Who is Heat developmental center Orlando Robinson? And what he’s still working to prove

Draft night did not go as planned for center Orlando Robinson, but the ensuing weeks have.

After moving past the disappointment of going undrafted in last month’s NBA Draft, Robinson committed to join the Miami Heat’s summer league team in part because of the organization’s recent success in developing undrafted centers such as Hassan Whiteside and Omer Yurtseven into contributors.

“I felt that I was in a good spot to get drafted,” Robinson said. “But unfortunately that’s not how the cards were dealt. Now I have an opportunity to play here in Miami, and Miami is a big developmental spot. So I’m just going to take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest, and I’m actually glad to be here. I’ve heard a lot about how Pat Riley and the Miami Heat develop players like Duncan Robinson and a couple other guys. Just seeing that and just knowing my own nature, I feel like Miami is a really good fit for me.”

It didn’t take long for Robinson to then secure an Exhibit 10 contract from the Heat, which typically represents an invite to training camp and an opportunity to compete for one of the team’s two-way deals. He signed the Exhibit 10 contract last week.

“The opportunity is everything to me,” said Robinson, who turned 22 on Sunday. “That’s all I really wanted coming out of the draft, and it’s something that I have right now. And in every summer-league game, with the Exhibit 10 contract, I have more time to show what I can do.”

The Heat evidently also wants more time with Robinson, an intriguing prospect who is listed at 6-11 and 244 pounds and has a 7-4 wingspan.

Entering the Heat’s summer league matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Friday in Las Vegas (10 p.m., NBA TV), Robinson has averaged 8.5 points on 47.4 percent shooting from the field, seven rebounds and 1.2 blocks in six summer league games.

“Obviously, he’s got really good size. He’s all of 6-11, long arms,” Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Malik Allen said of Robinson. “I just think it’ll benefit him, just being in the program, trying to build some consistency. ... He’s got good soft hands. He can catch and finish. He’s got some skill, too, that he’s going to keep developing as he goes.”

Robinson averaged 19.4 points on 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 71.6 percent shooting from the foul line, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game as a junior at Fresno State last season. He became one of two players (the other being Frank Kaminsky for Wisconsin in 2014-15) in NCAA history to accumulate at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.

Robinson also shot 37 of 105 (35.2 percent) from three-point range as a junior after hitting just 28 total threes in his first two college seasons. But with the Heat’s summer league squad, he has only taken four threes and is being used as more of a screener, roller and post-up option.

“Whatever they need me to do offensively or defensively, I’m willing to do,” Robinson said. “My role has been to set good screens, roll to the basket and be a dominant presence at the rim. I feel like that’s what I need to continue to do going forward.”

Considering Robinson’s impressive frame and skill set, why wasn’t he drafted?

The biggest criticism surrounding Robinson entering the draft was his perceived lack of athleticism, as he had the worst standing vertical leap (23 inches) and second-worst max vertical leap (27.5 inches) at this year’s combine. He also had the slowest three-quarter sprint at 3.55 seconds.

“I feel like I made a lot of gains,” Robinson said when asked whether he feels like he was able to improve his body and athleticism during the predraft process. “It’s all about the focus and me knowing what I need to improve on and doing it every day, taking that one percent and contributing that to myself every day. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been seeing it on the court, how I’m moving, how I’m running, getting off screens quicker, jumping quicker, reaction time. So I see it and I’m going to continue to work on that.”

Because of the agility and athleticism concerns, Robinson still has to prove he can defend in space at the NBA level. How that aspect of his game develops could prove to be the difference between a long G League career and a long NBA career.

“Watching film is a big thing for me,” Robinson said of the work he has put in to becoming a better defender. “So every day just making sure I’m working toward getting to this NBA caliber of defense just by working with my coaches and watching film and getting reps in practice and after practice.”

Robinson is also adjusting to a new role on the other end of the court after playing as the focal point of Fresno State’s offense.

“My role has been completely changed from Fresno State to now,” he said. “... I was always capable of playing off the ball. But at Fresno State, I was kind of predominantly the main guy. So anywhere from me setting good screens to me rolling faster to the basket, I’m good at that kind of stuff. So the adjustment has been really easy.”

To stick around in the NBA, it’s a role Robinson will have to get used to.

“If he’s going to make it in this league, that’s what he’s going to have to do because we’re not just going to throw him the ball in the post all the time,” Allen said. “For Orlando, he’s going to have to screen, he’s going to have to roll, he’s going to have to get on the glass. Then there are opportunities where he’s able to get in the post in secondary actions, and those are times that he can go to work. He’s making the adjustment, and he’s really trying to do what we’re asking him to do.

“It’s just a matter of going from one situation where you have the ball in your hands all the time and now you’re the one who’s going to create a lot of action with the way the defense reacts to rolls and things like that.”

Nothing is guaranteed for Robinson. He learned that the hard way when he wasn’t drafted a few weeks ago.

But Robinson is working to make the most of his opportunity with the Heat, which has included summer league games in his hometown of Las Vegas and will continue in the coming weeks with more developmental work in Miami.

“He’s confident. He’s just learning,” Allen said. “That’s where most of our guys are.”

▪ The Heat closes summer league with its fifth and final game in Las Vegas on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers at 11 p.m. on NBA TV.

▪ Former Heat forward KZ Okpala agreed to a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports reported Friday. Okpala played for new Kings coach Mike Brown as a member of the Nigerian national team last summer.