With Miami Heat center Omer Yurtseven expected to miss substantial time due to an ankle injury, Orlando Robinson has been brought onto the roster.
Robinson is an undrafted rookie out of California State University, Fresno, and he is committed to making the most out of his NBA opportunity with the Heat.
“It feels great,” Robinson said ahead of Monday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it. As a basketball player, you got to be ready for these type of moments — anything can happen — and I am.”
Yurtseven is expected to undergo surgery on his ankle later this week. He could be out of action for three months. That would give Robinson a lot of time to build up some confidence with the Heat coaching staff.
While it is always a long shot for a player on a two-way contract to stick around on any NBA team for long, this is the exact kind of opportunity undrafted free agents dream of getting.
“After I analyzed the fact that I’m here and I looked at the roster and everything, I saw I have the potential to actually play a little bit,” Robinson said. “Just knowing that, I’m going to just be ready when my time is called just like everybody else and make the most of my opportunity.”
Robinson has already impressed in the G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In four games with the Heat’s G League affiliate, Robinson has averaged 20.0 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting from the field to go along with 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per contest.
While his numbers will likely take a step back in the NBA, it is a good indication that he can produce when given the opportunity.
As for the Heat, Yurtseven’s injury makes things even more difficult from a lineup perspective. The team has been weak in the frontcourt all season long, and now they’re down a big man.
The Heat are currently sitting at the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 6-7. Things have not been going according to plan for the Heat thus far, but they’re still just half a game back from jumping up into the upper half of the standings in the East.
Monday’s game versus the Suns will offer the Heat an opportunity to get a good win over a great team. The Suns are 8-4 on the season, sitting at the No. 4 seed in the West.
After Monday’s matchup, the Heat will have games against the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers to round out the rest of the week.
While it is unclear whether or not Robinson will get any run in any of those games, it seems abundantly clear that he’ll do all he can to take advantage of any opportunity he gets to make a positive impact.
