Tag Archive for: Bam Adebayo

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pacers

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The Heat faced the Pacers just hours before the deadline on Wednesday night, as Bam Adebayo shines yet again.

He’s had big time offensive nights, but when it comes to that knockdown jumper: this is at the top.

Some takeaways from this one….

#1: The Heat come out with a hot offensive first quarter.

With not much focus on an actual basketball game being played tonight, the Heat came out with a surprising amount of energy. The offense was moving extremely well, as they were hitting shots from the outside and finding back-door cutters often. That interior play led to 9 first quarter free throw attempts. Gabe Vincent was the story of that early quarter, as he walked into an immediate 11 points, which is some awkward timing. The trade deadline hours away, and Kyle Lowry on the top of everybody’s mind, he found his offensive comfort in a heavy off-ball role. Spot-up threes and some PnR play got him going. That got the Heat up to 39 points in that opening quarter, but inconsistency struck again.

#2: Bam Adebayo’s high isos and elbow jumpers…

Bam Adebayo’s game has become simple on the offensive end. Not in terms of role, but in terms of approach. To finish the first quarter, he dribbles down the open floor with an expiring clock, and flows into a deep fade-away jumper at the buzzer doesn’t even hit rim. Shortly after to begin the second quarter, limited time left on the shot clock, he fades at the same spot for the same shot. Bucket. Those rhythm shots turned into a full-out elbow jumper display off every pocket pass and isolation. He was getting to the line as well, but it wasn’t in a Jimmy Butler grind it out style. The jumper was dictating. The pump-fake just kept finding buyers. He finished with 20 points in the first half alone. His scoring levels have become extremely fluid, and they fit the playoff style so well.

#3: Noting some issues, plus the TJ McConnell game.

We often talk about random scrub Heat killers, but TJ McConnell always seems to find his game against the Heat in recent years. He knows the primary spot he can score from, Miami knows the primary spot he can score from. But sometimes that’s just a shot you’ll live with in context of the offense. That was the case in the first half, where he ran off 16 early points in that short mid-range area. As much as I talked about the Heat’s early flow, they still trailed by 3 at half. Even more importantly, they gave up 63 points to this Pacers team in 24 minutes. In big picture, no matter what the roster looks like, the Heat will figure out how to operate within top ranked defenses. But this just sums up the inconsistencies way too often. Shooting variants, coverage variants. That’s what makes playoff projections tough at times due to the wide range of the unknown of who you are getting exactly.

#4: Jimmy Butler willing his way to buckets.

As much as I discussed Bam utilizing his strengths, Jimmy Butler was doing the same heading into the third quarter. Let me start by saying the Pacers are a team that defends Butler much differently than any other team in league. The match-up that Butler usually searches for, already sits there on a platter as their small guard Andrew Nembhard is his match-up each game they’ve played. It’s not a total disadvantage since they constantly shade help, but it shifts Butler’s original approach. In that third quarter, we saw him just willing his way to the basket. Embracing contact, fading for and-1’s in mid-air. Playing off misses and dump-offs around the rim. He was in his element, and most of all, he was playing with a certain level of intensity. Butler and Bam finding their way…just hours before the deadline.

#5: Hours away from the cut-off.

On a night that the Heat played a game against the Pacers, with their two top dogs in Butler and Bam leading the way, it didn’t even feel like a game night. All of the focus seems to be on that 3 o’clock deadline tomorrow afternoon, as they search for any type of improvement. We’ve talked enough names, but I just want to discuss it in the context of this game. Watching Bam Adebayo not hit rim on any jumper. Seeing Jimmy Butler score whenever he chooses it’s necessary. Get them the help they most definitely deserve. We often headline this point with Butler’s window, but what about Bam’s surge? He’s playing at an incredible level right now, and that shouldn’t be wasted either. Let’s just see how this plays out, hours away from the cut-off.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Knicks

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The Miami Heat played the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, and Bam Adebayo was showing out fresh off an All-Star nod.

It was another night of an absolute grind though on both ends, resulting in a Heat loss in the final seconds.

Some takeaways…

#1: Bam Adebayo, the two-time All Star, showing out in the Garden.

Shortly before tipoff, the All-Star reserves were released, as Bam Adebayo was one of those names. Much deserved, while I’ll save that exact topic for another time. As for this game, Adebayo was playing like that All-Star self. He was the story of the second quarter as the Heat worked their staggering rotation between Butler and Bam, as Bam found his offense over a specific stretch. He had a pair of big time dunks, as one was a complete poster on Fournier who was late on the weak-side help. Aside from that trend, the Knicks were playing at a much faster speed than the Heat wanted. But Bam doesn’t mind thriving in that field. They began finding him in transition consistently which they need to do more of. He was the offense for them early on, finishing the half with a complete clear-out and isolation pull-up. The main bright spot.

#2: Another on/off Heat point guard segment.

