Tag Archive for: Jimmy Butler

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Clippers

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Well, the Miami Heat fell to the LA Clippers on Monday night, while they were without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley, and Nicolas Batum. This was a game that Miami needed to get in this tough West Coast road trip, but that wasn’t the case. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Jimmy Butler, the continued offensive glue throughout.

This is a constant theme with this Miami Heat team, since Jimmy Butler keeps everything in tact. For one, his ability to create for others and obtain the amount of assists that he has over this past stretch. But more importantly, his recent scoring should not be overlooked. Not just the amount of points, but the timing of those points. Butler can pretty much score in a variety of ways when he gets down hill whenever he wants, but it’s up to him to read the game to make that decision. When Miami goes through a tough stretch, it’s clear by Butler’s body language that he’s going to get to the basket, and try to get to the free throw line. Once again, it’s just not about the numbers when discussing Butler, since it’s more about the glue that he is with this Heat team.

#2: Tyler Herro with a needed early offensive spurt.

Tyler Herro was inserted into the game early on after Duncan Robinson picked up a couple fouls, and he began to get into a rhythm. But his offensive rhythm has come in a much different fashion this season. He has struggled a bit from beyond the arc this season, which has led to him shining when getting to the rim. He can control the pacing of a pick and roll much better, since he can play to his own speed with his pull-up jumper and lob pass abilities. Without Goran Dragic, Herro was needed to step up in certain spots offensively throughout, and he did that early on when Butler was on the sideline. And when he gets an efficient three ball again, it elevates all of those things that I just discussed.

#3: Defending the three point line an issue once again.

It seems like the copy and paste button could be utilized for these takeaway articles with this certain statement, since it’s a constant issue. Miami’s defense actually hasn’t been the reason for their struggles as of late, since their offense has been the problem focal point. But defending the three point line is still an issue with the current personnel. Marcus Morris was 6 for 7 from three in the first half, while Amir Coffey was 4 for 4 from beyond the arc in that span. The reason it’s an issue to discuss against this Clippers team is because there was no serious interior threat that would lead to constant paint crowding. Two threes from Morris came when Moe Harkless checked in, since he seemed to drop down off of him two possessions in a row, leading to that stat-line that is far from ideal.

#4: Miami’s depth not looking too deep at the moment.

When looking down the line at the moment, there’s not much offensive contributions off the bench, other than Tyler Herro. Tonight, Miami rolled with Herro, Max Strus, Precious Achiuwa, Andre Iguodala, and Moe Harkless off the bench, which they weren’t making much impact offensively throughout. The depth of this Heat team has been harped on, but that depth may not be so deep after all. Obviously Goran Dragic being out cuts that down a bit, but that doesn’t make a difference of the second unit as a whole. Iguodala will make a major impact when needed, mostly when playoff time comes around, while Achiuwa is still thriving in his small role, awaiting for a boost in minutes. If Miami can get added production from these types of guys, it takes a lot of weight off of Butler this early in the season.

#5: Precious Achiuwa showing more flashes in less minutes.

There’s not much more to dive into when discussing Achiuwa’s minutes moving forward, since he just plays every minute and second that Adebayo is off the floor. It doesn’t seem like them playing together will be utilized any time soon, which means this is about all that we will see from him in this role. He continues to bring intensity in short stints, which is hard to do since it’s tough to get into any type of natural flow. There are some small rookie mistakes that he makes, but that’s expected. Miami’s soft switches mean Achiuwa finds himself out on the perimeter a lot, which isn’t a problem for him, but it is a problem for the guard who is now guarding a center. His jumper looked pretty crisp tonight as well, which could be the only possible way for him to get into nightly lineups with Adebayo.

A Dive into Necessary Offensive Improvements from Heat Players

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The Miami Heat lost to the best team in the NBA currently, the Utah Jazz, on Saturday night in poor fashion. It wasn’t just that Utah was the better team, which they were, but Miami’s offense was just so out of sorts.

I’ve discussed the overall consistency, lineups, and game-plan following their performance, but let’s take a dive into the individual improvements that will be essential for this team’s success.

Bam Adebayo:

Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line

Adebayo’s mid-range jump-shot may have become harped on in his offensive package for quite some time following his 41 point night against the Brooklyn Nets, but that isn’t what makes him shine. The jump-shot will begin to fall much more as he goes along, but he’s becoming too reliant on it, instead of doing what he has done up to this point.

