Tag Archive for: Avery Bradley

The Miami Heat have their Own Marcus Smart

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In my opinion, Marcus Smart is one of the biggest X-Factors for that Boston Celtics team.

An emerging Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown are the most talented on the roster, and do the most heavy lifting, but Smart is what truly put that team over the top in the past and currently.

And well, it seems as if Miami may have found their own Marcus Smart in Avery Bradley. There was a bit of uncertainty before the season about what Avery can specifically bring to this Heat team other than perimeter defense, and I’d say his offensive fit has been even more intriguing.

His outside jumper has looked good through the first six games, and he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and control the mid-range. His offensive feel allows him to fit in Miami’s motion offense, since he seems to constantly be in the right place at the right time off of cuts and things of that nature.

Other than Marcus Smart’s better play-making abilities, they bring pretty similar things to their respective teams.

One of the main reasons Miami felt good about playing Milwaukee last season was that their scheme with Jae Crowder worked perfectly against Giannis Antetokounmpo. And I believe they feel the same way this year, but this time against Boston.

Miami has the luxury of putting Avery Bradley on Marcus instead of Goran Dragic, while Goran will still be guarded by Smart. That will open up many opportunities for Avery to make some plays on the offensive side of the ball, which can ultimately be the reason they win the game.

Bradley has a much different role than Smart has with Boston, since Smart has much more weight on his shoulders, but they’re equally important for their respective teams.

Not only will Avery be the X-Factor tonight for Miami, but more importantly in a playoff series if they were to meet in the postseason once again.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Blowout Loss to Milwaukee

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It was clearly a tough night for the Miami Heat, in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on the first night of a back to back. The Milwaukee Bucks were scorching on the offensive side of the ball all night, but Miami obviously have some things that need to be touched up as well. Either way, here are five takeaways…

#1: Early turnovers occur for Miami, which is problematic against Milwaukee especially.

It’s no secret that Miami played pretty poorly early in this game against Milwaukee, and one thing the Bucks do is take advantage of your mistakes. Well, that’s exactly what they did, getting out to a 12-0 lead to begin the game. Milwaukee loves to run the floor, and when turnovers begin to occur carelessly, that is what they will automatically begin to do. Now, not having Jimmy Butler plays a huge role in turnover issues, due to losing a primary play-maker, but there’s still no excuse for sloppy basketball. Luckily, Miami gets to hit the floor against the same team, in the same building, tomorrow night, and it’s clear that Erik Spoelstra will be ready to make adjustments.

#2: Tyler Herro gets into an offensive rhythm, which may be only positive from this game.

If there was anything good to takeaway from this game, it was that Tyler Herro finally looked like Tyler Herro. He seemed to lack a bit of confidence in his overall offensive game in the first two regular season games, which is unusual for Tyler. One thing I’ve mentioned is that it’ll take some time for him to get acclimated to his role in the starting lineup, and it still may take a little bit longer. But getting his shooting and scoring going was a huge step. It seemed that he was unsure if he wanted to pass or shoot at times to begin the season, but he just needs to play to his natural talent which is scoring the basketball. All he needed was one performance like this to get him rolling, which is why this is the positive takeaway from this game.

#3: Bam Adebayo lacks initiative on offense, mostly with reluctant jumper.

It’s very different discussing Bam Adebayo after a game in a type of negative connotation, but he just plainly was not himself. In a game that Jimmy Butler wasn’t playing, it was going to be essential that he took initiative on offense to not just direct traffic with his passing, but also scoring the ball. He had plenty of open mid-range jumpers early in the game, but he just refused to even look toward the basket at times. It feels as if people have been saying this for quite some time now, but it just comes down to confidence with his jumper. I expected him to attack the basket early in the game, but that did not occur either. But as I mentioned previously, Miami will face off against Milwaukee in a little less than 24 hours, and I’m sure we will see a much more aggressive Bam tomorrow.

#4: Avery Bradley looks impressive on both ends once again.

