Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

A Deep Dive into John Collins’ Fit Next to Bam Adebayo

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The John Collins situation at the moment is a bit complicated in my opinion. He’s setting himself up for a decent sized deal, while the Atlanta Hawks are currently in the middle of a deep playoff run.

There’s a certain group of guys that we will continue to discuss as Miami Heat possibilities, and they’re all in that weird middle ground, in terms of contract, at that 22/23 year old age group. Teams have to make a decision to lock themselves into that specific player, or just move on when he’s not going to be a number one option.

For Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat, there’s a certain build that fits their young centerpiece’s play-style: young, stretch big who can stretch the floor. It’s been a revolving door of front-court pairings for Adebayo, and I don’t think any of them truly maximize his play, especially from a long-term sense.

From Meyers Leonard, who could space the floor but wasn’t mobile enough on either side of the floor, to Jae Crowder and Trevor Ariza, who can space the floor and move on both ends but lack size to truly compete against tougher match-ups. Adebayo no longer needs a front-court filler, he needs a trusted side-kick.

In this piece, we’re going to dive into John Collins’ strengths and areas of fit with this Heat roster, specifically next to Adebayo. Even though I mentioned that it may be complicated, it’s still necessary to dive into the specifics of the effectiveness with this significant addition to the roster…

An Ideal Weak-Side Defender

One of the major areas of growth for Collins over time has been on the defensive end, and it’s occurred in one major area: help-side defense. When talking about the playoffs up to this point, favorable match-ups have allowed him to sag off non-shooters into constant tags and absolute havoc in the PnR.

As seen in the clip above, he’s become an excellent weak-side shot blocker. The task for him seems to be to constantly eliminate 2 on 1’s that are created by the offense, especially when guarding a guy like Andre Iguodala since he can trust his teammate to split the difference on the wing. It leads to great positioning and a great block.

Now, what does that mean for the Heat’s defensive scheming? Well, it allows them to add some layers to the things they’ve done with a small ball four. It allows Adebayo to control the action most of the time, while trusting that he has that back-side help on the roll after he continues to switch onto guards effortlessly.

The other key with finding a front-court pairing for Adebayo on defense is sizing up. It makes people think that a true big may not be the worst thing, so Adebayo can then guard opposing fours and play on the perimeter. But as we’ve seen recently, Collins is more than capable of guarding bigger guys in the post.

We saw the physicality against Joel Embiid in the second round of the playoffs, and that type of play really stands out when Miami is evaluating him. I always come back to the point of giving Erik Spoelstra some extra tools, and that type of addition really replenishes his options.

Attacking Offensive Boards

Continuing the theme of the things a true big would give Miami, it’s that a rebounder is much needed for this Heat team. To reiterate, the Heat’s switching usually leaves Adebayo on the perimeter, which mostly leads to a great contest and a missed shot, but the issue is that the center isn’t down low to grab the rebound.

This led to some conversation about who could fight on the boards on both ends of the floor, and Collins has shown to be exceptional on the offensive boards specifically. It’s not just about his athleticism translating to highlight put-back dunks, but he has great patience and timing down in that area.

Something interesting when discussing offensive spacing is that Adebayo can truly open things up for him. Taking a look at the clip above, we see Clint Capela receive the ball below the free throw line before using a gather dribble into a push shot. This leaves Collins with less room to navigate for a rebound, but he still manages to bring it down then convert on the and-1.

Now, take a look at the play again as if Adebayo was in the spot of Capela. He’s become such a comfortable shooter at the elbow and free throw area, and I’d expect that to expand by next season. The point is that Collins in the dunker spot gives him plenty of room to swarm the offensive boards after an Adebayo jumper, since the opposing center won’t be able to recover as quickly.

Well, unless you’re Brook Lopez in the first round.

Post Touches and Soft Touches

A few months ago, there were some reports that Collins was unhappy with the way their offense was running, leaving him on the outside looking in. The reason for that is his entire package wasn’t being maximized, since his bag is much bigger than a lot of people realize.

