New Pistons Signing Duncan Robinson Reveals Surprising Aspect of Offseason Prep

Duncan Robinson has enjoyed a surprisingly productive and lucrative NBA career.

After going undrafted out of Michigan in 2018, Robinson latched on with the Miami Heat's Summer League. An impressive showing led to a two-way contract, and he was toggled between the Heat and their NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for much of 2018-19. He finally had his deal converted to a standard roster contract in April 2019, having set multiple Skyforce three-point shooting records.

The next year served as Robinson's coming-out party at the NBA level. Miami brought in six-time All-Star wing Jimmy Butler and drafted rookie guard Tyler Herro out of Kentucky in the bottom of the lottery, while big man Bam Adebayo improved his game to an All-Star level.

Robinson emerged as a massive sharpshooting release valve for the Heat's more ball-dominant stars (that triumvirate plus veteran point guard Goran Dragic), averaging 13.5 points while slashing an elite .470/.446/.931 line, plus 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.5 steals a night. That group shocked the world in their playoffs together, marching all the way to the 2020 NBA Finals.

In the summer of 2021, Robinson inked a five-season, $90 million free agent deal with the Heat — the largest sum ever given, at the time, to an undrafted player. Robinson went on to build out his game as a scorer inside the three-point arc, and became a more versatile offensive threat by the time Miami returned to the NBA Finals in 2023.

This summer, Robinson agreed to a three-season, $45 million deal to join the Detroit Pistons — another rising contender in the Eastern Conference — and return to Michigan as part of a sign-and-trade.

Per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, Robinson revealed that his offseason preparation has extended to his mental health, as well as growing his physical tools.

“Having resilience has been, sort of, the calling card of who I aspire to be,” the 31-year-old said. “I’m a big believer in that, learning how to deal with setbacks and challenges is a skill as much as shooting or dribbling. And the skill is honed and acquired through repetition. The only way you can get better at dealing with it is having gone through it. So, that’s one area of my career where I feel like I’ve been very fortunate is that from a young age."

Last season, the 6-foot-7 swingman averaged 11.0 points on .437/.393/.887 shooting splits, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds across 74 contests for the embattled Heat.

"I was challenged early on, (asking myself), ‘Is this what you want to do? Is this what you want to be?’ And I always just kept coming back to, ‘Yeah, I mean, this is. I love basketball more than anything. It’s what I do, not necessarily who I am," Robinson added. "But in terms of the game itself, it’s given me more than I ever could imagine.”