Although there aren’t many positives from this blowout loss to Milwaukee, I can’t let Avery Bradley’s individual performance go unnoticed. He played for the first time with the Miami Heat on Christmas Day, and was a big reason for their win over the Pelicans after shutting down JJ Redick. But once again, Avery showed flashes throughout that he can make some noise with one-on-one defense by beating over screens and things of that nature. He also didn’t look too bad offensively, showing that he has the ability to knock down the three, as well as get to the mid-range area and utilize his floater. It’s hard to discuss him shining on both ends in a game where they’re trailing by 30 for most of the night, but just know Avery will win Miami some games throughout this season.

#5: The importance of Jimmy Butler shines tonight.

One broad takeaway from this game against Milwaukee was that the impact of Jimmy Butler is greater than you may have thought. Everybody knows what Jimmy does for this team, but just his presence on the floor is impact alone. As I mentioned before, losing his play-making tonight plays a huge role in this game. One example is Duncan Robinson, since it’s clear that Jimmy’s ability to attack the basket allows Duncan to get some room on the perimeter. The same goes for everybody on the floor though, since the entire team is just much more comfortable when Jimmy is on the floor. But as the players have said in their press conferences, it is next man up. It just comes down to that next man playing Miami Heat basketball.

Miami’s Free Agency Acquisitions: Adjusting Some Things

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Not to dive into one preseason game too much, but newcomers finally hit the floor for Miami, which gave a better look on how they should probably be utilized.

To start off with Avery Bradley, he’s a solid player who even showed some things that weren’t expected. He’s a much better passer than originally expected, as well as his ability to facilitate on offense.

One thing that stood out as well though was shot selection. Now, he may just be trying to get some shots up to get back into the swing of things, but some jumpers weren’t shots the coaching staff would want him taking on a regular basis.

I believe he has some offensive limitations, but he didn’t look bad when running the pick and roll, which goes back to his passing abilities.

I also believe his defensive presence was looked at in a different way than what he actually is. Many portrayed him as the point of attack defensive fix, but he actually strived in other areas. Obviously it seemed crazy when Spo said he can guard 1-4, but what he meant is that his physicality allows him to do it.

Overall though, you can see how he can fit in with this group, and just wait until he gets the other veterans around him.

Moe Harkless, on the other hand, has been getting called the Jae Crowder replacement since his signing in Miami, while I’ve been saying that he’s much more of the Derrick Jones Jr replacement. And that mostly has to do with the physical aspect, since he just doesn’t have the same size that Crowder had to guard bigger guys.

Moe hit a corner three early in the first quarter, and that’s exactly what you need him to do. If he can hit the open corner three efficiently throughout the season, then he’s automatically fit the role.

Both of these guys are “plug and play” guys, as Coach Erik Spoelstra has said, but I feel like seeing them on the floor finally means they will adjust some things in their game.

Don’t be surprised if we see Spo utilize them both in different ways than they were last night, and that ultimately can be a huge leap for this team before the beginning of the regular season.

Avery Bradley: “They Don’t Take Plays Off”

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Avery Bradley spoke with media this afternoon following the third day of training camp.

There were a few things that were mentioned many times throughout this presser, which was the word “intensity.”

He started off by saying, “You can just feel the energy and intensity in practice.” He followed that discussing the reason he thinks Miami is the perfect fit. He mentioned, “The way they approach the defensive end and all play for each other.”

Defense is clearly the main attribute when discussing Avery Bradley, but he isn’t thinking about individual defensive goals. He said, “We have a goal to be one of the top defenses in the league.”

That mostly had to do with playing with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, since he described how they can be successful together on the defensive end.

Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn came up as well, which Avery said, “They’re great players, but most importantly they’re just great dudes.” He went on to say that he admired them for a while throughout the bubble, but getting to know them was what stood out even more.