I will dive into the on-ball stuff down the line, but there is something interesting when discussing his scoring: a soft touch and post touches. He clearly plays bigger than he is, but his comfort level in the post seems to be fairly high. Is he overpowering guys with his back to the basket? Absolutely not, it’s actually just the opposite.

He uses athleticism and speed to his advantage when bigs are defending. Take a look at the clip above, where he begins with his face to the basket, but immediately reverts to his comfort area. He utilizes that to transition into a spin and score with his off-hand, which is where the soft touch comes into play.

His mid-range game has shown flashes this season, but that one-hand push shot has become his friend time and time again. There are even times when he uses it at the elbow, which is far from a normal thing to do, yet a hard thing to defend. That type of touch around the rim can’t be taught, and frankly, those spots on the floor blend into Adebayo’s spacing.

When looking into certain bigs as potential options, there’s always this sense that they share similar areas of strength with Adebayo, leaving us questioning the fit. The thing with Collins is that I don’t see much cross-over, making it quite intriguing.

A Floor Spacer

From a film perspective, there’s nothing too special about the three-point shooting of Collins, but for this Heat team, they don’t need special. They just need a trusted spacer who can do the other things well that I’ve discussed, and that is what Collins does.

He shot 40% from three this season, all coming as a spot-up shooter from different spots. The dribble penetration in the PnR from Trae Young led to him getting plenty of catch and shoot corner threes, while lifting up to the wing effortlessly.

When talking about Adebayo, I’ve pointed out that the three-point shot should not be the focus. Mastering the second level must be the priority, since there’s no need to push his development in a certain direction, just due to their star player not having a three-ball either. But the way you can fix that is surrounding them with decent shooters who aren’t one dimensional.

What I mean by that is Leonard, for example, was unable to give Miami much offense other than the spot-up three, and that just doesn’t work on this team, or more importantly, next to Adebayo.

We can go in circles discussing the choice between building the team on Jimmy Butler’s timeline or Adebayo’s timeline, but at some point, there has to be a front-court running mate for Adebayo.

An Underrated On-Ball Threat

As I touched on previously, there have been times that Collins’ full bag has not been on display in Atlanta’s offense, but we’ve seen it expand in the playoffs. There were plenty of flashes throughout the season where plays, like the one above, would occur, allowing him to showcase his skill-set as a versatile on-ball threat.

Finding ways to get their stars downhill has been a sticking point for Miami moving forward, so how would they maximize all of them in that play-style? Well, it’ll have to include a ton of back-screening from their guards to get bigs on the move, but not to repeat this same point, but extra options for Spo changes the outlook. And clearly, Pat Riley will give some insight on the utilization of certain guys.

This element that I’m discussing is pretty much the deciding factor for the Heat in my opinion. Although I’ve shown so many positives from his fit, they have to be very confident that he can do stuff like this, if they’re going to put all of their eggs in his basket. They’re not just going to lock in on a role player, so there has to be a certain level of trust for individual expansion.

But to come back down to a realistic state, just like Adebayo, he is 23 years old, and has shown more than enough good things to be a trusted piece moving forward. But the question becomes, is it a big enough piece for right now?

The Fitting Front-Court Piece

To finish it off, if you were to ask me why I’m so confident in the offensive combo of Adebayo and Collins, it’s because of these type of actions.

When Adebayo was drafted by the Heat, there seemed to be a feeling that he would be a versatile big that would be utilized as a primary rim runner. But as we’ve seen over time, that was a huge understatement, due to his game being much more than that. Yet, I still have this feeling that it’s an element they’ve missed.

If you’ve been watching Collins in the playoffs over the past few weeks, a major takeaway you probably have is that he’s an incredible lob threat. Not just his athleticism taking over for crazy posters like the one above, but a mechanical screener and roller, forcing the defense into a decision making state.

The reason it’s important is due to it giving Adebayo some extra freedom, so that he doesn’t have to be included in every single action. This would leave him stationed on the weak-side at times with Collins as the roller, which is where it gets interesting.

As Adebayo stations himself on the opposite elbow, his defender must drop down and tag, which means it’s either a lob pass to Collins or pocket pass to Adebayo. The layers that can be added to that are endless, but it gives them a pretty interesting base. A similar thing can be ran with Adebayo as the roller and Collins as the threat on the weak-side wing.