At halftime, Kyle Lowry was a -20. The Heat only trailed by 3 points at that time stamp. It should be noted that Gabe Vincent was great in all elements of that half, but the main thing to note is that the offensive energy shifted. He entered and flowed into a high PnR and knocks down a pull-up three. That alone was the primary explanation. Vincent is comfortable, Lowry is not. We can talk about him missing shots, needing to guard post players every time down, or the constant off-ball role all day long, but his entire career was built off control, confidence, and comfortability at the helm of an offense. He has nothing close to that anymore. That’s the second straight game where he had an invisible first 24 minutes. Once again, that just can’t happen, especially when you are hurting the team.

#3: Udonis Haslem as the backup big, telling in many areas.

The first Heat player to hit the scorer’s table tonight in Madison Square Garden was no other than Udonis Haslem. Orlando Robinson will be out for a bit, possibly leaving Dewayne Dedmon another opening. Except they correctly didn’t go that way. Why? Well the logical perspective is that he’s being discussed in trade conversations, so why risk him getting injured. The other perspective which is where I lean: Haslem is the better option right now. His principles defensively are much more impactful than alternate options. But the other thing this conversation showcases: the trade deadline is a time for front-court help. I know that’s an obvious thing to say, and yes Omer Yurtseven is coming back soon, but they can’t be one injury away from making decisions like this one in April.

#4: A wild third quarter with runs on both sides.

A 3 point game turned into a 13 point game rather quickly to kick off the third quarter. The Heat couldn’t score while the Knicks found their way against certain matchups. One of those matchups was RJ Barrett against Tyler Herro, since they were really trying to draw that switch time and time again. Well if that’s happening, they’re going to need something big from him offensively. And they began getting it. Three straight possessions, three straight Herro triples. The key was that he was confident in his pull-up out of that high PnR, and as he found his offense, others did as well. Miami ended up hitting 5 triples in a 3 and a half minute span, taking the lead right back. Yet to finish the quarter, the early quarter story turned into the late quarter story. Heat had trouble scoring, as Randle now found the matchups he liked for buckets or kick-outs in that mid-post. It’s a game of runs, and this 12 minute span showed that.

#5: Late-game activity: Bam Adebayo *was* the offense.

That late-third quarter stuff blended right into the fourth quarter. The Heat’s zone was being picked apart, and the shots from deep weren’t falling for Miami. As things were going downhill, Bam went into selfish mode. A great mode. He would run down the court, get into his mid-post spot, then operate into a jumper. Then again. Then Butler entered and they ran inverted PnR’s for him. Then again. Waiting til you are trailing by double digits to run this stuff for Bam and let him loose is probably the weirdest part about all of that. This play-style cut the lead to only 5. They continued running stuff for him, such as an easy curl into the free throw line that cut the lead down again to 3. Like I said in the headline, he *was* the offense, and that needs to be a constant theme. Shortly after, he flowed into a baseline step back late in the shot clock, getting him to the 30 point mark. Some back and forth continues with some New York buckets, and Tyler Herro mid-range play, landing in a one possession game under a minute to go, Knicks inbounding. They lob it up to Randle, Bam swipes it for the steal, and gets it into transition. With the Heat down by 3 and a chance to tie, Herro had a good look for three and missed, then they got the steal for another chance. Herro passed up on a three, kicked to Strus, which led to a turnover. Yet that wasn’t ball-game just yet. The Heat challenged the inbound on the Knicks side and won it with another chance to tie or win. Inbound to Herro in the short corner, and it’s off. Buzzer sounds.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Cavs

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On the second game of the road-trip, the Heat faced the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

The Heat battled through for a solid win behind Jimmy Butler.

Some takeaways from this one…

#1: Jimmy Butler sets the early offensive tone.

The number 1 defense in the NBA colliding with another top 5 defense never screams pretty offense. And that was looking to be the case to begin this game. The Heat looked lost in the half-court, quickly flowing in a terrible direction in that building. Yet, Butler took the reigns of the offense to steer Miami back in the other direction. He was spamming mid-post touches, mostly following off-ball screens to create mismatches. Garland or Dean Wade on his back meant he had them right where he wanted. Low post touches for lay-ups, drawing clear fouls, and simply watching for the double. After an immediate 11 points, that double was coming sooner, as he began dishing out to baseline drifters. He revived Miami in that first quarter with this formula, and that’s an equation we will see very often in big games.

#2: One Bam Adebayo moment that is needed during a tough stretch.

Bam Adebayo seemed to be carrying over that Charlotte Hornets rust early in this game, as that solid Cavs defense was jamming Bam up to not even receive the ball in his spots. Fast forward to the second quarter, Adebayo got the ball at the half-court line in transition. He put his head down, crashed into Jarrett Allen, and threw down a tough dunk over the top of him. From that moment on, Adebayo found his rhythm. A 12 point second quarter was the result, all coming in that painted area off drives, post-ups, and of course some short mid-range touch shots. But the main point is this: Adebayo’s going to have cold nights just like every player in this league, but his response needs to be this exact blueprint. Realizing he’s faster and stronger than most guys on the floor, so it’ll all generate from some drives to the basket in space. That dotted line jumper must remain his go-to with how automatic it is, but the way to revive it will begin with rim attempts time and time again.

#3: First half point guard play: a lopsided affair.

