Undrafted center Orlando Robinson making strong impression. How can Heat keep him around?
For a Miami Heat organization that has become known for identifying undrafted prospects with upside and developing them into quality NBA rotation players, this was quite the compliment offered by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
“I think you can make a case that he’s the most improved since summer league,” Spoelstra said of center Orlando Robinson ahead of the Heat’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night at FTX Arena. “That’s not to take away from anybody else, everybody else has improved. But he’s been very consistent and steady with his improvement.”
That’s the type of praise Robinson has earned through his work in the Heat’s player development program after going undrafted out of Fresno State in June. He has also already earned enough trust to play significant minutes in an NBA game.
Robinson, 22, took full advantage of the opportunity. With Heat centers Bam Adebayo, Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven unavailable because of injury and illness, Robinson stepped in to that void to finish Monday’s home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves with career highs in points (15), offensive rebounds (seven), total rebounds (nine) and assists (four) in 27 minutes off the bench that mostly came against three-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year center Rudy Gobert.
“He was the player of the game,” Spoelstra said of Robinson. “He’s very steady. Everybody’s coaching him, teaching him, screaming at him, yelling at him, directing him, and everything in between and he’s very stable. He can take the information, process it and apply it. He really works every single day to be able to produce and be ready for these kind of moments.”
With Dedmon missing his third consecutive game Wednesday against the Lakers because of his ongoing case of left foot plantar fasciitis and Yurtseven expected to be out until at least February, Robinson has a chance to play himself into a more consistent role with the Heat even while on a two-way contract that limits his NBA availability.
The Heat is in need of better play from its backup center spot. Dedmon has played as Adebayo’s backup, and Miami has been outscored by 9.1 points per 100 possessions with Dedmon on the court this season.
Meanwhile, the Heat entered Wednesday outscoring opponents by 9.1 points in the limited NBA minutes that Robinson has logged this season.
“Orlando has played well every single time he’s been on the floor with us after getting called up,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said.
One of the most encouraging aspects of Robinson’s improvement since representing the Heat in summer league is his growth as an offensive player without the ball in his hands.
Robinson made seven baskets to score a career-high 15 points Monday and all of them came from his work off the ball. Three of his makes were assisted on rolls the basket and four of his makes came on putbacks after grabbing an offensive rebound.
“Obviously, in college I didn’t play off the ball barely at all,” Robinson said. “So just knowing my role and just trying to perfect it. Focus on things that I can do to help the team win. Getting people open on screens, rolling, finishing at the basket, rebounding, getting guys open. So I think that’s something that I really focused on.”
Robinson also closed Monday’s win against the Timberwolves with a team-high 11 screen assists that led to 25 points. Those numbers are eye-opening considering Adebayo has averaged 4.6 screen assists to create 11 points per game this season.
“The more I play with all these guys, the more I get to see their tendencies, how they shoot, the way they shoot, how it comes off the rim, what positions I can get the ball and what positions I can put my teammates in to get better shots like Tyler [Herro],” Robinson said. “If I can get him an open three, that’s amazing because everybody wants to double-team him and blitz him. If I can get Max [Strus] an open three or Duncan [Robinson] an open three, that brings value to me and the team. Just understanding that is my role on this team, I feel like that’s something that I got better at.”
While Robinson is with the Heat at the moment to provide depth at center with Dedmon ailing, he has spent most of the season in the G League with Miami’s developmental affiliate. He has flourished there, averaging 22.4 points, 13 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in a featured role.
Robinson also put together an impressive stat line as a junior at Fresno State last season, averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He became one of two players (the other being Frank Kaminsky for Wisconsin in 2014-15) in NCAA history to accumulate at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.
But concerns regarding Robinson’s perceived lack of athleticism led to him going undrafted and eventually landing with the Heat. He had the worst standing vertical leap (23 inches), second-worst max vertical leap (27.5 inches) and slowest three-quarter sprint (3.55 seconds) at this year’s combine.
“Everybody has things that they don’t do well, but it doesn’t define you,” Robinson said. “Somebody told me that I was like the second-worst vertical in the combine. But one good summer, I’m not always going to be able to not jump. So whatever weaknesses you have, just try to build them into strengths. I mean, everybody has their things. Even Michael Jordan, everybody thought he couldn’t shoot and he proved them wrong. It’s just about what you do.”
While on a two-way contract, Robinson can’t be poached away from the Heat by another NBA team. But he’s only permitted to be on the Heat’s active list for 27 more games this regular season, entering Wednesday’s matchup against the Lakers, and he’s not eligible to take part in the NBA playoffs.
The Heat has one open spot on its 15-man roster that it could use to sign Robinson to a standard contract to avoid those restrictions, but converting his two-way to a standard deal would currently push Miami into the luxury tax. The more realistic scenario, if Robinson continues to impress as a viable rotation option, is the Heat slow playing this and waiting until late March — just days before the end of the regular season — to convert his two-way to a standard contract while still remaining under the luxury tax threshold because the prorated minimum salary at that late stage would be so low.
LEBRON DECIDES TO PLAY VS. HEAT
After logging 31 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Magic in Orlando, LeBron James said he would decide Wednesday morning whether he’ll play against the Heat in Miami on Wednesday night on the back end of a back-to-back set.
James ultimately decided to play against his former team.
James, who turns 38 on Friday, has played in both games of a back-to-back just once previously this season. He was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest because of left ankle soreness.
The Lakers are without their other star against the Heat. Anthony Davis remains out with a right foot injury.
For the Heat, Jimmy Butler returned after missing a game with an ankle injury, and Bam Adebayo was expected to return after missing a game with a shoulder injury and a non-COVID illness.
Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) and Caleb Martin (left ankle sprain) also were expected to be available.
Dedmon and Yurtseven were ruled out for Wednesday’s game.
Kyle Lowry missed the game for personal reasons, the team announced shortly before tipoff.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
