Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

The Vincent-Strus-Martin Ascension Spiraled into a Miami Heat Ascension

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When covering the Miami Heat’s scrimmage during training camp, there were two names that I walked away from that game with that were clearly playing at another level.

Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin.

One guy fresh off a two-way contract, and the other brand new to it.

Martin came as a surprise for many, as this athletic kid, that recently played for Charlotte, was showcasing to be much more than just a simple “athlete.”

He showed that his jumper was becoming more consistent, and wasn’t just some isolation player that some seemed to perceive him as coming in.

More than anything, he was a legitimate defensive piece that showed flashes of being a real rotation piece.

Then the month of January hit in the year 2022. His name was already getting more buzz after an electric performance against the Bucks mid-way through December, where his 28 points without Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo led to a much needed win over the defending champs.

But well, the calendar flip was pretty much a defensive tour.

He made De’Aaron Fox’s night uneven with a 5 of 12 night, but it was clear that they had something aside from the Adebayo and Tucker switches. Martin followed the Fox night up with the assignment of Steph Curry, which he bothered enough to shoot 3 of 17 from the field at home.

Yes, they ended up dropping both of those games, but something was brewing.

Shortly after that two-game stretch, he held Chris Paul to a 3 of 9 night, Trae Young to a 4 of 15 game, and Fred VanVleet went 6 of 16 from deep with only one 2 attempted.

The point guard tour was real, but it was the true understanding of what he could be on this team, combined with the overall improvements in his offensive game.

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Rewinding back to Gabe Vincent, there weren’t a ton of expectations coming into the season. He was a situational piece when guys went down, leaving many saying that a back-up point guard may be a neccessity.

People were right, they did need a back-up 1. But that guy was Vincent himself.

When he first signed with Miami, he appeared to be an undersized shooter who would play mainly off the catch, which he showed flashes of. But last season, he had an uneven year shooting the ball from deep due to some mechanical shifts.

Yet while some focused on those numbers, he was rapidly excelling at the all around parts of his game.

He became the staple of Miami’s 2-2-1 press that debuted last year next to Andre Iguodala, just due to the fact that his perimeter lateral quickness was for real, and he had a clear knack for the ball.

Coming into this season, he just bounced off that two-way contract, and the next step would be could he make minor improvements on the ball.

Well, the improvements weren’t minor.

He was pretty much thrown into the fire of point guard reps, and he proved that the off-season did a lot for his game. The pick and roll savviness was really something, the catch and shoot numbers jumped up from under 30% last season to 39% this year, and his mid-range/driving game had surged.

His mid-range pull-up stalled out at 29% last year, which spiked to 43% this season. That isn’t gradual improvement. That’s turning the whole page.

Plus, speaking of big games mid-way through December, Vincent led Miami to back-to-back wins with a 26 point performance in Philly, then a 27 point night against the Magic. As the top guys kept dropping out of the lineup, these guys were ready to step up.

Not only are they great fillers, but they’re now potentially in a playoff rotation.

And when talking about certain guys stepping up, Vincent’s two-way companion Max Strus is the perfect example of that.

I wouldn’t exactly say Strus’ scenario was completely aligned with the other two, since it was more about situation and opportunity for him. He constantly would get the same looks no matter if it was last year or this year, but the sample size being greater this time around allowed for a true evaluation period.

Among the top 50 players in 3 point attempts a game this season, which includes around 50 players, only one player shot a better percentage from deep than Strus, with the stipulation of playing at least half of the regular season games.

Desmond Bane edged him out, but Max Strus trailed him with a 41% shooting season from beyond the arc.

It’s not easy to be that spark shooter who has to consistently perform as a guy with zero rhythm prior to entering, but he proved himself. Now he finds himself sitting in the starting lineup less than a week away from the start of the playoffs.

These 3 guys are extreme success stories for this Miami Heat developmental program, but they’re also examples of putting in the work, and performing at the highest level.

From fillers to playoff rotation.

It isn’t everyday that you see that, but from the Heat’s perspective, they aren’t surprised when it happens.

 

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Five Takeaways from this Miami Heat Season

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On a pretty meaningless night of Miami Heat basketball, I wasn’t going to dissect the play of Sioux Falls against the Magic.

Instead, I wanted to zoom out a bit and go big picture.

So, here are some mainstream takeaways from the Heat this regular season…

#1: Tyler Herro’s leap, a Miami Heat leap.

Coming into the season, there were some decently high expectations for Tyler Herro on this team. He had a lot against him heading in with trade rumors and things of that nature, yet people still were projecting that 6th man of the year was in reach. But as we’ve seen, not only was he in reach, he’s the runaway favorite. And to that point, he’s exceeded all expectations since that first game in October, even after putting a target on his back that he was in similar “conversations” as some of the league’s best young talent. From a basketball perspective, we constantly look at the stuff he’s doing now under a microscope, but it’s pretty obvious that his leap has elevated this Heat team. On the offensive end, he’s allowed everything to gel together due to his shot creating surge. Yet when hearing the word “surge,” it feels like it applies to him in different ways week after week.