And well, that’s getting to the rim, which means getting to the free throw line. He has been doing this at a much higher rate lately, following the lead of Jimmy Butler, but it doesn’t seem to be a consistent route he goes to, while that is Butler’s primary objective. A player with the level of talent Adebayo has must attack the basket off the dribble, especially since he’s faster and more skilled than most opponents.

There was a bit of hesitance against Utah in that area, and rightfully so since he was facing Rudy Gobert. But once he overcomes that hesitance in his ability to get to the rim effectively, that will elevate the play of not only him, but the entire team.

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Duncan Robinson:

A different game-plan incoming

Well, it’s finally time to discuss something that has been approaching rapidly as of late. These constant offensive sets with Duncan Robinson getting the hand-off has become predictable, leading to him getting taken out of Miami’s entire offense. Adebayo discussed that after the game, saying “They’re trying to take Duncan out the game. The stuff we did with Duncan last year, we can’t do this year.”

So, that clearly means there will be a change in game-plan with players noticing it to this extent. Robinson does not have the luxury to do other things with the ball in his hands to create shots, which makes game-planning stuff a lot tougher.

As I’ve mentioned, his impact off the ball truly is valuable due to his gravity and off-ball screening to get shots for others. But now it’s time for him to worry about shots for himself. When Robinson gets up more triples, the offense is much more effective, which is why we will see some changes as soon as tomorrow against the Clippers.

Goran Dragic:

Health

Well, this is the only improvement that Miami needs from Goran Dragic at the moment. Some may think Dragic doesn’t make the difference in a game against Utah, but he does make the difference from the perspective of offensive effectiveness.

For one, he changes everything for Butler, both through minutes and his on-court play. The thing I’ve harped on a lot lately is not having him on the floor when Butler takes a break has really hurt Miami. Dragic has the ability to settle a group down while he takes a breather, which is exactly what Miami is missing right now.

But that’s not all they’re missing, since the minutes with Butler and company against Utah were very poor as well offensively. Even when looking back at the past bubble run, putting Dragic’s outstanding scoring run aside, he just hit the shots that were necessary. The shots to spark a run after the team goes through a touch stretch, except against Utah that tough stretch never ended, since Dragic wasn’t able to save them once again.

Tyler Herro: 

The confidence needs to return

The word confidence has been tied to Tyler Herro since his first NBA game, but now it’s being discussed in a different sense. He has been playing well this season, even showing more positive flashes yesterday in the pick and roll. He’s currently shooting 45% on mid-range pull-ups this season, which has seemed to be one of his best areas.

But there’s still that splash of hesitance. It’s not that he doesn’t have that trust in himself, but there seems to be a half-second hesitation at times before shooting, which alters his entire shot. He’s a natural scorer, and natural scorers thrive without thinking. I’m not sure if it’s trade rumors, the role change, or the constant Covid protocols he seems to have to go through, but that same confidence isn’t there.

And once that same confidence or enjoyment for the game fully returns, you will begin to see Herro’s best version of himself.

Kendrick Nunn:

Continue this offensive consistency

Well, I honestly didn’t expect to be saying this about this Heat team at this point in the season, but Kendrick Nunn has been one of Miami’s most consistent players, and sustaining that changes some things. For one, that has always been his downside, since his ability to score the basketball on any given night has never been in doubt.

This point refers back to Dragic being out as well, since having that consistent rock is necessary for this team, and Nunn has been that for them at times. He’s improved his catch-and-shoot abilities, he gets to the rim at a good rate, and most importantly, he’s made the slight improvements defensively to keep him on the floor even longer.

Now, the main reason for that is because he’s scoring the ball well recently, and defense increases when offense is flowing. This is why his offensive consistency is so important, since that is keeping everything else in tact.

Jimmy Butler:

A Supporting Cast that shows up

And finally, the improvement from Jimmy Butler doesn’t even include Jimmy Butler. Of course he didn’t shoot or score the ball very well against Utah, but everybody expected Butler to have one of these games after exploding offensively since his return from Covid.

But even after that performance, his supporting cast is what is necessary for him to thrive. Butler can carry the weight on his shoulders at times, but he needs others around him to play their role for him to be completely effective. And the recent poor spacing and execution in their usual offensive sets have forced him to alter some individual ways of offense.

The previous points that were made about other players all lead to an improved Butler, and it’s clear he will be letting them know about specifics any chance that he gets. This one loss should not be harped on very long, since they played the hottest team in the NBA, but some of the signs that were shown led to these conclusions. And until these improvements occur, those offensive struggles will continue.