Kyle Lowry’s name has been coming up quite often for obvious reasons. His impact hasn’t been there, and the bare stats make his case an even tougher one. At halftime tonight, that held up. He didn’t record one single stat except a pair of turnovers, while Victor Oladipo was battling through inefficient play to make necessary plays. He ended up with 5 assists at half, mostly through his energy and ability to get to the rim consistently and dish out or dump off. I think this is a very possible adjustment come playoff time when it comes to shifting lineups, but for now, it’s pretty simple to say this stuff can’t happen. Yes, Oladipo can carry the play-making weight at times, but Lowry’s going to have to play *some* part in that as well. In the third quarter, he was much more engaged though. He knocked down two triples, and made some nice passes to get others involved in the offense. They need his fingerprints on things when he’s out there.

#4: Third quarter trends…

If you’ve watched Heat basketball, you’ve probably heard about the “turd quarter,” as the Heat always seem to let games get away from their control following the half. For example, that was the case last year as well, but Miami was 12th in the NBA in 3rd quarter offense. This season, the Heat are dead last in 3rd quarter offense…by a wide margin. There’s just something about drifting from game-plan or lacking energy in that span. The Heat actually found some flow early in the third tonight following an immediate 9-0 Cavs run, but then they let go again. The defense tailed off, and you just noticed Cleveland becoming the dictators on how they wanted to play compared to Miami in previous minutes. The third quarter trend has become a joke in many ways, but it’s really not. It’s an actual issue somewhere in the philosophy.

#5: Oh look at that, more clutch time…

Tie game midway through the fourth, a lineup of Vincent-Herro-Butler-Martin-Bam on the floor. Martin finds space for a baseline runner to put Miami up 2, followed by a Vincent spot-up triple to give Miami a 5 point lead. The role players stepping up was a good sign, as Bam was sluggish and Herro just started getting going shortly before. Cleveland responded with a Garland pull-up and a wide open Okoro 3 to even things right back up. It was clear at this time, defense would be the key to this one. Mitchell got to the line, going 1 for 2, as the Heat flowed down there end into a Bam jumper at that dotted line. Heat up 1. Butler now hunting for the Garland switch once again, gets to the basket, but misses. Bam gets the offensive rebound and puts back up. 3 point game. Following another stop, Butler now takes Mobley off the dribble, and fades into a middy jumper. Up 5 now. Second half of the season Jimmy Butler seems activated.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Hornets

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The Heat kicked off their road trip in Charlotte, and it didn’t go as expected.

They came out playing well, but that faded quickly.

No defensive resistance, missed opportunities offensively. Heat fall late.

Some takeaways…

#1: Tyler Herro/Bam Adebayo’s early scoring as drop killers.

Heading into this game, the game-plan was clear: a poor Charlotte Hornets defense that sits back in drop, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo should have a mid-range field day. Herro came out with that in-between game floater dropping, setting the tone for Miami’s eventual game-plan. The Heat weren’t attempting threes, since they were sticking with what was working offensively in that painted area. After Herro’s early floaters connecting, Bam continued that style. His mid-range jumper was still automatic right below that free throws line, as he would take Plumlee off the dribble on that short roll. But that was the last of a comfortable Bam, as his play slowly diminished. Playing more off-ball, interior defense was lackadaisical, and didn’t seemed fully engaged. That was big in the end.

#2: Jimmy Butler engaged, while in a troll mood.

When it comes to Jimmy Butler, he’s never taking things too seriously in any capacity, but today we saw that even more than usual. Facial expressions after foul calls, screaming after buckets, animated constantly. The main thing was that he was engaged in a game against a 14 win team, which we don’t see very often. He was getting to the rim a ton in that second quarter, walking into halftime with 16 points. The other stat category that will always tell you his level of aggression in a game is the steals column, which he had 3 at halftime. He was hitting passing lanes, and finding the ball a good hit even with the Heat’s lack of resistance at times. Which I’ll talk about now…

#3: The defense waiting for pickup…

Every night there’s a similar theme past the first 24 minutes. An in the mud matchup, as the Heat can’t score but defending at a high level. This time around, it was actually the exact opposite. After discussing the top 3 guys scoring well early, it should also be mentioned that it was only a 4 point lead at half. Why? Well there wasn’t much resistance at the point of attack for Miami, as the Hornets flowed their way into the paint as well for easy buckets. They were rebounding at a higher rate, and kind of out-hustling them on that end to start. Miami never seems to truly get up for games against weaker teams, especially on both ends. Both teams shot charts were very similar, but the Hornets defense matching the Heat’s defense to start wasn’t an expectation by any means.

#4: Hornets trade possibilities making noise?

As the Heat trailed by 5 entering the fourth, the Hornets offensive punch was led by PJ Washington and Terry Rozier with 25 a piece. Two guys who have been linked to the Heat in the past, and probably still will heading up to this upcoming trade deadline. Washington was extremely good in that in-between game floater, as Miami just couldn’t close those possessions with their defensive base wanting those shots. He then found his rhythm from beyond the arc, as we know he’s a solid stretch big from three point lane. Terry Rozier on the other hand was just in his shot creation bag. Step back threes, fadeaway jumpers, getting to the rim. He can be one of those hot and cold type of scorers, but tonight was one of those “hot” nights. And well, it’s clear that both of those styles are things the Heat could use right about now.

