MIAMI — As he discussed a season spent sideways before plummeting in the playoffs, Miami Heat president Pat Riley bristled at the notion of a roster grown stale.
You work, you grow, you improve, Riley said of the possibilities in place.
He was speaking in generalities.
He could have been speaking about Duncan Robinson.
For all the strides from the likes of Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, even the 3-point shooting of Bam Adebayo, arguably the Heat’s most improved player in 2023-24 was Duncan Robinson.
No longer was it 3-pointer or bust. And no longer was he playing himself off the floor defensively.
So, yes, there were some votes for Robinson for the NBA Most Improved Player award that went to Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.
But as for the notion of getting back to himself after an uneven run in 2022-23, that’s where Robinson put the brakes on the analysis, as the Heat entered into this extended offseason.
“I think from like a public-facing standpoint, I improved, right?” he said, a notion coach Erik Spoelstra and Riley have seconded over their past week, during their exit interviews. “I would push back on got back to being me, as well, because that would imply I in theory left or was somewhere else. I think the biggest thing, the area of improvement was the mentality and the culmination of a lot of work.”
From trade chip almost immediately from the moment he signed his latest contract, including nearly being dealt during the 2022 NBA draft, Robinson worked his way back into the rotation. When his progress was short circuited by a back issue during the just-completed Heat postseason, the Heat were also irreparably short circuited. Their lack of 3-point shooting otherwise was exposed.
“People want to look at a year that you make a jump and point to the previous summer, like all of a sudden the past summer I did all these things I’ve never done before,” Robinson said. “I’m a very routine-oriented person. I basically did the same thing that I’ve always done.
“You make tweaks and adjustments after a season, of course. But I think the biggest thing was the mentality shift. And I think part of that comes with experience and part of that comes with maturity, being in this league a little bit longer. And confidence, it’s huge, it’s compounding. You experience a little success doing something and it grows, and I think that is really what it was, to be honest with you.”
When Robinson signed his current five-year, $90 million contract in the 2021 offseason, there were more than a few askew glances. Now, due $19.4 million next season and $19.9 the following season, it essentially comes off a value deal in today’s NBA salary stratosphere.
“The goal is to keep pushing,” Robinson said during his candid and expansive media exit interview, sitting for a session several of the Heat’s leading men bypassed. “This offseason, the same sort of thing, get healthy, but then keep building it and come back as a better version of myself.
“I just turned 30, which is crazy. But what might even be crazier is I still think I’m far from a finished product. And maybe people say 28 to whatever is your prime, but I feel like prime is still ahead of me, so we’ll see.”
Three days after Robinson spoke, Riley spoke of a Heat offense in need of retooling, one that finished 21st in offensive rating during the regular season, 14th of the 16 teams during these ongoing playoffs.
To Robinson, the pieces are there.
From here, just as he has made it an ongoing process, he said it’s about looking within for improvement.
“I think the intention is there and I think the personnel is there, truthfully,” he said. “I think a big part of it is continuity, establishing a level of rhythm. So much of offense is you can only run so many sets. It’s got to be just sort of basketball acumen and intelligence that you grow within a group. And you got to have some level of continuity. And this year we lacked that.
“We had different stretches of the season where we really were playing different ways on offense. And it’s not anyone’s fault. Obviously it starts with us players, we’ve got to figure it out. But I do think we have all the pieces and tools this year and hopefully in future years to be a good offense. It ultimately falls on us as the players to really figure out out.”