The point is that their skill-sets match up on the offensive end, which is usually the main question in these discussions. The attainability and price of Collins is another question, but I guess we will address that as we get closer to free agency. For now, though, it’s fair to say that the front-court I’m discussing is a seamless fit.

 

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Duncan Robinson Seriously Considered for Final USA Roster Spot

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(With Brady Hawk)

As Team USA looks pretty close to complete, while Bam Adebayo headlines things for the Miami Heat, I can report that Duncan Robinson was seriously considered for one of the final spots on the roster, per a league source.

The latest addition of Kevin Love most likely would’ve been Robinson’s roster spot, but possibly the lack of bigs led to them going that route, since Adebayo, Draymond Green, and Jerami Grant were the only guys with size.

As known in that type of setting, you can never have enough shooting, especially when the team is full of a bunch of shot creators and on-ball threats. A roaming Robinson could’ve been a decent spark off the bench, considering the shooting year that he just had.

Even after a rocky start, he finished fourth in the NBA in total three-point makes, only behind Stephen Curry–who opted out of playing for the USA team, Damian Lillard–who will most likely be the starting point guard, and Buddy Hield.

Is rest the worst thing in the world for Robinson after a quick turnaround following a late bubble run and playing all 72 games this past season? The answer is no, but frankly, it’s quite the accolade to go from an undrafted NBA player to a member of the USA team.

As Robinson has discussed on his podcast, The Long Shot, this period of time will be for his individual improvements. And while Adebayo has a better chance of making a leap in one-on-one drills in USA training camp, Robinson seems to be better fitted for specific training including both basketball and body workouts.

Is Kevin Love a better fit for the USA team’s roster? Probably not, considering the year he just had, dropping to 12 points a game, which his only worse year statistically was his rookie season. But the combination of rest and individual improvement feels to be the focus this off-season for Robinson, as he prepares for a decent sized deal in the coming weeks.

Collin Sexton’s Immediate Fit with the Heat’s Current Squad

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After a report came out that the Cleveland Cavaliers have begun exploring trade options for Collin Sexton, the Miami Heat’s name got thrown around social media. Why is that? Well, if any player hits the trading block this off-season, there’s no doubt in my mind he will get linked to Miami in some way.

Aside from that, this piece will be about the fit with the Heat, since there’s enough transaction talk going around when discussing these type of trades. Personally, before diving into it, I like the fit, but it does become interesting when discussing the players going out the door.

It’s very clear that Miami lacks a ton of assets, and though you’re opinion may differ about Tyler Herro at this stage, he’s their one and only asset. Does the organization believe Sexton will make the difference to try and contend in Jimmy Butler’s window? Well, that’s up to them.

The comfort levels rise if you can make that move along with adding Kyle Lowry, but there must be a certain amount of confidence about that back-court meshing. In my opinion, Lowry’s off-ball abilities allow this to work offensively, while he can possibly size up defensively if needed.

Anyways, let’s get right into some of the film on Sexton, beginning with a lot from his match-up with the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the season, where he recorded 42 points on a career night…

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Defensive Fighter

When focusing on the defensive end with a bunch of players, I always begin with the attributes and capabilities that guy has. The thing about Sexton, is that he forces you to begin in a much different area: his will on that end.

People knew from the moment he played in high school to going 3 on 5 in a college game to a photo surfacing the internet in Summer League, as he locked in on his match-up, that he competes on that end of the floor and doesn’t take plays off. That’s a Miami Heat guy.

He may not be the greatest defender up to this point, but it seems like the defensive potential outweighs the other stuff.

It doesn’t matter if, arguably, the best scorer to play the game of basketball is hitting the open court, he’s going to chase him down to at least try and get the stop. On this play, he did just that, and gave him a pretty great clip to add to the highlight reel.

This element of his game alone showcases an upgrade, but as I mentioned earlier, is it enough of an upgrade? Once again, that can only be answered by the front office, but it feels like a guy with that type of skill-set already is quite the enticing piece for a franchise.