#2: Bam Adebayo capping off the staple of this team: a top defense.

After looking back at Herro’s play leading to offensive flexibility, that’s been the case for Bam Adebayo on the defensive end to an even further degree. Yes Miami added defensive talent, in guys like PJ Tucker, and lost certain liabilities, like Kendrick Nunn or Goran Dragic, but defense is very similar to offense: you can have skillful players, but you need the puzzle pieces to fit together. Bam Adebayo is the reason that they fit. The Miami Heat have won regular season games this year behind Bam’s impact on switches, weak-side help, or the pure fear factor. That’s why it just works, and ultimately why he should be the defensive player of the year. In terms of expectations, it’s fair to say that some expected he could potentially obtain that award, but becoming Spoelstra’s shifting defensive design isn’t normal. But he’s made it look as such.

#3: Jimmy Butler’s consistency and Kyle Lowry’s control providing positive signs.

In the off-season, we heard a lot of talk about timelines. The Herro-Adebayo timeline or the Butler-Lowry timeline. And well, they’re riding the line of both at this very moment in time, landing them in the 1 seed. I talked about that young pairing already, but that veteran combo shouldn’t be pushed to the side. Through pure numbers, there hasn’t been much change for them, but they’ve allowed this all to work. Lowry has led to a major shift in offensive schematics, as Miami has abandoned pure reliance on DHO’s, and relied much more heavily on ball screen sets and heavy movement actions. How can they quickly transition? Well, just credit Lowry’s passing. Butler also deserves credit for his overall consistency, not just in numbers, but in role. His rim pressure asset is nothing to play with, and we’re now seeing him taking a hypothetical step back for the young duo to shine. We know about the Lowry-Butler relationship off the floor, but the on-court duo is peaking at the right time.

#4: Do the Miami Heat have depth? Oh yeah, the Miami Heat definitely have depth.

The question that was posed often before the season when talking about this Heat team was: do they have enough depth? Not only rotationally, but to get through a regular season. Looking back at it now, both of those things are laughable. Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin ascending together this season has played a big part in that, which is where “getting through the regular season” comes into play. Lowry goes out, oh Vincent steps up big. Robinson goes out, Strus steps up big. Butler goes out, Martin steps up big. Adebayo goes out, Yurtseven steps up big. It was a never ending process that quickly blended into rotation strength. These guys were no longer fillers. They were legitimate playoff level bench pieces. Now fast forward a bit more, you have some other guys on the outside looking in, with Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo, as Dipo goes off for 25 in the first half on game 82. Depth quickly shifted from weakness to strength, and now it’s leading to constant debates of who should play over who.

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#5: A 1 seed built for the playoffs.

Moving the goal posts is a common occurrence in the sports world. As many proclaimed before the season, this gritty Heat group would be one of those “tough outs” in a playoff setting, since they will be one of those middle of the pack teams nobody wants to play. All of a sudden they land in the 1 seed, due to the previous section of depth, and now they’re a regular season team that have questions surrounding entering true contention? Yeah, like I said, the goal posts move. But it’s pretty clear when watching this team that they are built for a playoff setting. For one, they have a coach of the year candidate that I haven’t touched on a lot here, who is better at mid-game, or mid-series, adjustments than most opponents he faces. But more importantly, they’ve found their identity at the right time. They’ve known what they are defensively, but discovering this new look offense with more spacers, expanded sets, and a changing rotation has broadened this team’s ceiling in my view.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hawks

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The Miami Heat faced the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night after already locking up the 1 seed, and it had a real playoff feel to it late.

All the main guys played, and they got crucial late game offense reps.

Big Tyler Herro shot, nice Bam Adebayo control, and a major set up from Kyle Lowry late.

A clear confidence booster.

Even if the Heat are still not among the four favorites to win the East in the playoffs, according to Betway.com.

 

Some takeaways:

#1: Tyler Herro’s passing vision continues to spike.

Tyler Herro enters for Jimmy Butler, as the new substitution pattern sticks. Like most games, the first couple possessions look similar. Herro-Adebayo pick and roll, Herro draws two to the ball, and Bam gets a bucket. That happened immediately as he checked in once again. But then it was copied and pasted immediately after as a highlight lob pass for the Bam dunk. That combo is one conversation, but this version of Herro is the true conversation. It’s one thing to get to the point where you’re consistently drawing two, but it’s another thing to continually drop dimes out of that double since multiple guys are dropping down. They’re surrounding him with other shooters, since there’s always an awaiting Robinson, Strus, or Vincent on that weak-side. And that’s a post-season half court offense gift.

#2: Caleb Martin allows for defensive versatility.