Erik Spoelstra mentioned yesterday that Avery Bradley can guard 1-4. When Bradley was asked about guarding opposing 4’s, he responded, “I do think the way the league is going, most 4’s are playing outside…I do like the challenge, my whole life I’ve been guarding guys taller and bigger than me…That’s what made me the defender that I am.”

The overall consensus from the media session is that he truly admires the Miami Heat’s body of work, and has been for a long time, since he said, “My family and friends always said you need to play for the Miami Heat.”

And well, now he’s here. And as he said, he’s ready to get started in that first preseason game.

Media Zoom Call with Heat’s Moe Harkless, Avery Bradley

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Both of Miami’s free agency acquisitions spoke with media today, and there was one word that floated around frequently.

Culture.

Moe Harkless talked about picking Miami, saying “You look at the culture, you look at the way they play.” He mentioned that there were a few teams that he was considering, but Miami was the clear fit.

He discussed the team’s success last year as well, saying “When things got harder, they fought harder.” And with the entire league watching from home, that clearly shot through the television screen.

He singled out Jimmy Butler, since he mentioned he’s exited to learn from him, since he’s “one of the hardest working players in the league.”

Moe was also asked what intrigues him the most about playing with Jimmy and Bam. He responded, “They leave everything out there on the floor…You watch Jimmy play, he’s constantly pointing to his teammates. Bam does the same thing.”

Avery Bradley also talked about his excitement for joining the Miami Heat, saying “I always felt if I ever had an opportunity to play here, I’d fit in perfect.”

He also made sure to set his goals straight, which are led by a personal goal of being on the All Defensive team once again, as well as winning a championship.

Avery also mentioned the team’s success this past season, saying “I feel like a lot of people aren’t even talking about our team. And they were just in the Finals.”

And well, that’s gonna be the case at all times when you join the Miami Heat.

To end it off, he gave some love to bunch of people individually. He praised Erik Spoelstra and his coaching staff for his success in the past, as well as getting the most out of every player.

Then when discussing the Miami Heat’s stars, he said, “Jimmy being one, Bam being one, and Tyler being an emerging star.”

Both Bradley and Harkless are very ready to get started with this Heat team, and lucky for them, training camp beings in exactly one week.

Avery Bradley Signs with Miami Heat

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Well, there it is. The Miami Heat got their point of attack defender, and he’s a very good one.

Avery Bradley reached a deal with the Miami Heat, worth $11.6 Million over two years.

It was also reported by Shams that Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler recruited him to leave Los Angeles, and he was sold on the culture.

Of course he was sold on the culture, since he has the gritty and tough mentality that the Miami Heat tend to love.

If Miami could build their ideal point of attack defender, I’m pretty sure he’d end up looking a lot like Avery Bradley.

Pick you up full court. Great one-on-one defender. Great team defender.

And once again like I’ve continually mentioned, this was Miami’s plan all along. They knew they were going to try and go after a bunch of perimeter defenders, since they already have their offensive talents on the roster.

And by the way, let’s not just label Bradley as a straight defender. He was a very solid offensive player during his tenure with Boston, since he lingered around 15 points per game during that time.

And not only did he shoot 36% from three this past season, he has shot 36% from three over his entire career. Of course I wouldn’t label him as 3 and D, but he’s pretty close. And with this team, you’d rather 70% defense and 30% shooting from your guard than 50/50.

And the price makes it even better, since you’re getting an immediate contributor for a little under $6 Million a year.

And most importantly, if Jimmy Butler wanted him here, there’s a reason.

Once again, Jimmy doesn’t want a Tyler Herro replacement, he wants a Tyler Herro complement.

And he got one. Miami has made it very clear where their mind is with this team.

For one, they’re keeping their core intact while filling out the roster with fitting parts. And second, they’re fully focused on 2021 free agency.

Jae Crowder signed a 3 year $30 Million deal with the Phoenix Suns, but like I’ve said all along, they had a back-up plan ready. And this is a pretty solid back-up plan.

Welcome to Miami, Avery Bradley.