And here I thought that the only reason the Heat were giving Duncan Robinson actual minutes was to piss of Dion Waiters. That’s undoubtedly part of the reason, but an equivalent part of the reason is that he can actually score the ball. So it turns out that if Waiters gets really aggressive and starts openly calling out the Heat coaching staff about why Robinson gets minutes over him, they can somewhat truthfully point to this highlight video as evidence of his efficacy as an NBA player. Highlight videos never lie, they, by their very nature, cannot be made to lie.
Prior to this game, in the 46 minutes he had played over two games, Robinson had only taken a single two-point field goal. It didn’t go in. So I can forgive the Timberwolves for not anticipating the amount of shots he took in the paint tonight. And I can forgive Andrew Wiggins for biting so hard on a pump fake that Robinson had no choice but to go in for an and-one layup. He’d been developing a reputation as one of those dudes who only shoots threes (Luke Babbitt says hello from wherever he is right now, probably his couch), but now we have significant evidence of his scoring prowess in other areas.
This career-high scoring outburst only reinforces the correctness of last year’s decision to bestow on him a very prestigious accolade, the the SBPFMINBAH award. For reference, that’s pronounced “Subpuff Minbah” and stands for “Second Best Player From Maine in NBA History”. Since he was awarded that trophy, there have been no more players born in Maine entering the league, so he retains it. And if he works really hard, keeps scoring 20, and maybe gets an All-Star nod, when can move him up to “BPFMINBAH”. Jeff Turner, you’d better watch your back. Robinson is coming to get YOU!