Watching the defensive alignments early on, it could be foreshadowing something more meaningful down the road. In this instance, Caleb Martin is guarding the talented point guard, in Trae Young, which could also be the PJ Tucker role when he’s playing. But if the power forward is guarding the opposing 1, who is 6 foot Kyle Lowry guarding? Well, in this case, it’s the stretch 4 named Danilo Gallinari. It’s been clear this season that Miami likes to stick Martin or Tucker on those type of guards, but the issue is if the opposing front-court allows for Lowry to match-up with. Like I said, one that isn’t an interior threat like Gallinari is the perfect example. Sub John Collins in for him, and you must go in a different direction. But the point is that this allows for some defensive versatility, and that starts with these versatile wings like Martin.

#3: The Trae Young effect.

In a game like this, it’s more about projecting forward as Miami had the 1 seed locked up before even walking into the building. But the truth is that there are four teams who could potentially land in that 8 spot. And well, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are one of them. Yet when watching tonight, it’s clear that he forces you to empty the defensive playbook with a bunch of different surprises. As much as I talk about the match-ups from Miami’s perspective, Young is just that talented to bypass those things at times. Looking at the second quarter for example, there was a play in which Young tried to take Martin off the dribble for the entire possession. Martin wasn’t biting on any fake or cross. He locked him up for about 22 seconds, yet Young somehow slipped by at the last two for the lay-in. Those are the problems that he presents. It’s all about that 24 second clock, since he only needs that one second advantage to make a play.

#4: Bam Adebayo putting together a nice offensive night.

Instead of looking so far into X’s and O’s or stats, it should be mentioned that Bam Adebayo put together a nice little performance in this one on the offensive end. I’ve already touched on the stuff next to Herro, which is a major part of his scoring success, but his inside game seems to be growing night to night. There are plenty of bigs that he faces that clearly overpower him in size, but these slight fakes and baseline drives to get under the rim has gotten him to the line quite often as of late. As I said before the season when many were chanting for Bam threes, the better option would be his inside game to take a major step. We aren’t at the “major” point yet, but there’s definitely been a step. And that improvement could win Miami a playoff game.

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#5: So, all eyes on that 8 spot.

The Brooklyn Nets took down the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, which are the current 7 and 8 seeds. Since the Nets have the tiebreaker over them, that jumps them up to the 7 seed as we speak. The Hawks sit right behind, with the Charlotte Hornets sitting nice as well as they destroyed the Chicago Bulls tonight. Now it just comes down to eyeing the Nets final game, as that’s the team most people are worried about. They win that game, then they’ll find themselves in an elimination game at home in the play-in, meaning they’re one win away from landing themselves in the 7 seed officially. There are a ton of tiebreaker elements to this right now, but the Nets road to that seeding now leans in their favor. Should be an interesting week as Miami charges up at home for that first round series.

 

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The Miami Heat’s Real Reason for the Rotation Changes

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As the Heat walked away from a Saturday night stomping by the Brooklyn Nets, where they essentially trailed by 30 for a portion of the night, it was the final smack before wake up time.

They dropped their fourth game in a row, which included a week of a flamed up bench altercation between Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra.

It was clear that change was needed. Not just individually, but on the surface.

As the starting lineup tweet was released on Monday afternoon ahead of Heat-Kings, one face was a bit of a surprise: Max Strus slotted into the spot of Duncan Robinson.

Since that change, Strus is averaging a little under 4 threes a night on 50% shooting, and all of the best two man combos seem to include him. In terms of the starting lineup, it looks like it just works, as Miami has blended into a 5-0 stretch since the changes.

But if all they did was replace shooter with shooter, how did that improve the spacing or overall production in that starting unit? Well, that’s because it’s not about Robinson or Strus themselves, but who they’re playing next to.

One of the most lethal offensive combos over the years has been Robinson and Bam Adebayo, since they mastered the dribble hand-off that constantly had defenses in a scramble from night to night. One single action and two individual players reshaped the way the Miami Heat ran offense.

Well, until teams adjusted.

While opposing teams began to adjust, it felt like Miami was a bit delayed on the adjustment on their part. Grabbing a true point guard, in Kyle Lowry, allowed them to reshape in a different manner, but it was clear that Bam Adebayo needed to be unleashed from hand-off searching sideline to sideline.

Before the all star break this season, Adebayo and Robinson were playing 22.3 minutes a game together, which sounds about right since Miami wanted to mirror them as much as possible.

But the new shift to bring Robinson off the bench, has another game-plan in mind.

Since the Heat shifted the rotation, Robinson and Adebayo are averaging 8.1 minutes a game together, which is not only intentional, but one of the main reasons they switched the places of Strus and Robinson.

The new substitution pattern is to insert Tyler Herro off the bench for Jimmy Butler, so that Adebayo and him can get some run in space. Yet after a few minutes, Butler enters back in next to Herro with some of the bench group. And in the category of “bench group” lies Duncan Robinson.

Yes, the DHO’s of Adebayo may have propelled Robinson’s shooting in a positive direction, but it’s pretty clear that slotting him next to Butler and Herro is the better call right now. Those are the two guys on the team that can consistently draw two defenders on an attack, which consequently leads to uneven rotations and an eventual open shooter.

Robinson hit 7 threes last night in the win over the Charlotte Hornets, and 5 of them were assisted by Butler. Coincidence? Maybe a little, since that Hornets defense basically gives up open threes all by themselves, but we can’t overlook the power of this trio.

