2018 NBA Summer League Day 2 roundup: Robinson shines for Heat alongside Walton, against Wagner

Old teammates reunited when the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers met Tuesday night for the second day of the NBA Summer League’s California Classic in Sacramento.

The last time Derrick Walton Jr., Duncan Robinson and Mo Wagner met on a court, Walton’s last-second step-back three clanged off the rim as they lost to Oregon 69-68 in the 2017 Sweet Sixteen.

What a difference a year makes. Walton is coming off a year where he averaged 16.1 points a game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce — the Heat’s G-League affiliate. Wagner parlayed a star turn in last year’s tournament into a first-round selection to the Lakers.

As for Robinson, he got a call from Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra last week. Now he has a tryout this summer for an NBA roster spot.

He made the most of his opportunity.

Robinson led all scorers in the first half, pouring in 14 points on four treys to stake the Heat to an 89-74 victory. He also did this.

Yesterday’s recap brought up the magic number “6” for Robinson and Michigan last year (when he scored six or more points, Michigan went 28-0). He surpassed that mark just minutes into the first quarter, hitting three shots from deep before the first media timeout.

Robinson finished with 19 points on nine shots, grabbed four rebounds, dished out two assists and was plus-28 on the night.

His current teammate Walton opted to facilitate his teammates to the tune of six assists. On one of Robinson’s threes, they a executed pick-and-pop that hearkened to their old John Beilein days. He chipped in only four points on six shots, the one basket being a pull-up three in the second quarter.

Before talking about Wagner, a note from his game last night. Despite the headlines about Marvin Bagley posterizing him, Wagner out-produced him by any measure. He scored 23 points to Bagley’s 18, snared one more carom and made the No. 2 pick look foolish on this array of moves.

Last night was a mixed bag. Wagner needed nine shots to get to eight points, but nailed a contested three and dazzled on a spin to the lane in the second quarter.

The few times the Lakers found an offensive rhythm was when they ran plays through Wagner. He ran the point on a high-ball screen that led to an open three, and utilized a low-post screen for a wide-open dunk. The rest of the Laker offense was an overly generous serving of iso-ball.

Defensively, he closed on and blocked a Derrick Jones, Jr. jumper and started a fast break with an entry-pass steal. He also racked up four fouls in the first half and fouled out by the third quarter. For the 10-minute quarters of the Summer League, that foul rate is too high.

The night belonged to Robinson, though. With Spoelstra in attendance and grinning, he may be making enough noise to get a second look.

The Summer League takes a holiday break tomorrow and resumes play Thursday. Wagner and the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors at noon (ESPN3), while Robinson, the Heat follow that up on against the Kings at 2:00 p.m (ESPN3).