5 Takeaways from Miami’s Loss to Utah

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The Miami Heat faced the hottest team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz, on Saturday night and came away with a loss. That snapped their four game winning streak, since Miami’s stagnant offense allowed Utah to pull away fairly easily. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Miami’s three point defense was needed against Utah, and came out clicking.

The Utah Jazz are a very dangerous three point shooting team, mostly since they have four shooters on the court at all times. It was needed for Miami to make that part of their defense a priority, and well, it looked like they did. The Jazz were 3/21 from beyond the arc in the first half, and that wasn’t all a product of just missing shots. The Heat were closing out very well on shooters, even some of their weaker defenders. Kendrick Nunn has been making some strides in that area, while also hitting passing lanes at a much higher rate. It’s important to see Miami’s capability to tighten up in a certain area of weakness when they make it a priority, but there’s just not one particular area.

#2: Just missing offensive consistency.

As much as we can look at certain things from this game, it’s important to look at Miami’s early offensive struggles. Instead of evaluating exactly what went wrong, it’s necessary to look at it big picture. They are just clearly missing a level of consistency on that side of the floor. Even with players being in and out of the lineup, it’s an issue to go through stretches where not only shots aren’t falling, but also when sets aren’t clicking. And when this is occurring in spurts offensively, it’s just not ideal to turn the ball over at a high rate to give easy buckets to the opposing team. This probably begins with Jimmy Butler being on and off the floor, which will be discussed next.

#3: Coach Spoelstra making rotation adjustments.

Erik Spoelstra has made a few essential rotation changes lately with the constant injury report changes, but the one with Goran Dragic out has been essential. As I’ve mentioned quite a few times, the non-Butler minutes are sustainable when Dragic plays, since he can also calm an offense down to take charge. But without Dragic, Spo has had to change some things up a bit. He’s began to stagger Butler and Adebayo’s minutes throughout, so Miami can have a trusted player to work the offense throughout. And since Precious Achiuwa has struggled lately with offensive limitations, Coach Spo doesn’t have many other options. Another small rotation change has been the Max Strus substitution for Duncan Robinson throughout, so Miami can try and sustain that shooting gravity the entire night. If there’s ever a time to discuss coaching adjustments, it’s this season with the constant twists and turns with Covid protocols.

#4: Tyler Herro returns, but not enough with Goran Dragic still out.

Discussing Miami’s offense seems to be the hot topic in this tough showing on that side of the ball, but there are positive flashes at times, which points back to that consistency. Tyler Herro returned after missing the last game due to a false positive, and showcased that scoring ability that the Heat have missed. He can bring some of it, but he’s missing his veteran co-pilot with that unit to completely control the offense. Now, this isn’t to say Goran Dragic changes everything for Miami’s offensive struggles moving forward, but it does shift some things other than added scoring. It alters the role of Herro in a positive manner, while Butler can have his backbone on a night that he struggled. On a night where offensive pacing was an issue, Dragic would’ve been useful to calm the team back down, per usual.

#5: It can’t always be waiting for Jimmy Butler to create offense.

Although I discussed offensive consistency previously, it’s important to evaluate the offense itself. The overall theme is that Jimmy Butler can’t always be the offensive savior. The obvious evaluation is just making shots that are open, but it’s much more than that. When shots aren’t falling on this team, offense always becomes stagnant with players standing around waiting for that to change. And the only time it seems to even remotely change is when Butler begins to charge the basket to kick out for continued open looks. Adebayo had a good amount of good looks in the mid-range area throughout, but as mentioned before, they weren’t dropping. Tyler Herro had some nice moments in the pick and roll, while finding his spots on pull-up mid-range shots, but that just isn’t enough. Miami’s offense can’t just be a product of made jumpers.

Jimmy Butler: The Definition of Impact

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When you hear the name Jimmy Butler, there’s a lot of things that may come to mind. Grit, hard-work, overcoming the odds. But well, the word impact seems to outshine any of those descriptions.

Butler has been in and out of the lineup for pretty much this entire season, but after missing some time with Covid, he has played the last seven games and has been absolutely rolling.

For starters, he’s averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists a game since he returned from that unfortunate break, leading Miami to a 5-2 record in that span.

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And yet, nothing compares to the outstanding changes that he brought on the defensive side of the ball. There are players that are just absolute great individual defenders, there are guys who can protect the rim, and there are people who are great team defenders.

But great defensive impact is when you alter a team’s overall image.