That three man grouping of Herro-Robinson-Butler played 9.1 minutes a game together prior to the all star break, which has now skyrocketed to 19.1 minutes a game since the changes. Yeah, it’s pretty safe to say that this stuff is intentional.

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The rotation or starting lineup shifts aren’t the focal point of things clicking. It’s more about the substitution patterns and overall lineup combinations.

Yet while Butler moving over a position to the 4 feels to be the change discussed most, the starting lineup change is much more calculated than you may think.

At first it felt like it was as simple as letting Strus get a shot throughout Robinson’s shooting struggles, but it’s actually about maximizing both of them in their primary areas. Strus as a guy who can get shots up in any lineup and can provide a tad more athleticism. And Robinson as a guy who can find himself open more often next to his key sidekicks: Butler and Herro.

This isn’t to say that Robinson won’t still struggle from time to time in his role, but it’s more about setting these guys up in the best possible ways. Herro has sacrificed for the team by being a 6th man even though he’s valued much more than that. Guys like Oladipo, Vincent, or Martin have all sacrificed their rotation spot at one point or another.

Now, it’s Robinson’s turn.

Just looking at the Martin brothers who faced off a night ago, sometimes it’s clear that branching off is the best thing for a player’s success. After playing with each other since birth, this is the first time they aren’t on the same team, and each are playing the best basketball of their life.

Same goes for Robinson and Adebayo.

Not in terms of changing teams, but just eliminating the constant reliance on one another. Both of them finding their place without each other not only elevates the play of them individually, but for this team.

It isn’t a coincidence that these numbers have shifted this dramatically. It was purposeful, and it’s clear that it’s for the best.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hornets

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The Miami Heat faced the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, and really took care of business through and through.

Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson come up big as Miami’s offense flows pretty perfectly throughout.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Heat’s 3 point shooting continues to surge.

11 of 17 was Miami’s three point shooting line at the half, and man it didn’t look like it was heading that way at the start. The first 4 minutes of play in the first quarter looked like it was trending in a negative direction from a shooting perspective, but Max Strus kicked off a shooting display by dropping LaMelo Ball with a single jab step. But in all seriousness, the reason this shooting is important to note is that it isn’t just a hot stretch. This team’s shooting has made major strides ever since the rotation changes, and that isn’t a coincidence. They’ve found a constant blend of shooting and defense in all 5 man groups, going smaller opens up spacing, and the shooters going from focal points to beneficiaries has molded this offense greatly. Which blends into my next takeaway…

#2: Duncan Robinson?

In a season where there isn’t much to complain about, Duncan Robinson has felt like the consistent piece that gets brought up night in and night out to pick on. Some of it is viable since he hasn’t played to a level that some may have expected, but this bench shift seems to be the best thing for his production. As I noted before, this is no longer Duncan Robinson DHO”s being the primary action in the offense. It now revolves around a bunch of factors, leading to a swing, swing, Robinson triple. Even though his numbers haven’t spiked since this game, it’s been obvious that his looks are much more open than when he was starting. A big factor of that: ever since the change, he lines up next to Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro more than ever, which used to be more Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker. Why is that important? Well, both Butler and Herro draw more bodies than anyone on this team, giving him open looks.

#3: Bam Adebayo’s rebounding needs a quick discussion.

I’m not going to dissect the X’s and O’s of Bam Adebayo’s rebounding right now, but to the naked eye, it has stood out to me that his crashing has been a lot more impactful. People love to point out the possessions where he switches out to the perimeter and an offensive rebound is the outcome, but it seems his strong collapses are pushed to the side. As the lineups continue to get smaller and smaller with guys like Martin at the 4 or Tucker at the 5, this is a crucial component to everything staying in tact. The surrounding pieces deserve some credit as well since they’ve been crashing hard ever since that Kings game, but Bam is still the focal point. His rebounds are much more noticeable right now with how he’s attacking the glass, and it must be noted.

#4: Miami’s lapses protecting the paint.

Toward the beginning of the third quarter, the Hornets just erased Miami’s 10 point halftime lead in the blink of an eye. How did they do that? Well, defense was pretty nonexistent in this game it felt, as the score was 102-97 at the end of the third quarter. Either way, the issue was that the Heat were allowing the Hornets into the paint way too often, leading to a line of 15 of 17 at the rim. Simply, not ideal. It’s one thing to allow a team to be that efficient, but it’s even worse that they were able to prance right by Miami’s front line every possession. Now, they’re getting two feet in the lane, Miami’s collapsing, and the shooters take advantage, which is far from great when the Hornets were shooting 61% from the field heading into the 4th. This is one of those coasting defensive performances at game 80, so it shouldn’t be too worrisome, but still not great from an individual perspective with some.

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#5: All about keeping an eye on seeding.