#5: An uphill climb late.

What once was a 13 point lead for the Heat, collapsed to down 12 in the fourth quarter. The offense fell apart, and the defense still wouldn’t wake up. Under 5 minutes to go, Bam finally was waking up. He got into the middy pull-up, then blitzed the ball handler for a swat to Butler in transition. 6 point game now. After a timeout, Kyle Lowry came out pushing pace. A transition lay-in, followed by an early drive and dish to Bam for the push shot. 2 point game. Yet the Heat couldn’t fully capitalize. Heat had some good three point looks that they missed from Herro, Oladipo, Lowry. But the true takeaway was the defensive energy. Off a jump ball in middle court with a low shot clock, Plumlee took Bam off the dribble for the lay-in. That just can’t happen late. A LaMelo Ball three put them back up 8. Defense didn’t show up, simple as that.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Magic

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Another ugly type game. Another clutch game. Another Heat game.

The Heat held off the Magic late with a game that just keeps repeating itself.

Here are some takeaways…

#1: Should I even bring up the shooting again?

When it comes to recapping these games, it’s necessary for me to once again bring up the three-point shooting. But it’s pretty clear this stuff is getting repetitive. In a deeper sense, this stuff isn’t really an outlier anymore. It’s who they are. At halftime, they were shooting 17% from three. Plus if you eliminate Max Strus’ 2 of 2 start off some DHO actions, they were 1 of 16 from deep. I will get to it in a second, but Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for 28 first half points. Two guys that are interior threats without a three-ball, they need the correct spacing to make it work. Luckily, those guys were making due with the limited space early in this one, but that trend just can’t roll into the playoffs.

#2: Some early Jimmy Butler work.

We can talk about Jimmy Butler’s game played for obvious reasons, but it’s clear that when he has played, he’s been competing at a high level. He had 18 points through the first 24 minutes, and this wasn’t like that Thunder game with straight free throws. He had 4 free throws, but more importantly, 7 field goals. The common thread was mostly dunker spot bouncing, as the perimeter players were dishing it to him in motion many times for simple paint points. But the other stuff was mostly mismatch hunting. Oh that’s Cole Anthony on my back? I’ll just take this mid-post touch into a low-post touch. Oh I have Wendell Carter in space? Quick drive and spin for the lay-in. He *was* the offense in the first half.

#3: Some Bam Adebayo foul trouble.

Just to maintain a pulse check on this game, the Bam Adebayo foul trouble was a decent portion of the direction of this game. Not all of it, but some of it. The Magic were doing a good job of getting to the rim, and as we know, Adebayo’s going to do his best to meet them there in that clean up crew role. He got called for some questionable ones when it appeared he went straight up an down, but that ultimately meant more Orlando Robinson. He’s been a better alternative than the other options, but it’s definitely not perfect. The lack of a big man offensive hub, the hands need work, and the defense can be picked on when there isn’t blitzing. We don’t see Adebayo foul trouble often, but it was a first half story-line.

#4: If Kyle Lowry is shifting into more of an off-ball role, the shots need to be taken.

With another underwhelming first half when it came to Kyle Lowry’s box score, that wasn’t my biggest problem. It’s the amount of kick-outs he was receiving and passing up. It’s one thing to be unselfish. It’s another to hurt the half-court offense by denying good looks. We saw him beginning to take some of those shots in the third, knocking down back to back triples that were two of his more contested looks of the evening. That stretch was probably the best few minutes of the game for their offense, as you began seeing certain lanes opening up. Yes he’s now in more of a spot-up role with all of the on-ball threats, but the main need within those minutes it to take the open shots off the catch.

#5: Late-game play…

While I’ve described many of the things that were going wrong, let me start with something that began going right. Mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Heat made their offensive run by some transition Caleb Martin finishes. He put a wild move on Orlando for an insane up and under, then followed that up with another tough lay to push it to a 5 point lead. As both teams were throwing some punches back and forth, the Heat found a common thread defensively. Collapsing on drives. A few blocks for Adebayo and Martin got the Heat on the break a good bit, giving them some momentum. The Magic responded with some foul drawing to continue to claw away cutting the Heat’s lead to only two with 2 minutes remaining. The following plays consisted of another tough Martin finish, a Wendell Carter triple, and a Butler spin and score with the and-1. Heat up 4. Orlando ended up cutting it to 3, 40 seconds left, Butler walks the ball down the floor. Butler-Bam PnR turns into a tough Butler floater that drops, as he trots off the floor into a timeout. Out of that timeout, Butler ended up fouling Banchero on a three, as he went 2 of 3 from the line. 3 point game. Some eventual free throws iced the game, as the Heat get the win.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Celtics

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The Miami Heat pull off an incredible comeback on the Boston Celtics behind a major Bam Adebayo night.

Haywood Highsmith triggered it all with his high level two way play.

Some takeaways…

#1: The Heat’s defensive start: Jayson Tatum cooking and role players countering.

