Duncan Robinson: From Division III to 1000 Threes in the NBA

Yesterday's showdown between the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons delivered more than just a thrilling 104-101 victory for the Heat - we witnessed NBA history in the making. Duncan Robinson, with his stellar 30-point performance, while shooting 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, became the fastest player in NBA history to reach the milestone of 1000 three-pointers made. He did so in just 344 games, surpassing the previous record by 6 games.

While many might have expected the legendary Steph Curry to remain the record holder, it was actually previously held by Buddy Hield who achieved the feat in 350 games while playing for the Sacramento Kings. Before Hield, the record belonged to Luca Doncic, who reached this incredible milestone in 351 games.

Growing up in the small town of New Castle, New Hampshire (population of just under 1000), the idea of playing in the NBA likely never even crossed the mind of young Duncan Robinson, given his modest height. Luckily for him, between his freshman and senior year of high school, he grew from 5’7 to 6’7. Unfortunately, this growth spurt didn’t lead to any Division I college offers.

Instead, Robinson started his college career playing Division III basketball at Williams College. While playing there, he averaged 17.1 ppg (points per game), shooting 45.3% from three point range, and was even named the Division III National Rookie of the Year (2014). After a heart-wrenching 75-73 loss to the Wisconsin-Whitewater in the national title game, Robinson's recognition soared as he earned the title of Division III All American, catching the eye of scouts nationwide.

In his second year of college, he transferred to Michigan (one of the top Division I programs in the country), where he had varied success due to limited minutes. Over his three-year tenure, spanning 115 games, he started in 49, averaging 9.3 ppg and an impressive 41.9% shooting accuracy from beyond the arc.

Despite not being a full-time starter, he didn’t miss a single game in his three seasons with the Wolverines, showcasing his dedication to the game. In his final year of college, Robinson won Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year (2018) and became the first player ever to play in both a Division I and Division III college championship game. Sadly, both games resulted in defeat, as the Wolverines lost in the NCAA tournament final to Villanova 79-62

Knowing he wasn’t going to be a top pick, Robinson took all the NBA team workouts he could get that. Although he still didn’t get drafted, his workouts caught the attention of Miami Heat scouts, which led to the team’s head coach, Erik Spoelstra, inviting him to play in the NBA Summer League. In 5 games he averaged 12.4 ppg, while shooting 58% (22-for-38) from the field, including 63% (17-for-27) on three-point shots. His impressive shooting skills earned him a two-way contract with the Miami Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce, in July of 2018.

In the 2018/19 season, he played 15 games for the Miami Heat (only starting in one of them) and 33 games for Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA G-League. That offseason, his contract was converted to a standard two-year deal, which saw him receive a significant pay bump from his previous two-way deal.

The following season, Robinson also saw a big increase in playing time, starting in 68 out of the 73 regular season games he played in. His real breakout performance came in the NBA bubble during the 2019/20 playoffs and was an integral part of the Miami Heat’s run to the finals that year. During that playoff run, he scored 62 threes in 21 games, becoming one of only six players to hit more than 60 threes in a single postseason (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jayson Tatum, JR Smith, and Jamal Murray).

During an interview on the Jalen & Jacoby podcast, Jalen Rose asked Robinson “How did your jumper get so wet?”. Robinson’s response was refreshingly simple: “There’s no secret, people are always looking for one, but the secret is just in the sweat”. He attributed much of his success to consistent practice and muscle memory, emphasizing that hard work outshines talent.

Having signed a 5-year $90 million dollar deal in August 2021, he’s doing pretty well for someone without a single offer coming out of high school. At the time (before the Rockets signed Fred VanVleet to a 3 year $128.5 million dollar contract in July of 2023), this was the highest contract ever signed by an undrafted player in NBA history.

Considering the fact that less than 2% of Division I players make the NBA, and that only a handful of Division III players have ever played in the league, what Duncan Robinson has done to beat the odds is truly incredible. As Miami’s all time leading three-point shooter in both the regular season and playoffs, it’ll be interesting to see how many games it takes him to get to 2000 threes and if he can beat Steph Curry’s record of doing so in just 597 games.

If Duncan Robinson's journey inspired you, you might find my previous article intriguing. In it, I explore the Denver Broncos' decision to release their starting quarterback, which resulted in a record-breaking dead cap hit for the organization. In-fact the dead cap hit triggered by this release was so big, that it was more than the two previous records combined! Click here to read more about Russell Wilson's turbulent ride with the Denver Broncos.

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