As the Heat inch closer and closer to officially locking up that 1 seed, all eyes are now on the 8 seed. As so many seem to be fearing Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, it’s looked more likely that could end up being their first round opponent. Or will it? Well, it seems clear that the Heat could end up deciding that since they play the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Beating Charlotte tonight helps Brooklyn out, and handing the Hawks a loss would help them even more. Why would Miami want to help the Nets, you may be wondering? Getting them to the 7-8 by the end of the regular season means they’re one win away from locking up that 7 seed in the play-in tournament, which puts them on the other side of the bracket. Now it’s all about monitoring others.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Raptors

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The Heat didn’t seem to be in a great spot early on against the Toronto Raptors, yet fought back with an impressive win behind a bunch of guys.

Tyler Herro played a complete game, Max Strus provided the spark, and Victor Oladipo came up huge.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Heat having trouble stopping this lengthy, quick Raptors team early on.

While the offensive end is always looked to first, it was clear that Miami’s defense had to be the focus when reflecting at the half. For one, Fred VanVleet was just able to go to work possession after possession, going for 17 first quarter points to kick off the game. But the true issue is those surrounding VanVleet. We talk about this Raptors team’s length being a defensive thing, but they provide hard things to defend on the opposite side of things. They love to run a single PnR to draw that smaller defender, then go full clear-out mode. Guys like Barnes or Siakam were able to get decent looks in that mid post area, which leads to Miami’s weak-side wing defenders edging down. Now that slight double comes, and the kick-out is made. Their offense was simple, but when they’re shooting at that level over a certain stretch, it looks much more complex.

#2: Tyler Herro’s counter to so many different coverages is a unique approach.

Evaluating Tyler Herro against a team like the Raptors is a good benchmark in terms of tracking his individual success. As I’ve mentioned all year, length is one of the best counters to his high level offensive display. But when there’s quick and switchy length, it makes it even tougher. You can’t effectively drive to the basket with them lurking, but they also play high in the PnR since they can switch basically everything. So, what’s Herro’s move from there? Well, it isn’t a schematic shift that is made. It’s simply tough shot making. Time and time again, that’s his relying force as a scorer. Weaving in that mid-range, taking tough step-backs, or working that transition pull-up 3 due to the fact it’s the only shot that won’t see a contest. We know everything Herro provides, but being able to have that elite level tough shot making label is impressive.

#3: Victor Oladipo minutes, Victor Oladipo production?

With Miami lacking Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker, Gabe Vincent, and Dewayne Dedmon, plenty of slots were opened in the Heat rotation which includes Victor Oladipo. His early offensive success was that release valve three, as many of his minutes came next to Herro and one of Bam or Lowry. But more specifically with Herro, the Raptors were making sure to send two at him no matter the circumstance. That meant open looks were presenting themselves for Oladipo, which he took advantage of in his first stint. We know he can have moments, but the common question is if he can have consistent moments. Yes he can knock down wild step back triples through pure skill, but we’ve also seen that turnovers have been linked to him at times by rushing on-ball creation a ton. That comes with the fact that he hasn’t played many basketball games due to injury recently, but that would be the ability that’d push him into comfortable rotation status. But with the big time shot making displayed tonight, he’s inching closer and closer to that state.

#4: Max Strus: the ignitable piece.

As Miami seemed a step behind entering the second half offensively, it was clear there were only certain players who could push them into winning position: Max Strus or Duncan Robinson. The common denominator there was that they needed one of their primary shooters, who had yet to make a three, to bend the defense a bit on the perimeter. And well, that guy was Strus. After not attempting a shot in the first half, he exploded in the third quarter for 14 points and 4 triples, which helped Miami basically get over the hump. It’s not about Strus’ 14 in itself exactly, but it’s what those shots open up. The move to put him in the starting lineup felt like a placeholder, but it’s feeling more and more like a sticking point. As Spoelstra always says, it’s his ignitability that makes him so special, and when a guy has the potential to win you a playoff game, you go with that player.

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#5: Scrapping their way into one of their grittier wins of the season.

In terms of big time gritty wins this season for the Heat, this game is up there. Their offense was flattened out, Lowry mentioned his emotions would be everywhere, and Toronto’s size was causing problems. Yet, they battled through. I talked about both Herro and Strus previously, but there needs to be context of them together, specifically in the 4th. Strus kept getting more looks and kept capitalizing, but it’s not crazy to say that Herro was the reason. He continued driving and attacking, meaning Toronto kept sending bodies at him and helping down. Therefore, Strus took advantage. The other guy I already touched on who took advantage late was Oladipo. A big dunk got the team into it, and one deep three put Miami over the top. What felt like a statement game from Lowry turned into a statement game from Oladipo, leading to some interesting conversations late in the season.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bulls

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The Miami Heat faced the Chicago Bulls on the front end of a back to back, and came away with a comfortable win in Chicago.

Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro all stepped up at different moments, showcasing a minor switch being flipped as they edge closer to the playoffs.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Jimmy Butler’s jumper revived?