My question to begin this game was how they would treat Jayson Tatum. Would it look like the game against Luka Doncic and the Mavs? Well, not really. The Heat were allowing him to operate one-on-one on switches pretty freely, as he went at both Tyler Herro and Max Strus consistently to kick off the game. He kept getting two feet in the lane for buckets, but then the Heat shifted. They began getting into their blitzing bag which I compare to the Doncic plan, but the issue is Jimmy Butler is a big piece of the two on the ball game-plan. Tatum would throw over a wild skip pass or simple pocket pass, as the back-line defenders simply lacked size. It opened up runways leading into over-help. The defensive stuff was a bit all over the place to start against that Tatum constant.

#2: Max Strus starts things off with 3 early triples, but then…

To kick things off, there were good signs in the Max Strus shooting department. He got some good looks early off a ton of slip screens, as they were spamming specific off-ball actions to get him free, leading to those three first quarter triples. All were assisted by Kyle Lowry, showing that it was similar sets. Either way, the others tailed off quickly. Taking away Strus’ start, the rest of the group was shooting 21% from beyond the arc in that first half. Lowry, Herro, and Oladipo were 0 for 11 from deep. A simple recap: yikes. A deeper recap: every shot just kept coming up short, which is odd since the other team was the one playing on the back-end of a back to back. This isn’t a bad stretch of shooting at this point. It’s who they are, and it’s time to adjust in some different areas.

#3: Free throw marathon, but something stuck out in the second quarter for the Heat.

With over seven minutes to go in the second quarter, the Miami Heat were in the bonus. There were a total of 23 fouls and 30 free throw attempts in the first 24 minutes of basketball, clearly showing the theme of this game to start. With that said regarding the Heat’s long period of being in the bonus, one thing should’ve been clear for the offensive structure: attack the rim. If Jimmy Butler was playing, he would’ve been having a field day for the next portion of time, but obviously he was out. From that point, Miami shot 6 straight threes over the next few minutes, all missing. For further context, they missed 14 of their last 16 shot attempts prior to the half. When an opportunity presents itself to potentially get some easy ones, while the outside shooting is going in the opposite direction, you should definitely try and capitalize. That’s what ultimately led to the Celtics branching out to an 8 point lead at half. Small thing, but crucial.

#4: Well, Bam Adebayo found his rhythm.

After an uneven start for Bam Adebayo as well, he found it in the third. He may have been the only one to find it in the third actually. They got him to his spots, which seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. Tyler Herro was extremely off on the offensive end, Kyle Lowry couldn’t hit a triple, and it took Victor Oladipo until the final minutes of the third to find his shot for a moment. As for Bam, they just kept feeding him on that short roll. Just let him catch at that dotted line or the elbow, and live with that result. That result was a positive one for a good bit, as he soared to 21 points through the first 3 quarters, which felt like an uphill climb after the way he came out. Bam Adebayo has been this team’s rock when it comes to consistency, which is a very good sign for him. And well, a worse sign for others.

#5: Late game recap: Haywood Highsmith sparks, Bam Adebayo dominates.

Haywood Highsmith deserves a ton of individual credit tonight. At the end of the third, I said he was their second best player tonight. Then he proved that to another degree with 3 triples in the first 6 minutes of the fourth. He set the tone throughout defensively, possibly being his best all-around game. Then Bam capitalized on the energy with back to back buckets at the rim. Tie game at 87 a piece. Bam hits another short roll jumper to give Miami a 2 point edge, before Herro flows into a rhythm three to extend the lead to 5. He hit the biggest one of the night up to that point. Tatum answers shortly after with an and-1 down the middle of the lane, cutting it back to a two point game. Heat walk back down the floor into a Herro-Bam PnR, Herro lobs it up, and Bam almost catalogs a nice poster barring the foul call. He follows that up a bit later with an insane swat at the rim, showing it all off. Yet, Grant Williams answers for the tie. Biggest play of the game, the Celtics blitz Herro, he finds Bam, and he turns into another big time jumper. 30 burger. Heat blitz Tatum back into a turnover. Game-time.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Mavs

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The Heat’s nationally televised Friday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks went…just as you would expect.

The offense was jammed, and Luka Doncic was having his way. The two elements that simply can’t occur.

Plus, the way to defend Miami was put right on display. Some takeaways….

#1: Dealing with Luka Doncic…

When it comes to individual scouting, there are not many players tougher than Luka Doncic. Single coverage is never going to be a possibility, as the ultimate goal is to consistently get the ball out of his hands. The Heat started in drop coverage on Doncic, as Caleb Martin was matched up to chase. On guard screens, if he went at the Tyler Herro matchup, somebody like Martin or Jimmy Butler would quickly double Doncic to get the ball out of his hands. The issue with that: the Mavericks were knocking down their open triples. Heat mixed in some zone shortly after, which Doncic looked just as comfortable with. He was just play-making right over that initial line of defense to feed it to that middle zone. The switching was the final stage among the three coverages, as Doncic and Bam each got their fair share of wins, which is as great of a matchup as you can form. Either way, the point is that Doncic can figure things out so quickly and efficiently, as seen in that first half.

#2: Victor Oladipo taking over the half-court offense early on.

