GettyErik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat
It seemed like Thomas Bryant would be a solid choice to provide the Miami Heat with much-needed frontcourt depth behind starters Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo when the team signed him as a free agency this offseason. And during the first two weeks of the season, that was accurate. However, it’s been evident in recent days that Orlando Robinson, the new favorite of Erik Spoelstra, has staked a claim to the position and isn’t going to give it up.
Over the past 14 games, Bryant has played 51 minutes, had only five appearances, and was a DNP nine times. With Adebayo out due to a hip injury, Robinson has played 27.5 minutes per game and averaged 12.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in his last three games. He has performed with the tenacity and drive that got him the position.
This week, Spoelstra told reporters, “Orlando, you just have to—he makes you absolutely respect his fortitude and his grit.” He is tenacious in his efforts, in his manner, and in his desire to win everyone around to his point of view. He approaches it with a spirit of rivalry. Every month, he grows better.
He attends school for all of it. When he makes a mistake in any kind of game, he works with assistant coach Malik on tape, and he wants to practice that 10,000 times. which we adore.
Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat values hustle
Orlando Robinson benefits greatly from having signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent in the previous summer and having had a full year to acclimate to the Erik Spoelstra system. Despite the fact that Robinson didn’t really get his shot until a month and a half ago, that gives him an immediate advantage over Bryant.
Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel, a Heat insider, stated last week in his mailbag that Robinson’s energy-filled play and team experience have set him apart.
“What we have here is a player who has been in the Heat system for two seasons and understands the proper way to do things.” Thomas Bryant is still trying to get used to the Heat’s style of play, thus Orlando has an inherent advantage over him, according to Winderman. Orlando Robinson, as I stated after the game, has begun shown his willingness to use hustle and tenacity to make up for his physical deficiencies.
Orlando Robinson’s Shot Getting a Lot of Support
Orlando Robinson was criticized upon graduating from Fresno State College for being an overly traditional big man who preferred to play with his back to the basket and lacked both athletic ability and shooting ability. He took action this year to address the previous problem. Robinson attempted ten shots as a rookie that were more than ten feet from the hoop, but he missed them all. He is 6-for-11 on such attempts this year, and all six of his makes have come from 3-point range.
He isn’t really able to alter his athleticism. However, as Winderman pointed out, he can alter his hustle quotient, and that’s what’s going to keep him in Spo’s rotation.
“From this point on, it’s easy: Follow Erik Spoelstra’s instructions. He’s the third big body, if needed, after Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo. However, that also entails playing with the maximum motor while adhering to the system, as he wrote.
Veteran sports writer Sean Deveney works for Heavy.com, covering the NBA and NFL. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019. A writer of seven nonfiction books, Deveney is the author of “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.”Additional details regarding Sean Deveney.
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