Miami went from being one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, to being second in defensive rating since Butler returned. This has a lot to do with his overall presence on the perimeter, as well as deflecting passes and being a disruptor. But the biggest reason is the level of leadership he brings to the game, and that is not an overstatement.

Hearing about on-court leadership may seem a bit cliche at times, but with Butler it’s far from that. This team constantly discusses holding each other accountable while not taking anything personal, and that’s exactly what has changed as of late. If somebody makes a late rotation on a certain possession, they will hear it from Butler right after the play or in the huddle.

And that right there is defensive impact. That right there is a leader. That right there is Jimmy Butler.

The key for Miami moving forward in this West Coast road trip is sustainability while Butler takes a breather on the bench. Surviving the non-Butler minutes is always essential, but it’s even harder when Goran Dragic is out.

The offensive rating with Butler on the floor since his return is 115, while it drops down to 94 when he’s off the floor. So as much as his defensive impact has been apparent, his offense has been just as great.

But as much as we can discuss role players playing their role, imagining certain guys healthy at the current moment, or waiting for a certain player to emerge right in front of our eyes like Max Strus, it doesn’t really matter when you have a superstar carrying the load night in and night out.

Now, him having to carry this weight this early in the season may not be what many wished for, but it’s the current situation that Miami will have to continue with.

And although Butler getting that short layoff to prepare for that outstanding bubble playoff run was important, this is a different season. So getting into an early flow for a late regular season push may not be the worst thing in the world.

Butler is taking it game-by-game, and he will do whatever it takes to win each night. No matter the weight on his shoulders, no matter who is in the lineup, no matter the opponent. Jimmy Butler’s impact will be felt on this Heat team.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Rockets

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The Miami Heat got a very impressive win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night to begin the road trip. It wasn’t pretty, since they struggled in the first half, and had trouble closing it out late in the fourth, but a win is a win at this point. Anyway, here are five takeaways….

#1: Well, Miami clearly loves the three point line.

Instead of going through different Miami Heat issues once again, let’s just take a look at one: shot-making. After three triples from Duncan Robinson to begin the game, Miami went cold. Real cold. And the only way to overcome tough shooting stretches is to get to the basket, but only Jimmy Butler seemed to realize that, and it even took him some time to do. They were 9 for 25 from beyond the arc in the first half, which proved the continued mindset to chuck up threes throughout. Kendrick Nunn, who I will discuss later, began to realize the need to attack the basket during these stretches. The most important part of the game for Miami was to survive the non-Butler minutes, and they did somehow hold it to a single digit game. And of course, the penetration resumed upon him entering.

#2: Jimmy Butler, the continued glue through tough patches.

Now, if there was phrase to describe Miami’s first half, it would be a tough patch. And there’s not a better player to have on your team to overcome tough stretches than Jimmy Butler. His continued ability to control the pace of the game, even when trailing, kept Miami in the game early on. On a night where Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro were out, it was known Butler would have even more on his plate, especially with the way Bam Adebayo was getting fronted. The point is that he can glue together certain units, even when they include guys who would probably be in the G-League right now in a normal season. It’s not just about getting to the free throw line 7 times in the first half, but the amount of times he got players open shots throughout. But as explained before, those shots just weren’t falling early on.

#3: Kendrick Nunn still finding himself as a player.

It’s clear that Kendrick Nunn is still finding himself as a player, since there are certain parts of his offensive game that are still growing. He’s shown to be an improving catch and shoot guy over the past few guys, but that definitely wasn’t the case tonight. But the important part about this game was seeing how he reacts to the continued offensive struggles. This led to him finding other ways to impact the game in the second quarter, such as being active on the glass, cutting off the ball for easy layups, and most importantly, taking guys off the dribble. This is the type of game where a player like him can find a real breakthrough. He’s only in his second NBA season, and has yet to figure himself out as a player. But when that day comes, it will lead to overall consistency, which is the one thing that has some questions at this point in his career.

#4: A Duncan Robinson shooting bounce back.

The reason I labeled this Duncan Robinson game as a shooting bounce back, is because through his past “struggles,” he’s been elite in every other usual part of his game. Offensive gravity, off-ball screen setting, perimeter movement. The only difference is that the shots were actually falling tonight, which as I explained after last game, wasn’t going to be long. As mentioned earlier, he knocked down three triples to begin the game to score Miami’s first 9 points. He continued that into the second half as well, since he hit some big shots to slowly expand the lead in the third quarter. And Coach Spo may have found something interesting, after he inserted Max Strus in with Robinson, and the lineup was very effective. The recent perception of Robinson has been a bit different as of late, but as he continues to adjust to the different coverages being thrown at him every night, he will begin to thrive as much as ever.

