With the way Duncan Robinson has looked so far this season, he's making the Miami Heat's front office look quite foolish. No one will outright say it, but there's reason to believe that Robinson is already making the Heat eat crow about the decision to let him leave in free agency.
It's still relatively early on in the season, but Robinson has looked really good in his starting role for the Detroit Pistons. He's averaging 11 points per game on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range, and the team is quietly sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 7-2 record.
While the Heat will never admit it, one of the bigger reasons why they didn't want to give Robinson the long-term deal he was seeking during the offseason revolved around the fact that they probably believed his best days were behind him.
The Heat will say they were looking to pivot more toward their young core, but when has the Heat willingly let a player leave when they believed he still carried value? Short answer: almost never. I can't imagine Robinson was the exception.
At least through his start to the year, it's pretty clear that the Heat were wrong.
Duncan Robinson would feast in the Heat's offense
And honestly, the Heat probably hasn't felt a huge impact of losing Robinson just yet, but can you imagine how much he'd be feasting in the new fast-paced offense?
Robinson's ability to stretch the floor, to run the lane, and his cutting ability would've been a natural fit in Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra's offensive creation. He would be feasting and would add another layer (in terms of consistent 3-point shooting) that the team currently doesn't have available to them.
Pelle Larsson and Simone Fontecchio have done a great job in helping fill the void on the perimeter, but who knows if this team's 3-point shooting is sustainable over the long run. If it is, they'll certainly have to prove it.
In fact, heading into the start of this season, that's where the big concern was for the Heat. Aside from the injuries, the big question for this new look offense was whether they'd have the consistent 3-point shooting to remain balanced.
Miami has done a great job of answering that concern to begin the season, but there's no question that Robinson on this roster would've helped Spo sleep slightly better at night.
The Heat have to be happy with the results of their offense so far this year, but there's no question they may have made a miscalculation by being so quick to part ways with Robinson. He would've looked great for the Heat in this new offensive scheme.
While it may not be the case right now, I can't help but wonder if there will be a point this season where the Heat will be kicking themselves for missing out on the opportunity to keep Robinson for another year or two.