As much as I talk about the Heat dealing with Doncic, the real grind for them early on was on the offensive end. Bam Adebayo had a rough start due to the constant collapsing of the Mavericks defense, and Jimmy Butler kept seeing two defenders on the catch. So, that means a lot of focus on the guards. Victor Oladipo took the reigns early on, as he kept getting two feet in the paint following that initial screen. He flowed into two immediate floaters in the lane, followed by a right flowing hook shot off the glass. He was the one guy that looked comfortable inside the arc. He capitalized his first half excellence with a transition catch and shoot three on the left wing, putting Miami in a decent position with the starters returning. As I’ve talked about a ton after games, he’s been a bright spot. Saving the offense multiple times would not have been on my checklist before the All-Star break. Yet he keeps coming through.

#3: A playoff reversal? Butler doubles and Herro inside the arc…

As I stay in that first half theme, other than Oladipo coming through for their half-court offense, Tyler Herro also picked up where he left off. He began finding his spots on his pull-ups right around the elbow, as his floaters continue to be a comfort spot. As I mentioned before with Jimmy Butler, the Mavs were doubling him off the catch often in that mid-range area. That means the extra pass is made, trying to find the open three-point shooter. Similar to the Mavs plan, yet they were actually converting from deep, knocking down 11 first half triples to the Heat’s 2. Butler seeing doubles and Herro finding a rhythm inside? It’s almost a reversal topic from a few playoff series the previous season. Herro’s play tailed off in the third quarter with a real rough stretch on both ends, but that wasn’t anything coverage related. Just interesting to note the different ways teams elect to defend the Heat’s top guys. Lastly let me add, the Mavs have usually given Butler this exact look to throw size at him and block off the rim, so this is nothing new.

#4: The three point shooting dilemma.

The Heat were the league’s number one three point shooting team in the NBA a year ago. Even aside from the high percentage shooting, the entire offensive base was predicated on simply generating looks from deep, ultimately opening up the interior for their top two guys. So far this season, they haven’t been as lucky to have that blueprint, they’ve had to work in reverse. Try to grind out paint point after paint point to eventually get some three-point looks that benefit this squad. Through the first three quarters tonight, the Heat only had 3 made triples, but more importantly, they only got up 14 of them. Erik Spoelstra’s blueprint has consistently been trying to get up 40, but if we can be completely honest, I don’t know if that’s the best thing at the moment. But when looking at a game like tonight: Butler is being doubled on every tough and Bam wasn’t his consistent self, you can’t combine those two elements with more rough outside shooting. The defense is a different conversation, but that’s pretty much the game.

#5: So, let’s talk trade deadline.

I finished the last takeaways piece asking a simple question after a dominant win against an inferior squad: could this build momentum? Well, we got our answer rather quickly. This next span would be the real measuring stick for this squad against better talent, but no matter the result, one thing should be constant: the trade deadline must be active. Instead of hammering home the same trade targets discussed over and over, a night like this gives some perspective to the build needed in their lineup. Watching Martin chase around Doncic to begin this game, it’s clear they’re missing that physical four that can match up with versatile types such as Doncic. But more importantly, they don’t need a strict defender. They seriously need some shooting. The success of a contender cannot be determined by the shooting numbers of their role players. And right now, that’s not looking too promising. A 3 and D front-court partner would be extremely useful right about now, while bringing in an extra role player or two on the wings/back-up big position. The next few weeks will be all about those possibilities.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pelicans

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The Miami Heat were looking to bounce back from their rough performance against the Hawks on Monday, and did just that, coming out scorching from start to finish in New Orleans.

They got a little bit from everybody all the way down the nine man rotation, as Bam Adebayo led the way.

Some takeaways from this high level performance….

#1: The Heat’s opening possessions telling the whole story.

Before this game, I said the game-plan I would go with would begin and end with the Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo PnR. Against a team in drop with two drop killers, that could open up the rest of the offense. Herro got into his floater twice in the first few minutes, as Jonas Valanciunas sat right under the rim. The very next possession following that second floater, the Heat found themselves running a PnR at a different coverage. He was now defending at the level, and when they are forcing adjustments this early, that’s when they have you. Herro reads it, leads a bounce pass in the pocket to Bam who lays it in. Fast forward to the next play, Valanciunas was right back under the rim, so Herro flowed right into a mid-range pull-up that dropped. In the opening minutes, Adebayo had 8 points and Herro had 5 assists. The blueprint against teams like this as I said before the game: that Herro-Bam two-man combo.

#2: The first half: the Heat simply blazing in all areas.

Going down the checklist of things you wanted to see, the first half was marking every area for the Heat. Kyle Lowry comes out with high energy, pushing pace, and getting the team transition buckets. Check. Going back to the previous point, Adebayo and Herro doing their drop in that in-between game to really set the tone. Check. The bench scores 28 points in the first half, with everybody contributing. Check. And well, the team shot 72% on twos in the first 24 minutes, pretty much getting wherever they wanted off initial and secondary attacks. Major check. In all honesty, the easy way to describe it was ‘one of those nights’ since the team just couldn’t miss on many shots in their overall profile. But the process stood out to me. There was diversity, there were paint touches into kick-outs, and they followed the base of their half-court game. That was the more promising part.

