Erik Spoelstra’s “weird” take on watching the Pistons’ Duncan Robinson

With Miami Heat return Tyler Hero from injury which caused him to miss the start of the season, the team is now at full health ahead of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Since it will be another game in which The Heat will show off their new offenseit will also be the homecoming game Duncan Robinson.

The 31-year-old spent his first seven seasons in Miami, evolving into one of the most dangerous three-point shooters in the league, holding the record for most three-pointers made in franchise history. Playing well with Detroit, he returns after being signed and traded this offseason to the Pistons, with a head coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledging how “weird” it’s watching Robinson not in a Miami uniform.

“It’s going to be weird,” Spoelstra said, according to The Sun Sentinel. “I followed a lot of their games and watched a lot of their highlights. I’m still rooting for Duncan. He’s one of the great success stories from our building. I wrote him a note after the deal, and I told him this before, but I really think his story is so inspiring that it could eventually be a book, a movie.”

The Heat are Erik Spoelstra on the Duncan Robinson journey

Doc Robinson went to the Pistons from the Heat in a sign-and-trade it also led to a deal for Simone Fontecchio, who has played well this season, the 31-year-old’s stay in Miami has been memorable. Even before he played for the Heat, his road to the NBA was a bumpy ride, with Spoelstra praising Robinson for going from a Division III school, transferring to a major university, going undrafted and then carving out a role in the NBA.

“It just doesn’t happen, when you come from Division III, then transfer, be the sixth man (at Michigan), then come into the league and get to 1,000 3-pointers as quickly as he did and break our record for 3-pointers, and then it’s going to keep going,” Spoelstra said.

“It’s just a credit to his strength and courage, just incredible super power. So I’m rooting for him, but it looks weird, him in that uniform, he really is,” Spoelstra continued.

There were memories between Robinson and Miami, but starting a new chapter with the Pistons, he averaged 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. Either way, Miami will be on a seven-game winning streak Saturday when they take on Detroit, who is currently No. 1 in the Eastern Conference at 15-3.