in just ten minutes of the game. For Sioux Falls, he opened the season with 15 points on November 2. In the G-League, he was selected to the 2019 All-NBA Third Team, as he averaged 21.4 points per game, with 51.4 field goal percentage, and 48.3 three-point percentage. In April, his contract has been rearranged to a standard two-year contract. On April 10, he posted his first double figures against the Brooklyn Nets, with 15 points scored.
Duncan Robinson – Best Shooter on the Planet
Robinson continued to improve his game as well as physicality as he gained 15 pounds. At the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, on October 27, he scored a then career-high 21 points, which he topped on November 3, with 23. On November 20, he recorded a career-high 29 points, while playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were guided by his college coach, John Beilein. On December 1, Robinson recorded a 10-rebound, 10-point double-double against the Brooklyn Nets.
On December 10, Robinson recorded a career-high of 34 points, making the franchise record by making ten three-point shots in a game. After this incredible performance, he was called “one of the best shooters on the planet” by The Wall Street Journal. He participated in the Three-Point Contest at the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. He compiled 233 three-pointers, breaking the Heat’s record for the single-season, undrafted player single-season record, and most by a first or second-year player. On March 8, Robinson got his first technical foul. Robinson finished the season averaging 13.5 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
Duncan Robinson – NBA Finals
The Heat made the playoffs after the 2020-21 season, where Robinson broke the franchise record for most 3-point shots made in a playoff game with 7. The Heat lost in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The next season, Robinson reached 500 three-pointers, made a mark, and became the player who did it the fastest, being quicker than Luka Doncic, as he reached that in just 152 games. He became a valuable part of the Miami Heat, that’s why they offered him a five-year 90 million dollars contract. The contract is the largest deal an undrafted player was ever given.
Where did Duncan Robinson play college basketball?
He initially attended Williams College, playing on the NCAA Division III Ephs basketball team, where he was the leader of the squad and steered them to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship game. He then transferred to Michigan to play at the NCAA Division I level for the Wolverines.
How much does Duncan Robinson make?
Duncan Robinson signed a contract lasting 5 years and worth $90,000,000 with the Miami Heat, with the full $80,000,000 guaranteed. His annual salary for this contract is $18,000,000, and in the 2022-23 season, he will receive a base salary of $16,902,000 and have a cap hit and dead cap value of the same amount.
What year did Duncan Robinson get drafted?
He got drafted by Michigan Wolverines in 2014, while he was still in college. Four years later, in July of 2018, he was drafted by the Miami Heat.
