Tyler Herro recently offered praise for teammate Duncan Robinson’s shooting ability while jokingly offering a not-so-humble opinion of his own shot.
Robinson became the Miami Heat’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made on Friday night, with Herro proudly noting Robinson’s work ethic that made the record possible.
“He’s always been one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen. The best shooter I’ve ever seen besides myself,” Herro said with a smile. “But ever since I’ve been here, he’s been a guy who comes in and works hard every single day no matter what the results were the night before. I think everything he’s gone through just to stay ready, I’m just happy for him with where he’s at now and obviously being able to break the record. That’s big time.”
Robinson signed a two-way contract with the Heat as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and eventually worked his way into the team’s lineup. Collegiately, he played first at Williams College before transferring to the University of Michigan.
Those humble beginnings likely serve as the reason why Robinson has continued to tirelessly work on his game. After his trio of 3-pointers against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, he now has 807 triples in his Heat career, passing Tim Hardaway’s former record of 806.
Robinson’s value as a 3-point shooter resulted in his current contract, a lucrative five-year deal worth $90 million. There have been critics of the Heat’s decision to pay Robinson that much money, with some claiming that he is a one-dimensional player who’s sometimes inconsistent.
The 28-year-old has struggled at times in recent seasons, but he’s certainly capable of being a major weapon for Miami.
The rapid pace with which Robinson achieved the team 3-point record is indicative of just how dangerous he can be in that area. Robinson needed just 265 regular season games to get past Hardaway, who required 367 games to compile his number.
Of course, the frequency of the 3-pointer in the current era is much higher than it was when Hardaway played for the Heat. Still, Hardaway entered the NBA as a first-round pick in 1989 and joined the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year, in comparison to Robinson’s determined move up the ladder.
Robinson’s team record certainly doesn’t mean that he’ll follow in Hardaway’s footsteps and become a Hall of Famer. It doesn’t even guarantee that he’ll remain in a Heat uniform for the duration of his current contract, considering trade rumors that have circulated.
However, the Heat are certainly happy about the career Robinson has had since he joined the team years ago.