Watching Jimmy Butler in the first half, two things were noticed. The jumper looked like it was peaking, and his play at the 4 is rising rapidly. Why is that important? Well, those two things go hand in hand. His play at the 4 has opened up his scoring lanes at another level, specifically in that mid-range area. There’s less crowding going on with only one of Adebayo or Tucker occupying the dunker spot, and spreading out three shooters. But the fact of the matter is this: the jumper is looking better than it has all year. However you may feel about the three ball, his teammates have been in his ear to shoot more of them, and he’s not shying away from it. There’s been less of that one-legged fade and more of that slight rise off two feet, and that’s the formula. And it’s clear, his jumper falling raises the ceiling of this offense majorly.

#2: The Heat’s first half adjustments from Erik Spoelstra: a product of 3 straight triples from Herro.

When looking at the first stint for Tyler Herro, he kicked off his opening stretch by getting blocked 3 straight times. Patrick Williams specifically was helping over a ton on that strong side to make impressive plays with his athletic build. But then came the adjustment. How do you eliminate that? Well, for one, you go to more empty corner stuff since that eliminates that type of help at the nail, and basically bends an entire defense. They shifted the ball into the hands of Jimmy Butler, since they noticed this over-helping combined with the extra shooting on the floor. The help came, a Herro corner three came out of it immediately, which is essentially the reasoning Miami was getting so many corner triples. The following two plays were driven by an attack by Butler or Bam, and a kick-out for an eventual swing. Both Herro threes again. Tyler Herro may have been the effect, but Coach Spo was the cause. Adjusting early was the key to this one.

#3: So, a healthy group in tact. Who’s the 9 man rotation?

One of the main things I had an eye on heading into this game was the new look rotation. Yes, Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris are certified situational players right now, but there are still decisions to be made. The bench options consisted of Herro-Vincent-Robinson-Martin-Dedmon, yet it’s clear they want to go 9. So, who was the odd man out? Tonight, that guy was Martin. It feels like they’re trying to get Vincent into an offensive rhythm anyway heading into the post-season, so maybe that decision was predictable. But it wasn’t the final decision for sure. When looking at the options off the bench, I don’t know if it’s Martin or Vincent anymore like we’ve displayed it often. Could it actually be, Martin or Robinson? Yes, they’ve needed spacing, but Miami’s kind of figured it out with the alterations. Not saying that’ll be the case, but I’m sure it’ll go through some minds.

#4: Kyle Lowry’s shot attempts continuing to rise.

When Kyle Lowry previously said he would use a short ramp up period to prepare for the “real season,” he wasn’t kidding. Game after game, now that there’s a handful of games left, his shooting numbers fail to decline. As I’ve said after many games this season, and more specifically lately, that pull-up three shifts everything. Just taking it. Teams begin to worry about that, and the skip pass he was throwing early in the season sees a lot more space now that two are flashing to the ball. Fast forwarding to the third quarter, what may have seemed like a minor possession stuck out to me. Lowry-Bam pick and roll ends in a deep floater for Lowry trotting down the lane. The reason it stuck out is that he was passing that in the pocket a month ago. His shot attempts within the pick and roll were staggeringly low, but now he’s hitting strides at the right time. Just like he said.

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#5: Dewayne Dedmon providing solid minutes.

In a game that Bam Adebayo got in some early foul trouble, it meant an extended look at Dewayne Dedmon consequently. And well, after he’s had some rough nights as of late consisting of piled up moving screens, he had a really good night overall on both ends. He was active on the boards, moving as a roller, and scoring around the rim efficiently. But most importantly, he looked like he was moving really well, which is they key to his play in small stints. In the playoffs, if Adebayo is pushing 38 minutes, they just need two solid 5 minute stints from Dedmon to move the needle. He was their best post-season performer a year ago, but that was because he only played 16 regular season games before entering playoff mode. Now it’s a different circumstance, but they’re hoping for a similar form.

 

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How Tyler Herro has Elevated the League’s Top Scoring Bench

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The raw numbers speak for themselves when it comes to Tyler Herro this season, averaging 21 points a game on 44% shooting along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, plus he’s producing 23 a night since the All Star break.

But when zooming out a bit, this Heat bench has gotten them to this point, and now it’s time for the main cast to push them over the edge as they blend into the post-season.

The interesting part about that: Herro is starring in both that hot bench group and that main cast.

Miami currently averages the most bench points a game this season at 40 a night, which has bumped up even further post All Star break to 46 a game. But frankly, it isn’t just about the box score watching of how many points these guys are putting up.

They’re generating extremely positive minutes when plugging in for starters.

When looking over some of the best offensive two man combos for the Heat since the All Star break, here are the top five in offensive rating with at least 100 minutes played: Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent, Martin and Max Strus, Martin and Herro, Bam Adebayo and Strus, then Strus and Herro.

That’s five combos, or 10 players, with only one Heat starter named. That simply isn’t a normal occurrence.

In terms of the X’s and O’s differences, one of the main reasons that those numbers looked like that is due to Miami’s spacing looking best in the second units night in and night out. Prolonged minutes of the Butler-Tucker-Adebayo front-court constantly meant a spaced out second unit was about to enter.