#5: A four game winning streak, a win to begin the road trip, and great momentum as players will begin to return.

Well, this Miami Heat win may not have been pretty, but it holds more value than you may think. It’s the longest winning streak of the season for Miami, and it came at a necessary time, since it’s the first game of Miami’s tough West Coast road trip. But that aside, they scrapped their way through a game without Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, which put even more weight on the starters. The key is that they’re beginning to find themselves as a team, or as the players like to say, they’re beginning to play for one another. Erik Spoelstra always discusses the need to find a true identity, and the current identity seems to be no matter the numbers on the scoreboard, it’s going to be a game that they’re going to battle and scrap their way through. And when the leading dog on the team is Jimmy Butler, that identity matches up perfectly.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Victory Over the Knicks

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The Miami Heat came out with a win in a close one against the New York Knicks. After a late Tyler Herro three, followed by more Jimmy Butler scrappiness, the Heat extend their winning streak to 3 games. Here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Miami’s first half roller coaster caused by Jimmy Butler’s minutes.

There were clear ups and downs in the first half for Miami, and it was all due to the playing time split involving Jimmy Butler. Jimmy came out early with an offensive purpose, which was to get to the free throw line. But other than that tactic, Miami had no other effective early offense. They shot 33% in the first quarter, which allowed New York to climb back into it. As Butler exited after that, it seemed like Miami simply fell apart, which caused Miami trailing by 13. But once again, Butler enters and changes the entire dynamic of the team, leading to easy buckets for teammates due to his downhill gravity. It’s a pretty obvious topic to discuss overall impact with Butler, but it needs to be noted when he controls the pacing of a game for a half when nothing was being generated.

#2: One of those Kelly Olynyk shooting nights.

When Kelly Olynyk’s name gets mentioned in one of these takeaway pieces, it’s either a very poor shooting night, or an elite shooting night. And well, it was one of those nights for Olynyk where everything is falling. One of the most important shots of the game for him is the first one, since there’s usually a sense of the direction in which he’s heading the rest of the game. He shot 5 for 6 from beyond the arc in the first half, which basically kept Miami afloat to finish the second quarter. He also wasn’t bad defensively tonight, since he had a pretty favorable match-up that didn’t involve a lot of movement. When Miami gets this type of Olynyk, it opens a lot of things up for others, especially since opposing teams have to make decisions to continue to hound Duncan Robinson, or key in on Olynyk for a bit.

#3: Kendrick Nunn improving in necessary offensive areas.

I discussed recently the different areas of Kendrick Nunn’s game that has improved, but one that was on display tonight was as a catch and shoot guy. Being a spot-up guy was not a part of his game that he was very comfortable with last season, but the continued confidence over this past stretch has allowed him to thrive in this area. Nunn has found himself on essentially every one of these pieces as of late, and the reason that’s important is because consistency has been his area of worry. Not consistency throughout a game, but consistency from game to game. And he’s proven since his first opportunity this season that he can do just that, but the starting position has truly elevated that point even more.

#4: There’s still a lack of rotational clarity.

Other than Miami figuring out that Kendrick Nunn being the starter and Tyler Herro playing off the bench works so well, there’s still a lot of uncertainty with the overall rotation. This doesn’t have anything to do with Gabe Vincent filling in for Goran Dragic off the bench, but more about the fit with the other guys. As I’ve mentioned with Andre Iguodala, he fits well with one of Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler, and Coach Spo seems to notice that as well. But him going to that more means increased lineup complications. Another player that falls under the category of rotational clarity is rookie Precious Achiuwa. All of his minutes come when Adebayo needs a break on the sideline, which means he has no time to get into any sort of rhythm. These small personnel things will be altered as the season progresses.

#5: Bam Adebayo learning the ways of Jimmy Butler.

Adebayo and Butler are basically the only two players worth discussing in that second half, but it’s about the way that they were scoring their points. When I asked Adebayo about Butler after Sunday’s game, he discussed learning things from him, such as drawing fouls at certain parts of the game. And well, we began seeing that tonight, since both of them lived at the free throw line all night. Although Butler utilized it to generate offense and momentum for the team, Adebayo used it for a self boost in his offensive game. It’s clear that is when he can bring on-court intensity and energy, but it also channels his aggression. If he can continue to get to the free throw line as a natural part of his game, that changes a lot of things on nights when he struggles a bit getting into a rhythm.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Wizards

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The Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards on Friday night, in what felt like a must win game. A strong Kendrick Nunn performance, once granted the opportunity, was promising for his role moving forward. Well, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Bam Adebayo getting to a familiar spot on the floor: The free throw line.

