Duncan Robinson

And-Ones: 2024 Draft, HS Prospects, Breakout Players, Ray

January 2nd, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) continue to rotate prospects in and out of the No. 1 spot on their draft board for 2024, moving French big man Alexandre Sarr into that top spot in place of USC guard Isaiah Collier, who has struggled for the Trojans as of late.

The 2024 draft class doesn’t have a clear headliner, so the race for No. 1 remains wide open. Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, two G League Ignite youngsters who were atop ESPN’s big board during the summer of 2023, are now in the back end of the lottery at No. 10 and 11, respectively, while Collier has slipped all the way to No. 8.

Conversely, the latest risers on ESPN’s board include Colorado wing Cody Williams, who is up to No. 3 from No. 10, and Serbian point guard Nikola Topic, who has risen four spots to No. 5. Two more notable prospects who jumped from outside of the lottery into the top seven are French forward Tidjane Salaun and Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, who moved up nine spots to Nos. 6 and 7, respectively.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report breaks down his top 10 prospects in high school basketball, with Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer, and A.J. Dybantsa topping his list.
Michael Pina of The Ringer singles out eight players across the NBA who are taking their games to another level this season, from stars like Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton to role players such as Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson.
Former Nuggets forward James Ray, the No. 5 overall pick in the 1980 draft, died last week at age 66 due to complications from a surgery, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. A college star for the Jacksonville Dolphins, Ray appeared in 103 NBA games across three seasons for Denver, then spent several years in Europe before retiring as a player.

Southeast Notes: Heat, T. Jones, Wizards, Suggs

December 21st, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat used their 16th different starting lineup in 28 games on Wednesday at Orlando, but they keep finding ways to win, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo returned this week, but Jimmy Butler was held out with a strained left calf and Kevin Love had a stomach illness, forcing coach Erik Spoelstra to continue the personnel juggling that has been necessary since the start of the season.

“We do feel like we have great depth,” Spoelstra said. “We have great continuity, so I’m not as concerned when we’ve had to deal with guys missing games. It’s more about developing the consistency to our identity, which we know. We have the continuity. It’s about whoever is out there, we know what we need to try to do. We just need to do it more consistently.”

Chiang notes that only the Grizzlies, Hornets and Pistons have more missed games this season than Miami, and all those teams are near the bottom of the standings. Miami is tied for sixth in the East at 16-12 while getting contributions from up and down its roster. Reserves played a huge role on Wednesday as Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Thomas Bryant and Haywood Highsmith all contributed to the win.

“Thomas was a plus-20. Obviously, (Highsmith) was really good defensively and then knocked down threes,” Spoelstra said. “So that makes everybody else notice out there. But he did a lot of other intangible things to contribute to winning. And J-Rich and Duncan were both so rock solid in this game. We don’t win this game without that production from those guys.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Wizards traded for point guard Tyus Jones this summer to be the on-court leader for a young team and he has excelled in that role so far, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports. Jones is posting career highs with 11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, and Washington ranks second in the league in pace and 10th in scoring.“You can have play-makers, but there are a lot of guards in the league who are score first,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “They are capable of making plays and facilitating, but it’s very unique to have a guy who sees the game that way and is able to put other guys in the right spots.”
With the Wizards off to a 4-22 start, David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic examine the roster and look at how management can get the team moving in the right direction. Sources tell the authors that Washington plans to emphasize “positional length,” basketball IQ and work ethic in next summer’s draft.
Michael Pina of The Ringer talks to Jalen Suggs about how he has helped the Magic improve by taking on a non-glamorous role.

Heat Notes: Herro, Adebayo, Rotation, Lowry, Jovic

December 19th, 2023 at 7:45am CST by Luke Adams

After missing 18 and seven consecutive games, respectively, Tyler Herro (right ankle sprain) and Bam Adebayo (left hip contusion) returned from their injuries on Monday when the Heat hosted Minnesota. Although Miami lost the game to the Western Conference’s top seed, Herro and Adebayo didn’t show many signs of rust, combining for 47 total points on 20-of-40 shooting against the NBA’s best defense.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link) writes, while having Herro and Adebayo back is obviously good news for the Heat, it will create some rotation decisions for head coach Erik Spoelstra. Duncan Robinson and Orlando Robinson had been regular starters with Herro and Adebayo out, but both players returned to the bench on Monday, with Orlando not playing at all.