#3: Let me take another moment for Gabe Vincent.

Gabe Vincent knocked down 3 triples in the opening quarter, yet that’s no surprise as of late since he keeps breaking his own career high every night. But when zooming in a bit more on him coming back into form following the injury stuff, the one thing he displayed in this game is the real component to keep eyeing. Spot-up shooting. He’s been on an uphill climb when it comes to that spot-up three point percentage this season, but it’s been trending up as of late. Not only is that important for that extra punch from deep, but it makes it easier on the primary on-ball threats. Capitalizing on those kicks from Herro, Butler, Oladipo drives really can convert the offense in a positive manner. The other element of this emergence is it can provide lineup versatility. They can get back to plugging him in different spots if he’s hitting like this, so it’ll be interesting to monitor.

#4: X’s and O’s time: A set that I continue to like for this Heat offense.

The Pelicans began making a bit of a push in the third quarter as the Heat were forcing certain looks that they shouldn’t have. In a period that they needed to be offensively settled, they went to old reliable within their offense. I started out this piece talking about the Herro-Bam PnR in space, yet there’s a layered shift that always seems to generate a good look. Before Herro took a dribble with Bam screening, Butler slips dunker spots to catch his defender by surprise. He receives the ball on the left block, turning into an and-1. The very next possession, they baited the Pelicans a bit more. Herro and Bam actually run this PnR as Herro gets deep into the paint, Butler flips spots late, and he hits him for the easy flip shot. It’s a very subtle thing, but that’s a lot to account for on offense with those three pressure points.

#5: A potential momentum builder?

As I’ve discussed across this entire piece, this was a hot scoring night for the Miami Heat. But this was also the first time they’ve been fully healthy, probably all season. The starting lineup back intact, as the bench four were all locked into their respective roles as well. Sliding everybody down a slot simply does wonders to many of their role players. But now it’s all about seeing if this can be another one of those momentum builders. Consistency has been the word I’ve brought up all year, both on and off the court. On the court, they need consistent themes and identities on both ends of the floor. Off the court, they need to simply string some things together over a large span. They’ve done that this week, mostly against worse talent, but now they are facing Luka Doncic and the Mavs plus Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in 2 of the next 3 games. The true challenge.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Hawks

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This Heat-Hawks game felt like multiple games in one. From an early Hawks on-pour into a Heat second half run into more Atlanta tough shot making.

Some takeaways from this Heat loss on Monday afternoon…

#1: Well, the first half summary is…something.

65% from the field and 67% from three. Those were the Hawks shooting numbers after the first 24 minutes of basketball. The Heat’s zone was being picked apart into middle of the floor push shots and kick-outs for threes, but I wouldn’t say this was by any means a schematic lapse. The switching was being countered as well, simply based off tough shot making in isolation. Those numbers aren’t just mirrored by a rough defensive night, that’s just offensive insanity to be quite honest. Now as for the Heat’s offense, they actually went through a 5 minute stretch in the first quarter where they didn’t miss a single shot. 9 of 9 from the field. How did they not make up any ground? Well, they turned the ball over about 6 times in that span, just demolishing their offensive flow. Shot making and turnovers: pretty much the summary of this one early.

#2: Herro, Martin back. But rust making an appearance as well.

The Heat were rounding back into form a bit on the injury report, as Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin were inserted back into the starting lineup this afternoon. Martin’s four first half minutes told the story for him, since he had 3 fouls in that span. He was looking a bit rusty as you would expect, which leads us into the Herro conversation. He starts the game 0 for 5 from three, but my biggest issue wasn’t really the zero. He seemed to be forcing that three ball on a night you would expect rust. Getting off that three point line into that floater was clearly his blueprint, which he flowed into slightly late in the second quarter. Not based off missing time, but Bam Adebayo looked rusty too in that first half with that 2 of 8 stat-line. Yet he was able to turn it around shortly after.

#3: Jimmy Butler generating points to start into an interior jam into an eventual flow.

While I discuss the many issues to begin this game, Jimmy Butler had an early 12 point to give Miami’s offense a tiny jolt. Mostly off fast-break buckets, but he was finding his lane a bit. As we saw a shift into the half-court, the Hawks were overly collapsing on his rim attempts. Atlanta had 3 blocks in the first half, and I’m sure all were on tough Butler drives. He wasn’t getting the calls to get to the line, so he began trying to play through it. There isn’t much to overly analyze when it comes to Jimmy Butler’s offensive game, but one thing that stands out on a night like this is the choice of attempts at the rim. There will be moments of that extra pass to Robinson under the rim that kills a possession, just needing to go up immediately. Then a tough force on multiple defenders the following play. Fast forward to the third quarter, his shot selection opened up, mostly off his defensive uptick, which I’ll get into next…

#4: The third quarter run: Bam Adebayo led offense, Heat locked in defensively.