Now, they’ve spread it out evenly as we’ve been talking about a ton over the last 48 hours. Herro entering for Butler, maximizes spacing in those early minutes, as well as his shift to the 4 has opened things up.

In many ways, not only has the Heat’s depth gotten them to this point, but they were the trial runs for the coaching staff to gain clarity on what works best for this team offensively.

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Having that spacing off the bench is one thing with Strus’ outside shooting or Vincent and Martin’s surges this season into legitimate two way players, but it all comes down to having that head of the snake who knows what to do when actually given that space.

Tyler Herro has been that guy.

I mentioned that Herro insertion for Butler around the 6 minute mark over the last two games, and here was the very first offensive possession in both instances.

Herro comes off the hand-off, Jaylen Brown funnels him inside, Marcus Smart helps down off the corner, and Herro hits Bam on the roll for the eventual dunk. The primary element there, though, is the space that Adebayo had on the roll.

It’s one thing to have the space, but you need a guy in Herro to not only make the pass, but force three to collapse onto him on the ball.

Rewinding back to the game against the Kings, it was pretty much the same exact look, except Tucker standing in the strong-side dunker spot now meant even more room for Adebayo as the roller to operate.

How valuable is Herro to that bench unit, you may ask?

Well, a minor evaluation is that one of the last games he sat out, against the Golden State Warriors on the night of the bench blow-up, the Heat scored 13 bench points while 7 of those came from Victor Oladipo on 3 of 11 shooting.

It goes without saying, but Herro’s value to this team, and more specifically to this bench, is higher than anybody could’ve expected coming into the season.

For example, Martin and Strus have recorded an offensive rating of 114 this season when they share the floor without Herro, yet when Herro enters next to them, it bumps all the way up to 119.

It’s one of those things where the X’s and O’s completely are aligned with the stats. And well, if many want to all of a sudden drift away from the raw numbers for the 6th man of the year award this season, advanced statistics back up Herro’s outstanding season as well.

The bench unit continues to shift around Herro, but it continues to produce due to his strong level of play. From Martin to Vincent to Haywood Highsmith to Omer Yurtseven to Kyle Guy, for some reason Miami never looks shorthanded.

A big part of that is the Heat’s developmental program shining, but an even larger part of it is that Herro’s game has risen to a level that anyone can plug in next to him.

And well, that’s the exact definition of what a 6th man of the year winner should be made of.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over the Celtics

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The Heat played a big one on Wednesday night against the Celtics in Boston, and they stood strong in many of the weaknesses they had attached to them.

Max Strus came up huge after shaky moments, Kyle Lowry took over, and the Heat stepped up big in clutch time.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Tyler Herro and Miami making adjustments to start.

As Miami walked into the locker room at halftime, it was clear a 1 point lead was a win for them. A second quarter run from Boston raised an eyebrow at Miami potentially bouncing back, but the adjustments for Tyler Herro were interesting to me in general. There’s still much less comfort against switching than drop, but lucky for him, it’s a pick your poison thing with this impressive Celtics defense. Herro was being swarmed a ton in his early minutes, mostly since he was running into easy switches with guys like Jimmy Butler or PJ Tucker screening. Simply, he needs Bam Adebayo to set him up. The reasoning was that he needed to gain a rhythm by going at Al Horford in that drop. He did climb up to 10 points at the half, and it leads to a takeaway that Spoelstra seems to feel most comfortable shifting Herro around offensively than anybody.

#2: The broad idea of pace fluctuations.

Speaking of that Boston run in the second quarter, it looked like Miami was rattled for a minute. Turnovers were peaking, they began to play faster as Boston had transition success, and the lead began to swing. Aside from this game in itself, I truly believe it’s something to keep an eye on. Why? Well, the person that controls the pace in a game that the Miami Heat are involved seems to be a bigger swing than it should be. When Miami starts trailing the play-style of the opponent, things don’t lean in their favor. It doesn’t matter if it’s that they need to slow it down or speed it up in a certain span, but just having that control is an important element of this basketball team.

#3: Bam Adebayo’s defensive importance: something you know already.

While many were probably screaming at their TV at times in the first half for Bam Adebayo to begin attacking Boston’s bigs, it must be reminded that there are two sides of the ball. And for a portion of the game, Adebayo was wrecking first options for the Celtics very often. Many times we see it through Miami’s game-plan of forcing Tucker and Adebayo to switch onto the respective guard and big on that team, but they went the Giannis Antetokounmpo route in this one. What I mean by that is he shifted to weak-side excellence in this one, and his help was pretty elite for what he had to deal with on the other side, in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. You may hear a lot about Smart and Williams on the ESPN broadcast for defensive player of the year, but the ability to move Bam around defensively will be Spoelstra’s key defensive card in the playoffs.

#4: Kyle Lowry’s “real season” coming alive?