The first thing that stood out tonight for Miami was the franchise centerpiece, Bam Adebayo, getting to the free throw at an absolute incredible rate. He went 11 for 11 from the line in the first quarter, and I’m not sure if making 11 straight free throws, or getting fouled that many times is more impressive. Drawing that many fouls alludes to a certain level of offensive aggression, which was needed from their stars on a night that was essentially a must win. 19 first half points on only 4 shot makes truly shows where his mind was with the ball in his hands. Of course it’s great to look at this from an individual perspective, but it’s necessary to look into the near future a bit. If Adebayo can continue to make this a part of his consistent offensive package, things not only change for him, but for this team.

#2: Kendrick Nunn gets an opportunity, Kendrick Nunn capitalizes. 

Avery Bradley will be out for approximately a month after the recent injury, which ultimately means more Kendrick Nunn minutes. When looking back at the recent stretch where Nunn stepped in, he was one of Miami’s most consistent players surprisingly, but somehow ended up being the odd man out again. But tonight, he officially looked like the guy who finished second in rookie of the year voting a year ago. Nunn scoring 15 first half points on 75% shooting gives an idea of how his night was, but the continued question will be if he can sustain it for a long period. And well, the only way to answer that question is to give him an opportunity for a long stretch, which he will have over the next few weeks. Miami adding a straight up scorer into the rotation may be the immediate fix at the moment, and can help them string together some wins.

#3: Jimmy Butler playing with a purpose, as seen through his body language and facial expressions.

One thing that was noticed about Jimmy Butler out the gate was his level of intensity he was bringing, by his body language and facial expressions alone. He seemed to know exactly what he was going to do in that first quarter, which is give Miami as big of a lead as possible before exiting. And the main goal from there was about keeping their foot on the gas pedal, which is exactly what they did to close the half. Some nights I discuss the necessity of Jimmy Butler stepping up offensively to be the superstar he is, but tonight his superstar leadership levels were more important. The players can bounce off of that fairly easily, especially since guys have been talking about the need to play for each other. Butler setting the tone early in the game says a lot about the footprint he looks to put on this team game by game.

#4: A Kelly Olynyk third quarter confidence booster.

I’m pretty sure everybody is aware of the roller coaster of Kelly Olynyk. You see the high of highs and you see the low of lows. The thing about his peak levels is that they’re generated or sparked by a specific moment. And well, after Miami held a trusted lead in the third quarter, he began to get his shot going, and that may be all he needed for this next stretch. When Olynyk plays with a lead, he always seems to play at a different level, which could have something to do with a bit less pressure to get shots up. Either way, this specific moment in the game may not seem to hold much value, but there’s a possibility it does in the grand scheme of things. And only time will tell if that quarter can be sustainable for Olynyk over larger minutes.

#5: The starting lineup changes, but could it change again?

Now, I definitely didn’t expect bringing this up as a possibility tonight, but here we are. Tyler Herro looked very good tonight in the sixth man role, mostly since he knows his role is to just score the basketball without an immense amount of worry as a point guard. Goran Dragic started in his place, and although he looked good, it’s just not sustainable for a 34 year old to get an increase in minutes this early in the season. But after the Kendrick Nunn performance we saw yet again tonight, could he find his way into a starting position? I mean, it would allow Dragic and Herro to direct the second unit as they did last season while Nunn can be granted a scoring role for the starters which could be a huge boost. Although I believe Herro will be back in the starting lineup, it’s something to evaluate as a possibility for the near future.

Miami’s Continued Search to Find A True Identity

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The word identity is something that Coach Erik Spoelstra continually harps on, and as of right now, it’s apparent this Heat team has yet to truly find it.

There are a few reasons for this. For one, the current personnel does not allow them to excel in one particular area, due to the many one-way players on the roster. The Brooklyn Nets, for example, may not be a great defensive team, but they know their identity is just to outscore the opponent.

Miami’s lack of point of attack defenders make you think that’s the only issue, but the guys who can defend don’t being a whole lot offensively.

Another thing that can lead to the finding of an identity is a strong bond between a team, as we saw this Heat team had in the bubble. But as of right now, many players are discussing things relating to finding that connection that they once had.

Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro mentioned after Wednesday’s loss that they need to play for each other once again. And Kelly Olynyk mentioned after shoot-around today, “The more time we can spend together, and build those connections and bonds, is going to be good for us.”