The Mid-Range in Two Parts

I always touch on the mid-range in these articles, and there’s a reason. For one, I believe it holds more importance than some like to acknowledge as the love for the three-point line has expanded. But it’s also essential to dive into regarding the ways you can score in that area.

I’ve talked about guys like Herro and Kendrick Nunn getting to the mid-range all season where they thrive, but that’s due to the fact the elbow pull-up seems to be their only option at times. Sexton is able to mix that up as most of the top scorers can, but it always starts with the basics…

He’s very capable of getting to that elbow/free throw line area, as he increased the attempts on his pull-up, but more importantly, efficiency rose with it. After shooting a little over 41% on the mid-range pull up, he increased that to 44% this past season.

If you want to get an idea of how the ranks against some of the Heat’s guards, Herro shot 40% and Nunn shot 41% on the mid-range pull-up this past season. But the true difference maker occurs in the second part of this discussion…

As explained previously, it has been harped on with the Heat’s guards due to them lacking diversity on the ball. We’ve talked about needing a constant screen in those spots, but Sexton has shown improvements this past season.

Offensive creativity seems to be an area of need for this Heat team, and he gives them some of that. By that, I mean scoring in different ways, aside from the pick and roll pull-ups. As seen above, he’s able to take it downhill one-on-one. The interesting thing about him is that he’s quite physical, and by the way, that’s another translating factor.

That physicality leads to the creativity that I’m discussing, such as the one-legged fade-away on this possession. That’s just a single example, but you get the point: that secondary option in the half-court changes things for a team.

In a league that plays a ton of drop coverage, of course it’s important to get to those dead spots, but it doesn’t stop there. You need a guy that can do that, along with forcing mismatches against switching defenses, and Sexton gives you that.

Added Attempts from Deep

The pull-up three wasn’t Sexton’s best friend this season and I don’t believe many expected it to be. After shooting 35% the year before, that number went down to 31%, which comes with the territory of attempting more of them on a bad team.

That situation basically eliminates a ton of catch and shoot threes, even on a team that has a constant chain of point guards, but that’s where I’m intrigued. Yes, the Heat need a point guard, and I’ll show next how that can be useful, but the spot-up stuff makes things interesting.

He shot 40% on catch and shoot threes this year, and when creators like Butler and Adebayo are on the floor, that number will increase. Plus, if we’re acting as if Lowry would be on the squad as well, then spot-up shooting becomes even more crucial for Sexton. And when narrowing things down for a player in a structured franchise, it can happen quickly.

But as seen in the clip above, we see tremendous growth as an outside shooter, even if the overall numbers don’t show it. Taking the lengthy Kevin Durant off the dribble late in a game is no cake walk for a small guard, but combining that confidence and lift is quite the outcome for a tough bucket.

In the second clip, Jeff Green is guarding him tightly, and defends the shot attempt perfectly. The thing is that Sexton mixing in that side step changes some things. Not to constantly relate things back to the Heat’s guards, but this is where those small layers come in handy. Continuing to build on that skill puts defenses in an awkward position.

PnR Controller 

Speaking of those point guard attributes, we get a taste of that here. I honestly hate talking about the pace of a player, since it gets thrown around so freely when talking about basketball, but that’s a key part of Sexton’s PnR success.

Let’s take a look at the first clip above. The takeaway may be that his slow pacing following the snake dribble led to a perfect lob pass, but there’s something small in there that must be noted. When passing the free throw line, he turns his head slightly, and that tells me a couple things.

For one, the patience that he has in these spots is super impressive, awaiting the roller before being put in no man’s land. Secondly, and more importantly, he basically controls the tagger, in PJ Tucker. That head movement, surveying the corner, freezes Tucker into a decision making stage. When a 22 year old can do that in these offensive sets, you’ve got something special.

The other thing about this is the Heat wouldn’t be relying super heavily on his play-making and creation, and that could be beneficial. Not only am I talking about Butler and Adebayo, but as mentioned earlier, this could be Lowry in these sets at times if that move was made.