When zooming in on the third quarter specifically, Kyle Lowry was the definition of their offense from start to finish. He kicked off with two pull-up triples out of the high pick and roll, which is one of the most important elements of this team. Yes, not just Lowry, but this team. Defenses worrying about that shot gives Lowry all of his powers to dissect coverages in the half-court with his passing. That led to an immediate zip to Bam Adebayo in the middle of the floor, and a perfect feed on a backdoor cut to Jimmy Butler to begin the 3rd. The one question that I had walking away from that quarter was this: what happens when Lowry exits? That’s how big he was in terms of total control, which ties into recent discussions about spacing. It’s clear that when the playoffs roll around, Lowry needs the ball in his hands. A lot.

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#5: Late-game offense evaluation time.

When heading into this game, I said on a Five Reasons Sports pregame show that the topic of the game would be late-game offense. For one it’s just that type of match-up, and second of all, there are two high level shot creators to create in clutch time during the Heat’s biggest time of weakness. As the score stayed close and the time trickled down, we saw Miami staying in base sets for a decent amount of time starting at the 6 minute mark. As Lowry checked back in the 4th, it was clear that the clutch time offense starts now in a game like this. But more importantly, the base sets were familiar since there was space to operate, as Butler stayed at the 4. Miami continued to spam one thing and one thing only: Lowry/Bam PnR, Strus/Herro spacing in each corner, Butler looming. That’s the formula to good looks in the clutch.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over the Kings

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The Miami Heat had their roughest week of the season by far this week, but took care of business on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. Some changes were made, the top guys elevated, and Miami got back in some type of a rhythm.

So, here are some of my primary evaluations from this one…

#1: The rotation changes in this one for the Heat.

Thirty minutes prior to the game, it was announced that Max Strus would start over Duncan Robinson, which raised an eyebrow. Other than some reasoning that involves allowing the starters to figure stuff out together, it was clear Spoelstra wanted some different looks and ultimately flow into a new look rotation. Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson came off the bench with the usual Tyler Herro and Dewayne Dedmon combo, which left Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris out of the mix. To look even further, I don’t believe this will be the end game nine man rotation. Caleb Martin needs to play off the bench, meaning it all comes down to two players: who gets the final starting spot? Duncan Robinson or Max Strus.

#2: Another change that could be even more important: substitution patterns.

When looking at Miami’s usual substitution pattern, Jimmy Butler stays in the game to start as Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry exit, allowing him to run with Tyler Herro and the second unit. Tonight, though, Butler exited first. For Herro. That shift makes things look a lot cleaner for a few reasons. It means Herro and Adebayo can get a longer look together early on, plus it’s one of the lineups that allows Tucker at the 4 to fit in well. But more importantly, it means that Butler re-entering is him at the 4 with shooters, instead of him at the 3 next to Tucker and Dedmon. Certain patterns can change, but the point is more about zooming out. This team has revolved things around the depth all season, but now it’s time to make the changes that benefit the top four guys on the roster. That’s how they excel in the post-season.

#3: The constant question: how to maximize Butler and Adebayo offensively?

I’ve talked a lot about rotations and stuff of those sorts to start this piece, but one play kind of said a lot about how to maximize Butler and Bam together at times. Tyler Herro sets up the offense on the right wing, as two shooters line up on the weak-side, and Butler and Adebayo begin their action. As both are under the goal, Bam screens down for Butler to rise up, as Herro hits him in stride. But as I explained, this down screen wasn’t the usual look. The lower you screen for two guys of this caliber, the harder it is for a defense to manipulate. They can’t just recover by going under a screen, since there’s no room for any of that. Butler rises up for the and-1, which signifies a lot about how they can be used, beginning with Butler playing at the 4. Putting 3 shooters around them is always the way.

#4: Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry controlling.

To carry on the theme of how things were being handled offensively for Miami, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro seemed to take total control of the handling duties for their half-court sets. Part of that ties into Herro entering for Butler, but this was a Spo change as he had to regroup after the 4 game losing streak. As the third quarter came to a close, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro had 6 assists a piece, and both of them had enough moments. Well, Herro had plenty at least. Watching him play with his food against this Kings’ defense was a sight, as he did it at all three levels. He’s specifically doing most of his work at the first and third level, which is interesting since the second level is probably his best area. Simply, the team needs those two guys to have the ball in their hands. That’s when things flow, and guys get their best looks.

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#5: Some of my most notable Heat set combos.

The Heat’s two man combo has been a staple of theirs for years. Even thinking in really recent years, the Robinson-Adebayo DHO basically got them through their season in the bubble year. But looking at some positive two-man combos at the moment, aside from the obvious ones, I’d start with the newly adjusted Tucker DHO. It’s just something he does quickly when the shot isn’t there, to basically trigger an action, but way too often was Butler on the receiving end. Defender goes under, Tucker in no man’s land, and a 24 second violation is on the way. In this one, we saw some Tucker-Lowry DHO’s which is as good as it gets. Defender has to go over and two are forced to go to the ball, leading to the floater. On the obvious side, as the spacing tries to be fixed around Butler, him screening for Herro is the way in the middle of the floor. Shooters waiting for the spray if they tag, and it’s a win-win all the way around.

 

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