Now, the main reason this stuff about utilizing time to “build connections” is being discussed, is because this season is the complete opposite of the bubble. The only thing there was to do in the bubble was go to practice as much as possible, which allows Miami to thrive. Also, being around one another for a long period of time contributes to on-court success.

This season though, they basically want you to practice as least as possible, due to all of the testing things you must go through in order to  get into the building. This led to Miami not having shoot-arounds in the morning before games ever, except for today.

I’m curious if players will take it upon themselves moving forward to go through early morning testing and practice more, to try and fix whatever the issues are at the moment. Since the Miami Heat answer always seems to be more work, especially a team led by Jimmy Butler.

If Miami moves forward without any roster changes, this may be the only fix to find a true identity. This will lead to Miami needing their best player, Jimmy Butler, to step up in a much earlier fashion than previously expected.

As players have said, it’s about taking it game by game, and that’s exactly what the Heat must do over this next stretch. Once they string a few wins together, the issues of this team will become much less obvious.

A Breakdown of the Miami Heat’s Late-Game Offense

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The Miami Heat dropped yet another game on Wednesday night, this time to the Washington Wizards. One of the biggest issues that stood out was late-game offense, since spacing, sets, or even lineups looked to be problematic.

Take a look at this deep dive into the Miami Heat’s late fourth quarter issues from Wednesday night…

– Crunch time bucket leads to disappearing ball movement

As seen here, the game is tied with just under 3 minutes to play. This is usually the time where Miami’s offense begins to shift a bit for no apparent reason, although it shifted earlier than usual against the Wizards yesterday. There are a couple things to takeaway from this possession. For one, Goran Dragic dribbling around down the stretch is not what Miami wants to take place, but it seemed as if it was necessary. While Miami’s off ball movement became stagnant late in the game, Goran took it upon himself, per usual, to try and make a play to bail Miami out. And although he finds a way to do it a lot of the time, it didn’t occur last night. Identity is something that should continue to be discussed, since offense changing late in games means the offense does not have a clear identity.

– Sloppy possession down the stretch against the league’s worst defense

To be completely honest, this might be the worst offensive possession I’ve ever seen. For starters, Tyler Herro taking the three to begin the possession is a classic Tyler Herro shot, but highly unnecessary. He’s being guarded by a very poor defender in Davis Bertans, and had the opportunity to attack the basket 2 on 1 with a rolling Bam Adebayo. Then Tyler gets the ball in the corner to drive baseline, and makes the right read to find the open Goran Dragic, but passes it over his head. This leads to more chaos, since Kelly Olynyk holds on to the ball while shifting his feet a bit. Although you don’t want Kelly putting the ball on the deck, he acted as if he was trapped when he could have kept the dribble alive to get a man open. Somehow this possession ended up in a foul call, which was ruled not in the shooting motion, granting Miami another chance at a score, which is shown next.

– No offense generated leads to unnecessary shot attempts late in shot clock

The following possession with a short shot clock, Miami had another chance to tie this game up. Jimmy attacks the basket on the crowded side of the floor, and forces a pass to a back-peddling Kelly Olynyk who fumbles it a bit. He makes the pass back out to the perimeter, and the possession ends up with a Jimmy Butler three at the end of the shot clock. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing in this league, you just don’t win games when the offensive execution in a tight game looks like this. Also, take a look at the beginning of this play. Not only does Jimmy Butler not look at the basket and stare at Kelly Olynyk the entire time. But more importantly, he had a rolling Bam on the open side of the floor, who could have thrown it down if Jimmy threw the lob pass. As mentioned previously, the team’s best players need to be the best players down the stretch, and Miami leaning on other guys instead ultimately hurt them once again.

– Need a bucket should mean need Jimmy Butler

To continue my previous statement, a team’s best player must be the guy closing out a game for you, especially when his name is Jimmy Butler. But as seen here, Miami is down one with 20 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler does not even touch the ball. This doesn’t mean that others are taking shots that they shouldn’t be taking. It actually means that Jimmy needs to be the voice that he always is to say “give me the ball.” On this play, he watched the possession play out without even calling for the ball, and as I just said, that’s an issue. This big time possession began with a Bam Adebayo dribble hand-off to Kelly Olynyk. And if you take a closer look, the interior is wide open to begin the play. Bam had a clear opportunity to take Alex Len one-on-one to the basket, which he has shown to be one of his biggest strengths. But ultimately, that didn’t occur and it ended in yet another empty possession.

