The Come Up: Duncan Robinson

mcclellandmiscellanea.com

Duncan McBryde Robinson was born on 1994, April 22 in York, Maine. He grew up in New Castle, New Hampshire, and began his basketball career at The Governor's Academy in Newbury, Massachusetts. Robinson stood at just 5’7” and didn’t take basketball seriously early in his career. He was just playing in hopes that basketball would get him into a good college. People around Robinson didn’t have faith in his basketball aspirations, but Robinson would eventually begin to bet on himself and it paid off in the end. 

Duncan Robinson had a growth spurt that saw him stretch out and reach 6’7” tall. After the huge growth spurt, he started to take basketball seriously and would work on his game for hours. His goal was to try and make 1600 shots per week. 

Robinson’s role and minutes increased at The Governor’s Academy and he went from riding the bench to averaging 18.5 points per game. He then decided to undergo a postgraduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy to increase his college offers. That postgraduate season paid off well for Robinson because he performed well enough to earn himself a spot at Williams College.

After earning a spot at Williams, Robinson was basically just going through the motions. He was just going to college and even planning his post-college life, but he never saw himself making it to the NBA. He felt like he played decent at Williams, but leaving there never crossed his mind. 

It wasn’t until he was named the National Freshman of the Year and led his team to a National Championship that transferring even crossed his mind. Recruiters around the nation had their eyes on Robinson, and he had the opportunity to visit Davidson College and the University of Michigan. He found the University of Michigan to be the best choice for his career and chose to transfer there in 2015.

Mike Mulholland/MLive.com)

During Duncan Robinson’s redshirt year at the University of Michigan, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors changed the game of basketball. Stephen Curry made the three-point shot more valuable and that allowed players like Robinson to thrive. 

Robinson became a key role player at Michigan and earned the title of a sharpshooter. He also did well academically and was chosen as an Academic All-Big Ten Honoree. 

In his senior year, he helped Michigan reach the championship, and he became the first player to play in both an NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship game as well as the Division III Championship game. However,  Michigan sadly lost the game to Villanova, and Robinson declared for the NBA Draft.

He ended up going undrafted, but he had the opportunity to play for the Miami Heat’s Summer League team. He played well enough in the Summer League and earned himself a two-way contract with the Miami Heat and their G-League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. 

He played well for the Force and ended averaging 21.4 points per game. He was called up to the Heat after playing 33 games and became a solid shooter for the team. He had his breakout season during the 2019-2020 NBA season. During this season, Robinson was invited to be a part of the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend three point contest, which was ultimately won by Buddy Heild of the Sacramento Kings.

That same season, the Miami Heat made a great playoff push and reached the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James left in 2014. 

Getty Images

They faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers and, ironically LeBron James, and sadly lost to them in six games. Despite their defeat, Robinson set an NBA Finals record in Game 5 for the most made three points in a finals game by an undrafted player. 

Duncan Robinson may be 26 years old, but he’s just getting started in the NBA. 

There is a short list of undrafted players that have made a name for themselves in the league and Robinson is on an even shorter list of undrafted players that made a splash in the NBA Finals. 

For someone who never saw themselves making the NBA, Robinson’s journey from a Division III college to the NBA will go down as one of the greatest sports success stories ever.