After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Miami Heat, Duncan Robinson left the team this summer as the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers.
Robinson moved to the Detroit Pistons in a sign-and-trade deal with the Heat and recently spoke to The Athletic about his struggles during his time in Miami. The 31-year-old out of Michigan went undrafted in 2018 but became one of the highest-paid undrafted players in NBA history. However, according to him, it came with some downsides.
“The moments in my career, where on paper, are the biggest accomplishment or the moments where you have everything figured out have been followed by these just gut-punching setbacks,” Robinson said to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “I’m not defined by being an ‘underdog,‘ I’m not defined by being ‘overpaid.‘ I’m defined by what I show up and do every single day.”
Robinson averaged 11.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 39.7% three-point shooting from 2018-2024 with the Heat. He signed a three-year $48 million deal with the Pistons in this offseason after exercising the ‘early termination option‘ of his contract with Miami in June.
Robinson’s Up And Down Time With Heat
Though Robinson signed a five-year $90 million deal with Miami in 2021, his time in South Beach wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The shooting specialist went from playing limited minutes to starting full-time, then ended up benched for entire games, all in the span of a few seasons.
“The public perspective shifted my own perspective of myself,” Robinson said. “The challenging part of that was realizing and coming to terms with the fact that a public perception should not be indicative of, or define how I think of myself or the process in which I take to get to the person that I want to be.”
While in his 423 games, Robinson became the Heat’s all-time three-point leader, as well as becoming the fastest player to reach 1,000 made threes, he said it didn’t come easy. While he has reached a height dreamed of by so many players, Robinson said his anxiety has always caused him to question his abilities.
“I’ve always had this anxiety of like, ‘Am I good enough?’“ Robinson added. “Obviously, I have some God-given talents and abilities. … I sort of feel my superpower has sort of existed in that space of, ‘I haven’t really achieved anything yet.’”
Robinson played a key role in Miami’s run to the 2023 NBA Finals and their sustained success in recent years. Now, after agreeing to terminate the remainder of his contract, he heads to a Pistons team on the rise.
New Home In Detroit
For Detroit’s recent standards, their 2024-25 campaign was nothing short of great. They finished with an over .500 record for the first time in nine years and won their first playoff game in 17 years. Their star, Cade Cunningham, finished seventh in NBA MVP voting in just his fourth season, and the team had its best offensive rating in 20 years.
The team is now without Malik Beasley, who, after setting the franchise single-season three-point record, left in free agency and is now under a gambling investigation. However, this offseason they added Robinson, who may not need the ball as much as a player like Beasley and remains one of the NBA’s top shooters.
Robinson told The Athletic he sees a move to Detroit intriguing because he sees the city’s past as similar to his own.
“When I think of a city like Detroit, I think of resilience,” Robinson said. “I think of a city that’s seen the highest highs and the lowest lows, and is still finding a way to bounce back. I think that embodies the people that inhabit it. And that’s very much in tune and in line with everything my career has been.”
At 31, he heads to Detroit as the second-oldest player on their roster, behind only Tobias Harris at 33. Along with Robinson, the Pistons added Caris LeVert and resigned Paul Reed. They lost Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder in free agency, but still have Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren as solid young pieces.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Heat All-Time 3-Point Leader Breaks Silence After Offseason Exit appeared first on Heavy Sports.