The Heat used nine players on Monday, but Kyle Lowry (soreness), who typically has a fairly significant role, wasn’t active. With that in mind, Winderman wonders if one of those nine players – perhaps Josh Richardson – will become the victim of a rotation crunch when everyone is healthy or if Spoelstra will decide to regularly use 10 players.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Lowry was carrying a heavy workload while the Heat were shorthanded due to injuries, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, so the veteran guard’s absence on Monday seemed more like an effort to get him a rest day than a result of any serious health issue. Spoelstra declined on Monday to say whether Lowry would be given more time off, per Winderman. “We treat everything on a game-by-game basis,” the Heat coach said.
Because the incentives in Herro’s contract are tied to postseason awards like All-NBA, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, the team now knows for sure that he won’t earn any of those bonuses this season, since he’ll fall short of the 65-game minimum required to qualify, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). That means Herro’s 2024/25 cap hit will remain at $29MM rather than increasing, which is useful information for the team to have as it weighs potential roster moves with an eye on next season’s salary.
JC Butler, the son of Heat assistant coach Caron Butler, has joined the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as Winderman details in the same story. The younger Butler went undrafted out of UC Irvine in 2022.
Nikola Jovic continues to bounce back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Chiang, who writes that the second-year forward is expected to return to the Skyforce on Tuesday to take part in the G League’s Winter Showcase in Orlando. “We want to get him game minutes, as much as possible,” Spoelstra said. Jovic added that he’s being “patient” and still feels as if the organization believes in him despite the lack of opportunities at the NBA level.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Lowry, Robinson, Hampton, Jovic

December 12th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s still no timetable for the return of big man Bam Adebayo, who missed a fourth straight game on Monday due to a left hip contusion, per Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (Twitter link via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald). Adebayo traveled with the team to Charlotte for Monday’s game, but Spoelstra said that didn’t necessarily mean he was close to playing.

“I wouldn’t read too much into it of him being on this trip other than he really wanted to be here and he can do his work,” Spoelstra said.

As good as Adebayo has been this season, the Heat have held their own without him in the lineup. The team has a net rating of minus-1.7 in the 537 minutes Adebayo has played in 2023/24, compared to a plus-4.7 mark in the 567 minutes he hasn’t been on the court.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Using Kyle Lowry‘s expiring $29.7MM contract as part of an in-season trade to acquire a player – or players – under contract beyond this season is certainly a possibility, but the Heat will have to be careful about the salary they add to next year’s books, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who says the team doesn’t seem inclined to surpass the second tax apron in 2024/25. Jackson takes a look at some of the other factors Miami must consider as it weighs trade scenarios and looks ahead to the future.
After a down year in 2022/23, Duncan Robinson has been a key part of the Heat’s rotation in 2023/24, averaging a career-high 14.8 points per game and increasing his shooting line to .478/.426/.833 through 21 games (13 starts). Robinson spoke to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald about his motivation to bounce back this fall and to silence questions about his work ethic.
Heat two-way player R.J. Hampton says his recovery from a knee sprain was a “long process” but that he feels as if he’s 100% healthy now, Chiang writes for The Miami Herald. Although Hampton didn’t end up playing at all on Monday vs. Charlotte, Spoelstra said he was ready to go if needed.
Second-year forward Nikola Jovic is on his second G League assignment of the season, as Chiang notes in the same Herald story. Jovic suited up for the Sioux Falls Skyforce this afternoon and the plan is for him to remain with Miami’s NBAGL affiliate through Friday’s game vs. Windy City before rejoining the Heat.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Adebayo, O. Robinson, Herro

December 2nd, 2023 at 7:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaime Jaquez knew where he wanted to go in the draft, and he got his wish when Miami selected him with the 18th pick, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Projected as a mid-first rounder after spending four years at UCLA, Jaquez was aware that he might still be on the board for Miami’s selection and he was hoping for the chance to work with two legends.