– Final shot of regulation showcases a few issues

Now, there are a couple elements to this final possession of regulation. For starters, not only is the best shooter on the team not on the floor, but one of the best shooters in the league. Even if there is a higher comfort level to run this exact offensive set to Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson must be on the floor. Kelly Olynyk standing in the corner on this possession just showcases my point even more. For one, having the option to pass it in to Duncan Robinson for a turnaround catch and shoot three is always great to have. But more importantly, his gravity is something that is constantly discussed, and it could have created increased opportunities for others with the defense watching Duncan closely. Either way, the entire Washington defense knew what was coming when Tyler Herro was the in-bounder, leading to a tough shot and a tough loss.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Washington

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The Miami Heat went down to the wire with the Washington Wizards, and lost yet again in a game that was basically a must win. Some awful and sloppy late fourth quarter offensive possessions led to yet another late Miami collapses. Here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Tyler Herro must’ve heard the Bradley Beal trade talks.

Well, Tyler Herro seemed to play with an offensive purpose in the first half on Wednesday night, and it just so happened to be against Bradley Beal who is constantly in trade talks. Seventeen points while shooting 7-9 from the field in the first half is impressive on it’s own, but the way he was doing it stood out more. The reason shots were falling at that rate was because of the confidence level Tyler was playing with. It’s always visible with his body language on his jumpers oddly, since when he jumps higher utilizing his legs, the shots looks better. It also makes those opportunities easier when he’s able to get to the rim as easy as he does now. His touch around the rim continues to impress, since as I’ve mentioned in the past, he utilizes the backboard in a way that not many players do at his age.

#2: Miami’s offense turned to constant penetration and paint activity.

When discussing the Miami Heat’s offense, it usually begins with three point shooting generated by dribble hand-offs. But tonight the plan seemed to include getting to the rim, not only for a good portion of possessions, but basically the entire first quarter. This is a very positive thing for a few reasons. For one, early activity at the rim allows increased three point opportunities for guys like Duncan Robinson as seen in the second quarter. It’s also the area of the floor where Miami’s two stars love to operate. It wasn’t about getting to the rim for Jimmy Butler to get points, but instead where that got him which was the free throw line. If Miami can continue to rely on their play around the rim and mid-range area, it opens up everything in their entire offense.

#3: Miami’s perimeter defenders became essential on isolation sets.

Jimmy Butler, Avery Bradley, Andre Iguodala, and even Bam Adebayo are the guys known for wrecking havoc out on the perimeter when defending one-on-one. And after seeing a good amount of isolation sets from Washington, it generated transition offense for Miami. Andre Iguodala is known for his unique and active hands when defending individually, while Avery Bradley’s defensive grit and will was shown by his ability to pick up full court. Jimmy Butler also got a good amount of deflections, which is pretty much expected when he is on the floor. Miami clearly has defensive holes that tried to get covered up by these guys on the perimeter, and it worked for possessions early on. Now, that probably won’t be the case on a nightly basis, but it’s a positive aspect for Miami’s high impact guys.

#4: Third quarter offense becomes stagnant, settling for threes once again.

It’s one thing to get into your offensive sets and shoot up open threes. It’s another thing to get away from dribble penetration completely to begin chucking up catch and shoot threes. The play I discussed tonight that proved Miami getting away from what was working was a 3 on 2 fast-break, which led to Jimmy Butler kicking it out for a Kelly Olynyk three. These empty possessions add up, especially when offensive spacing basically becomes non-existent out of nowhere in the third quarter. The common denominator for Miami’s lack of offensive effectiveness begins with Jimmy Butler becoming a non-factor as he began to shy away from the ball. Even on a great scoring night from Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler is the only person who can spark and generate a working Miami offense, and when he begins to play off the ball, things fall apart.

#5: The continued quest to find their offensive identity.

Finding the identity of this Heat team is something Coach Erik Spoelstra has harped on since the beginning of the season. The issue is that it’s hard to have a sustainable identity with the current personnel, due to the mix of one dimensional guys either defensively or offensively. Looking at the Brooklyn Nets for example, although their defense looks to be very problematic, they know their identity is just to score points and outscore the opponent. Miami’s inconsistent lineups doesn’t allow a natural flow, since there’s no wholesome continuity generated on either end. As mentioned previously though, nonstop offensive aggression from Jimmy Butler patches those issues up a bit, but when he becomes an off-ball guy for long stretches, it leads to Miami falling off on both ends of the floor very fast.