5 Takeaways from Heat’s Victory over Bucks

The Miami Heat came out in the second night of a back to back against Milwaukee with a purpose. The Heat went from being offensively dominated in yesterday’s game, to utilizing their defensive grittiness with their unique lineups. A couple players shined with Jimmy Butler out, but here are five takeaways from this game….

#1: Turnovers strike early once again, but intensity balances it out.

One of the biggest issues early in yesterday’s game against Milwaukee was turnovers. The same thing happened tonight, except the intensity Miami brought on the defensive end kept them in it. The Bucks had trouble capitalizing on those turnovers since Miami made them play in a half court offense since they love to run. Miami’s defensive starting trio, Bam Adebayo, Avery Bradley, and Andre Iguodala, made this into a gritty defensive game, which plays into Miami’s favor. The turnover issue obviously means some are being careless with the ball, but it seems inevitable on a position-less team. Tyler Herro is still trying to get adjusted to that position, while Bam Adebayo had to take a leap in his offensive load. It was bound to happen, but it needs to be cleaned up quick.

#2: Bam Adebayo begins to play like Bam Adebayo.

After some interesting comments that began to loom about Bam Adebayo on the first night of the back to back, Bam came out with a purpose. For one, he attempted 7 shots in yesterday’s game, but attempted 9 shots in the first half tonight. And that’s all people can ask for. More importantly, he played to his role much better than the night prior, bringing much more intensity on both ends. Although we can discuss the capabilities Bam has in his arsenal, right now he has a certain role that he plays to, and the team needs him to play to. They are very capable of winning basketball games in that fashion, but Jimmy Butler being out makes that a bit harder. But increased shot attempts and offensive aggression is all you can ask for at the moment.

#3: Andre Iguodala and Avery Bradley starting insertions cause defensive disruption.

It was expected that the starting lineup would change after Milwaukee got off to a 12-0 run in last night’s game. They decided to insert Avery Bradley and Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, and it was very effective. I’ve mentioned quite a few times in the past that Avery and Andre seem to play very well on the floor together on the defensive end, since both are high IQ defenders who are huge disruptions with their hands. And after an NBA record shooting the basketball from the Milwaukee Bucks, it was clear defense would be a priority. It’s also a huge positive going forward, since most effective lineups for Miami have to include either Jimmy Butler or Goran Dragic. But finding a lineup that can make some noise, while Goran and Jimmy can rest, will end up being very useful for Miami.

#4: Goran Dragic picks up the offensive load once again.

I expected that Goran Dragic would need to pick up the slack from Jimmy Butler on the offensive end, since losing a veteran that attacks the basket is pretty huge. And after getting some time off in yesterday’s blowout, it was obvious he’d be out on the court for quite some time. It’s continually mentioned that Goran always finds a way to get Miami out of their tough spots, and he battled to do it once again. As discussed prior, turnovers were an issue early in this game, so having Goran take control of the offense was essential. Same thing occurred in the beginning of the second half, since Dragic checked in and got right to work. Some big time triples early in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker as well. Not many expected Goran to have this much of a load this early in the season, but it seems necessary for this team at the moment.

#5: Tyler Herro shines with an impressive overall stat-line.

There’s one overall takeaway from Tyler Herro’s performance in tonight’s game: He played like Tyler Herro. At times in the first few games, he seemed uncomfortable with his new role, since it obviously takes time to get acclimated. But is it about getting acclimated or playing to his strengths? In my opinion, he just needs to do what he does best which is score the basketball in a confident manner. You can just tell when he begins to get into a rhythm offensively, and that is when his play-making abilities begin to shine. There’s a reason he seems to be a better play-maker on the break than in the half-court. And that’s because his passes are instinctive on the break. Everybody is aware that Tyler is a completely different player when playing with confidence, so his indecisiveness will need to fade away for him to thrive.