“I think when it comes to basketball, just being under (team president) Pat Riley and coach Spo (Erik Spoelstra), I don’t think you could ask for two better guys when it comes to basketball to play under and learn from,” Jaquez said. “So that was a big reason. I also didn’t want to stay in L.A. for all my life. I wanted to get out and be somewhere new, kind of challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. So coming to Miami was a spot that I always really loved. I had been here before a couple times and I just loved the city, loved everything about it. So I just really wanted to come here.”

The Heat are thrilled with the production they’ve gotten from Jaquez, who has been pressed into extra duty since an early-season injury to Tyler Herro. He has responded by averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in his first 19 NBA games. Chiang also notes that his shooting touch has been excellent — 52.9% from the field, 39% from three-point range and 87.5% from the free throw line — and he’s an asset on defense as well.

“He’s playing winning basketball,” Spoelstra said. “He’s able to complement a lot of different lineups. He’s eating up everything right now and he’s a smart player. So he picks up things quickly. But the biggest thing is he’s a competitor, he’s a mature player and those type of characteristics can fit in with what we’re trying to do.”

There’s more from Miami:

Bam Adebayo will miss tonight’s game with a left hip contusion and he won’t travel with the team for Wednesday’s contest in Toronto, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Chiang points out that Miami has a lull in its schedule with just three games over nine days, so Adebayo will have a chance to heal (Twitter link).
Orlando Robinson‘s contract became guaranteed for $850K on Friday, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The second-year center will receive his full $1.8MM salary if he remains on the roster through the league-wide guarantee date of January 7.
The Heat’s rotation has changed since Herro was injured, and Spoelstra will have to make more adjustments when he returns, observes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman notes that when Herro sprained his ankle on November 8, Caleb Martin wasn’t playing significant minutes, Josh Richardson was still adjusting to the team and Jaquez hadn’t scored more than 11 points in a game. There were also questions about whether Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith could handle starting roles.

Heat’s Dru Smith Out For Season With ACL Injury

November 24th, 2023 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat guard Dru Smith will miss the rest of the 2023/24 season due to a right knee injury, the team announced today (Twitter link via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald).

The Heat referred to the injury as a third degree ACL sprain, according to Chiang. That’s essentially just an ACL tear, per the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

It’s awful news for Smith, who underwent an MRI on his knee after injuring it in Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. As we previously relayed, the 25-year-old fell awkwardly along the sidelines in an area that has a drop-off for fans at courtside — head coach Erik Spoelstra blamed the court design after the game.

“It is a dangerous floor,” Spoelstra said. “It’s an accident waiting to happen. You close out and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. If the court was normal, there wouldn’t have been any kind of incident.”

Smith was on a two-way contract with the Heat in training camp but was promoted to the standard 15-man roster ahead of opening night, receiving a two-year, minimum-salary deal that included a $425K partial guarantee. He appeared in nine games in the first month of the season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per night, with a .455/.412/1.000 shooting line.

While Smith won’t play again this season, the Heat likely won’t be in any rush to remove him from their roster, since there’s little incentive to do so for now. When a player on a non-guaranteed contract sustains an injury, his team must continue paying him until he’s healthy or for the rest of the season (if he’s out for the year). That means Miami will owe Smith his full $1.8MM salary and won’t save any money by cutting him before the league-wide January 7 salary guarantee deadline.

The Heat also already have an opening on their 15-man roster, so they don’t need to use Smith’s roster spot in the short term. That may change later in the season if the club makes a roster addition or two via free agency or trade.

Miami could apply for a disabled player exception in response to Smith’s injury, but the exception would be worth less than $1MM, so it likely wouldn’t be useful. A DPE would not afford the team an extra roster spot.

In other Heat injury news, the results of an MRI on Duncan Robinson‘s injured right thumb were far more encouraging, Chiang notes. Robinson has been diagnosed with a sprain and is considered day-to-day.

Southeast Notes: Fultz, Howard, Coulibaly, Heat

November 23rd, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic starting point guard Markelle Fultz has missed seven straight games with left knee tendinitis, and it appears for now he’s still being limited to individual workouts, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

“We’ll continue to evaluate him on a daily basis to see how he responds to the treatment that he’s getting,” head coach Jahmal Mosley said. “…[We’ve] practiced once, which I think you saw him the other day on the court, [he was] doing some individual work with our guys. That’s the extent of what he’s doing.”

