Full Miami Heat Media Day Recap

The Miami Heat kicked off media day early this morning with some familiar faces, while mixing in some unfamiliar faces. Erik Spoelstra, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Lowry all discussed this team heading into the season.

Spoelstra was up first, and he gave the injury news up front. He said he doesn’t have a timeline on Victor Oladipo at the moment, adding, “He’s had a tremendous off-season…There’s sunshine ahead.”

I don’t think we’re going to be hearing anything about a specific timeline any time soon, so I wouldn’t get any hopes up for that. But there’s no rush for him this regular season. Just heal, prepare, and repeat.

Now, of course Spo jumped right into the overarching topic of this Heat team: Kyle Lowry. Initially mentions he always think of that half-court heave in game one that sent the game to overtime a few years back.

“He’s a great winner. He knows how to impact winning,” Spo says. “His mind of the game is as high as anybody in this league, and I’m looking forward to learning from him.”

When talking from an X’s and O’s standpoint, which I personally enjoy much more, he touched on something that has been discussed all off-season: “He also has a unique way of playing off the ball.”

That is very much the case, and it’s very much needed on a team with Butler and Adebayo who can truly control a game with the ball in their hands. And speaking of controlling a game with the ball in hand, that’s one of Spo’s favorite tendencies when evaluating Lowry.

“Getting easy baskets and generating a pace where guys will run and know they will get the ball…His pace is one of the things I dreaded most competing against him.”

Coach Spo on PJ Tucker:

"The way he competes and puts himself out there just screams Miami Heat culture."

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) September 27, 2021

Spo also touched on the other newcomers, in PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris, which noted our first culture comment of the day. When talking about Tucker, he said, “The way he competes and puts himself out there just screams Miami Heat culture. He’s fierce, he’s tough, he’s edgy.”

His opinion on Morris, on the other hand, was a lot of looking in the past, as he noted, to his days on the Washington Wizards.

“Versatility, positional size, 4 or 5. I really respect how he has played a lot of different roles in different programs in this league,” Spo adds.

Coach Spo on Bam Adebayo's off-season focus:

"Bam is one of the most unique younger players in this league…He has an incredible iron will and work ethic that is going to develop his game."

"That's why I've called him no ceiling."

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) September 27, 2021

This led to the finishing touches of Spo’s presser, talking about some of those familiar faces. “He has an incredible iron will and a work ethic that will continue to grow his game,” Spo said about Adebayo. “That’s why I’ve called him no ceiling.”

When Tyler Herro’s name was brought up, he mentioned that the most important thing for him was to “handle some adversity, handle when the narrative changes.”

He said that he had a great off-season and it was a springboard from last season. Even adding, “Everything his first year was roses and compliments.”

And well, last season seemed to be quite the opposite from the public. Spo replied that it’s funny since his second year was better statistically, but obviously the narrative shifted.

He ended this topic by saying Herro gained 10+ pounds over that span. “He changed his body.”

Bam Adebayo says his focus has been "shooting":

"I wanna be a shooter."

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) September 27, 2021

When Bam Adebayo began listing the things he worked on in the off-season, there was an interesting starting point. “Obviously shooting,” he said.

He then reiterated that statement down the line: “I wanna be a shooter.” And when asked if he will attempt more than one three a game, he laughed and gave a one word answer.

“Yeah.”

The reason for that being important isn’t because he worked on it for a couple months this off-season. It isn’t because he told the public that he’s willing to work it into his game. But instead, that he said it with confidence.

Since well, if that three-point shot is going to be effective this season, confidence needs to be aligned all the way through.

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He then began to talk about potentially chasing specific accolades like Defensive Player of the Year, which he said, “It’s deeper than accolades. Everybody in this league chases something…I love when people doubt me. I feel like a chip will make a monster.”

(Feel like I’ve heard that same statement from a close teammate of his.)

Anyway, he continued on that notion, “I  don’t think that chip will ever leave. It’s embedded in me.” Adebayo mentioned that he likes to try and find stuff to motivate him daily, even “UD’s rebounding record.”

Bam Adebayo says, "I love when people doubt me… I try to find stuff that will motivate me, like UD's rebounding record."

"Seeing what D-Wade did…That's something I want to do, that's something I wanna be a part of."

— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) September 27, 2021

Finally, it’s important to mention the Lowry addition will be huge for Adebayo’s success. Butler’s continued play-making willingness will drive his game further as well. But nothing seems to be as important as the duo of Adebayo and Duncan Robinson.

When I asked about that expansion, Adebayo replied, “Keep building that connection as a lethal threat. The more our games grow, that’s what makes it more lethal and it’ll make it unstoppable.”

Lowry says Butler is "different, in that he's a little bit more crazy. He wears his emotion on his sleeve. Whereas the other 2 I played with, Demar and Kawhi, they are a little more quiet."

— Five Reasons Sports (@5ReasonsSports) September 27, 2021

One of my main takeaways from any Heat presser today occurred when Lowry was at the podium. Not his Heat-like demeanor. Not his unselfishness and willingness to make others better. Not even his comments about Butler when he wasn’t in the room.

Instead, it was the back and forth joking manner between Lowry and Butler in the middle of the presser, as if they’ve been teammates for 10 years. Some stuff just exceeds the X’s and O’s, and that’s exactly what this duo will do.

Between self promoting his brand while Lowry is talking or Lowry laughing at Butler’s braids, it just works.

My second big takeaway from today was something Butler said when talking about Lowry’s impact. “He takes a lot of pressure off myself, off Bam…He gives Bam the room to just go, and be who you are, and not worry about too much else.”

That last part matters. A lot.

Adebayo may not have a ceiling, but the peak he reaches will be how far this team goes. “Just going” will be huge for him this upcoming season.

My final overarching takeaway is about something that wasn’t said. Actually wasn’t said at all.

In a 30-40 minute Erik Spoelstra presser, Butler’s name didn’t come up. Neither by question or throughout an answer of this team, essentially the team’s best player wasn’t brought up.

That’s rare, but that just says a lot about this team. Does the public take Butler for granted? Is there so much consistency from him that there’s nothing new to know?

In these environments, his personality is the shining light, while his game is somewhere in the background awaiting opening night on October 21st against the Milwaukee Bucks. And that’s a scary thing.

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