While I’ve diagrammed the entire first half struggles for the Heat, the third quarter was just the opposite. Jimmy Butler set a tone defensively to begin the half, as the Heat closely followed. They began hitting passing lanes, doubling and recovering, and getting out into transition. A Heat style. As for the offensive flow to make this a game after trailing by a ton, it was all Bam Adebayo. After a rough start, he began finding his rhythm on his usual mid-range face-up game. Turnaround jumpers, play-making over the top, and crashing the boards for put-backs. He is the engine to what this team can do on both ends. These type of runs always begin with him setting the tone as an offensive base, since once a defense begins to pinch, the Heat’s offense can flow from there.

#5: Let’s talk about a certain 4th quarter substitution pattern…

As I just described the Heat’s gritty run, they rolled into the fourth quarter only down 11. With the momentum shift, that lead seemed very gettable. Yet one thing was clear as Butler went to the bench to finish the third: they will need him back soon to steal this game away. Dejounte Murray kept hitting tough shots to keep the lead, as Butler stayed on the bench through every minute bench mark. 10 minutes to go, 9 minutes to go, 8 minutes to go: it drew a very viable question to ask why is Butler not in the game yet.  He finally entered after a timeout with 7 minutes to go, as Bam went to the bench as he had been on the floor the whole half essentially. But by that point, in my personal opinion, it felt as if their window had closed. They had a pocket of time to attack on the fall-off from Atlanta, but the survival mode of the non-Butler minutes into another survival mode stretch of the non-Bam minutes didn’t help their case. Miami still made a late push anyway, but this pattern felt like it made things so much harder for this Heat team following the run.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bucks

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The Miami Heat faced the Bucks yet again, with similar rosters on both sides as Tyler Herro and Giannis Antetokounmpo each missed another game.

It was the Gabe Vincent show yet again, as Victor Oladipo heated up late.

Some takeaways from this win…

#1: Gabe Vincent picks right back up where he left off.

After Gabe Vincent put up a career high 28 points against the Bucks on Thursday, he followed that up with a 21 point first half on Saturday afternoon. For starters, the way he was doing it was impressive within the PnR. Manipulating the point of attack defense around screens before keeping his defender on his back into a tough leaner or step back. But most of all, we saw his shooting from deep really return with 5 threes in the first 24 minutes of play. He’s obviously extremely confident in his pull-up, but the spot-up three returning is massively important. That number has been rough so far this season, and with all of the ball handlers on the roster, that making a return can shift the offensive structure. His play can be characterized as hot shooting nights, but it’s simply the growth of his offensive game.

#2: Looking a bit deeper into the Victor Oladipo usage.

I’ve been talking a lot about the Victor Oladipo minutes as of late, mostly since he’s been great on both sides of the floor. Yet if we were to point out one single downfall, it would definitely be his overall handle and being loose with the basketball at times. Some early turnovers made an appearance in this game, and it flowed into a consistent takeaway of mine. The extra ball-handler in the back-court with him feels like the most necessary adjustment to his minutes. When he’s forced to be the sole handler, that’s when the mistakes roll in. Yet next to somebody like Vincent or Tyler Herro, he can shift right back into his usual role and excel on the offensive end off secondary attacks. Fast forward to the second half, he takes off again after rough starts. While I can depict the minor stuff in his game, his energy and current level of play is hitting real highs at the moment. Bypassing the early uneven play into a 20 point night.

#3: Orlando Robinson doing the right things.

When watching this game tonight, there was a play where Spo was yelling at Haywood Highsmith on the weak-side defensively to fully help off the corner for the right slot drive. He second guessed, and a lay-in was the result. Spo called timeout to get in his ear a bit. Last game, Jamal Cain was pinching to hard at the top of the 2-3 zone, giving the Bucks an open three. Spo got in his ear at the next stoppage. We just haven’t seen many of those moments with Orlando Robinson. He’s played his role pretty well and simplified it. Fights on the offensive boards, and always seems to kick it back out to work on a short clock. He had zero points at half, but I saw more promising things than not.

#4: A statistical shift: assisted field goals down.

At the end of the third quarter, the Heat had 32 made field goals. Only 13 of those were assisted. That’s not really a Heat trend as of late, but that can be pointed toward a couple of things. Vincent’s hot shooting stretch pretty much led to a good amount of isolation cooking on pull-ups and floaters for a good portion of that first half. Jimmy Butler’s offense was also slow-paced post work on Jrue Holiday types, taking away the over-passing elements to generate a ton of assists. Also, Bam only having three made field goals at that point feeds that statistic, since most of his buckets are always assisted by the creators. I thought the offensive flow was good anyway, but just an interesting trend.

#5: Taking care of business.

The excitement of a Heat-Bucks prime-time match-up surrounded by the star players was pretty much eliminated from the equation, as Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out yet again. What could’ve been a game to kind of judge where the Heat are against real talent, it quickly shifted to a completely different theme: take care of business on nights like this. The Heat are in an uphill climb at the moment in the Eastern Conference standings following the early struggles, meaning they will take any break they can get. But knowing this team, games like this never feel like a break. They’re more likely to get up for an Antetokounmpo match-up than a short-handed group. But they did capitalize on this stretch with some gritty wins against the Thunder and two against this Bucks group. Now they head on the road for another test.