When healthy, the 6’4″ vet has produced, averaging 11.4 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.4 RPG and 1.2 SPG across five games for Orlando.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Magic rookie lottery pick Jett Howard starred in his first game with Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate, the Osceola Magic. He notched 34 points, including seven made triples, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball News (via Twitter). “The G League is a lot of fun,” Howard said. “My teammates made the game easy for me. Getting reps in with these guys during Orlando’s training camp made it a seamless transition. It’s been great to be part of winning teams with the Magic.”
Wizards rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly‘s growth is already impressing head coach Wes Unseld Jr., writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. “He’s done really well with the amount that we’ve thrown at him,” Unseld said. “The opportunity is probably something he’s dreamed of, so he seems like he’s in a great place. We always talk about the potential of a rookie wall, whether that’s physically or mentally, but he’s not showing any sign of that. He’s just attacking each day. He’s showing a lot of consistency in his work, and that’s paying dividends on the floor.” The 6’6″ wing was selected with the seventh pick in this June’s draft. He’s averaging 8.4 PPG on .506/.439/.619 shooting, along with 3.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG.
Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo and swingman Duncan Robinson are both questionable to suit up against the Knicks on Friday, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Adebayo is dealing with a hip injury, while Robinson is suffering through a thumb ailment.

Southeast Notes: Coulibaly, Bridges, Robinson, Young

November 13th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The rebuilding Wizards are off to a 2-7 start, but rookie Bilal Coulibaly continues to impress. The No. 7 pick of the draft, Coulibaly scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a loss to Brooklyn on Saturday. He also knocked down a season-high four 3-pointers.

“He was really good,” Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “He looks really calm out there, very confident. He’s aggressive. He’s got a pretty good read on when and how. He looks comfortable behind the three-point line, which is I think a bright spot. I just think [he needs to] continue to build.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Miles Bridges‘ court hearing scheduled for Monday in Charlotte was continued to a later date — Feb. 20, 2024, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets. Bridges was scheduled to answer a summons tied to a violation of a protective order from January. The Hornets forward’s 10-game league suspension to start the season will end this week and he’s expected to play a significant role once he’s eligible, beginning on Friday against Milwaukee.
With guards Tyler Herro (sprained ankle) and Kyle Lowry (rest) sitting out, the Heat got a major contribution from Duncan Robinson on Sunday. He finished with a season-high 26 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, along with five rebounds and four assists in a win over San Antonio. Robinson has expanded his offensive game, making half of his eight buckets inside the arc, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. “Duncan was so good (Sunday) at all levels, his ability to put the ball on the floor, his play-making, off-the-movement stuff,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And then not letting people forget what he’s here for, also, which is beyond the threes-point line, but it’s not based just off of that. And it just shows you how much his game has grown.”
The Hawks might play their in-season tournament opener in Detroit on Tuesday without their top player. Trae Young is listed as questionable for personal reasons, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. His wife just gave birth, Williams notes (via Twitter).

Southeast Notes: Herro, Rozier, Miller, Mexico City

November 9th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat guard Tyler Herro expects to miss “probably a couple weeks” after spraining his right ankle in Wednesday’s game at Memphis, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro landed on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot after shooting a floater in the first quarter. He fell to the court in pain, then hobbled to the locker room without putting any weight on the ankle.

“It was something I felt right when it happened,” Herro said. “I felt it and I kind of knew mentally. I heard some crunches and cracks in my ankle. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that will be it.’ I actually told the bench, ‘I’m done. I can’t keep going.’ It’s unfortunate, but I’m just going to continue to work hard. I’ve been through this injury stuff before and I’m just going to keep working.”

X-rays were negative, but Herro returned to Miami this morning for an MRI with the team’s medical staff, Chiang adds. He was averaging 25.3 PPG coming into Wednesday, and an extended absence would create a major challenge for a team that already has the fifth-worst offensive rating in the league.

Duncan Robinson started the second half with Herro unavailable, and Dru Smith played nearly 15 minutes off the bench. Chiang notes that Kyle Lowry took on a larger role, posting season highs with 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

“It’s a process at this point,” Bam Adebayo said. “We’ll get him back when we get him back. The biggest thing for him is getting healthy and being able to stay at that high level he’s been at it.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets guard Terry Rozier doesn’t have a timetable to return from the left adductor strain he suffered Saturday night, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Addressing the media for the first time since the injury, Rozier said it happened on a routine play. “It was just going downhill,” said Rozier, who has already been ruled out for Friday’s game. “I think just trying to do an in-and-out. I’ve watched the play a lot of times and I think I just dragged my foot, and it kind of tweaked in the groin area. So, it kind of strained it and that’s what happened. But I’ve never had an injury like that before, so that’s why I kind of reacted like that. But I’ll be fine.”
With Rozier sidelined, the Hornets have inserted Brandon Miller into their starting lineup, Boone adds. The No. 2 overall pick has gotten off to a strong start and is among the rookie leaders in points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game. “He’s doing good,” Rozier said. “He’s just getting his feet wet. He’s one of those guys that just gets better day-by-day, like really huge too. So, I’m happy to see his growth … I think we all are. I’m happy he’s in that position to start.”
Mexico City will host tonight’s game between the Magic and the Hawks, shining a spotlight on a location that could be considered for the NBA’s next round of expansion, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Heat Notes: Swider, Preseason, Adebayo, Bryant

October 12th, 2023 at 8:05pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat forward Cole Swider is making a case for the team’s open roster spot, earning buzz in training camp and then scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter of Miami’s preseason game against the Hornets on Tuesday. He’s aiming to be the next in a long line of undrafted success stories for the organization, following players like Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus.

Swider attributes some of his success in the NBA so far to Robinson, in particular, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. When Swider signed his two-way deal with the Lakers following the 2022 draft, Chiang writes, one of the first people he texted was Robinson.

“I hit him up and I said, ‘Hey, man. I just want to say thank you,’” Swider said. “Because [Lakers general manager] Rob Pelinka had mentioned he passed up on Duncan in the pre-draft process and he didn’t want to let that happen again. So that was part of the reason that I got the two-way. So I just texted Duncan and I said, ‘Thank you.’”

As Chiang writes, Robinson and Swider have followed similar career paths. Both players are shooters with size (Swider is 6’8″ and Robinson and 6’9″), both have their own podcasts, and both grew up in the New England area.

“Duncan has been a great role model to me,” Swider said. “He’s obviously made it in this league. He’s made a lot of money in this league. He’s played in two NBA Finals and has gone on deep, deep playoff runs. So he’s been a great mentor to me and I’m going to keep picking his brain.”

Robinson is looking to pass the baton and help turn Swider into a Heat rotation staple, according to Chiang, who notes that Robinson credited former teammates Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Ryan Anderson as some veterans who helped him get acclimated to the team.

We have more notes from the Heat:

Almost all of Miami’s rotation regulars will miss Friday’s preseason tilt against the Spurs, Chiang writes in another piece. Only Thomas Bryant, Duncan Robinson, Orlando Robinson and Haywood Highsmith from the standard roster will travel, with the rest of the rotation fleshed out by the team’s Exhibit 10 and two-way players. This will give the Heat an opportunity to gather more information for their upcoming roster decisions, with players like Justin Champagnie and Alondes Williams among those looking to crack the team, Chiang notes. “They’ve been working their tails off, and I want to reward those guys for the work they’ve been putting in,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’ve earned these minutes. We also want to evaluate them.“
Spoelstra was disappointed that Bam Adebayo didn’t receive more recognition on this year’s preseason survey of general managers. Adebayo did not receive a single vote for best defensive player in the NBA, but did receive the third-most votes for most versatile defender in the league, Chiang says in another Herald article. However, Adebayo brushed off the lack of votes in his favor. “They’re just mad because I be locking up their best player. That’s all that is,” Adebayo said.
The Heat have cycled through backup center options for Adebayo in recent seasons, including Cody Zeller and Dewayne Dedmon. Bryant is the next attempt at finding a viable backup for Adebayo, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. The big man posted 15 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday in the preseason, providing optimism that he could be a suitable piece for Miami, Winderman writes. “We’re all encouraged by it,” Spoelstra said. “He has a physical presence in the paint. But he has exceptional touch, as well. … He’s got a variety of different kinds of jump hooks or finishes at the rim. He’s been historically a very good finisher in the paint, so it’s not something new.“

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