Also, reiterating an earlier point, Lowry being able to play off the ball so effortlessly makes me think PnR dissecting could be left to Sexton. But the overarching takeaway is that they would have options, and Erik Spoelstra loves options.

The Hidden Gem

Sexton had a pretty great night against Miami early in the season, so why not highlight the element that he ran into the ground against them: off-ball cutting.

Off-ball shooting question marks may be one thing, but trust me, there are no question marks next to his ways of navigation among screeners to receive the ball in stride. If you wanted a video example, I could just show most of his scoring possessions against Miami, but let’s just take a look at this one above…

For one, this action has two of the most versatile defensive wings in the league in it, Butler and Trevor Ariza. Butler goes over on the screen as Sexton dives, and Ariza doesn’t cut it off. Easy bucket for Sexton.

Why is this important to note? Well, this is Miami’s offense. The utilization of screening for easy buckets at the rim in their movement offense is something they harp on, and the addition of somebody that fits that offensive mold seems like a no brainer.

This whole discussion is going to come down to how Miami elects to treat the limited assets that they have, and the value that they feel they can get in return. But if you’re asking me if Sexton fits the things that Miami likes to do on both ends of the floor, it’s undeniable that it’s a perfect fit for not only the Heat, but also Sexton.

 

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Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

Jimmy Butler: Excelling at the Small Things

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We have reached the final stage of my Heat roster evaluation series, and clearly, we must end it off with the star of the show, Jimmy Butler. A disappointing end to the season, after a poor first round performance, should not be the season takeaway, since frankly, he had a career year at age 31.

Career highs in rebounds, assists, steals, and field goal percentage doesn’t even tell the full story, due to the fact he did that in such an uneven year. Going out for a long period after some Covid effects, then trying to will the team back into Eastern Conference contention after a slow start.

He got them into a reasonable spot to try and make yet another post-season run, but it just felt like there was nothing left in the tank. The short turnaround after an all-time Finals performance contributed to that, but as Butler would probably say, none of that is an excuse.

Now the focus is to move forward into the off-season and the 2021-2022 season. Some players that he has close relationships with could be on their way in, which could truly fulfill the next run they try to make with the Miami Heat.

Anyways, these pieces are always about taking a brief look back. With Butler, we already know all of the things he’s good at, which is why we will take a slightly different approach. We’re discussing some of the small things.

Why will that be the focus? Well, Jimmy Butler is really good at the small things.

The PnR Passer

We all know how good of a passer Butler is, especially following his career year, recording 7 assists a game. But this stuff transcends the numbers, since it’s more about the degree of difficulty.

There aren’t many teams that have their two best players as non-perimeter shooters. To that point, there aren’t many teams that have their best pick and roll set including two non-shooters. The reasoning: there aren’t as many 2 on 1’s created in the Butler-Adebayo PnR, since most defenders aren’t racing to go over on the screen.

But still, it’s somehow super effective. Adebayo’s soft touch and threatening lob catching ability definitely factors in to that success, but most of the credit goes to the crafty passing of Butler.

When taking a look at the first clip above, something well known with Butler jumps off the screen immediately. He holds such gravity when moving downhill, that the defensive player of the year and a skilled perimeter defender stay locked in on Butler all the way to the rim.

The difference with guarding him in the PnR, is that he can make passes that a lot of guys just can’t. He throws the wrap around bounce pass to Adebayo for the easy flip shot, which makes this pairing effective with the correct spacing.

Now, take a look at the second clip above. The same situation, same defenders, and well, the same result. As mentioned before, the defender smartly goes under and contains perfectly to eliminate the roller. I mean, try* and eliminate the roller.

He hits a much different wrap around bounce pass down the baseline, while he knew Adeayo was drifting toward that spot. Elite shooting seems to be the consensus for an effective PnR in today’s game, but an exceptional passing ability basically levels things out, especially when a Duncan Robinson type is on the floor to eliminate any help or tagging on the roller.

A More Fitting PnR Role

As I just dove into previously, Butler as the ball handler in those pick and roll sets clearly work, but when teams like the Bucks begin to muck things up in the middle of the floor come playoff time, things can change.

It’s not just about adjusting to a defense, it’s also about tending to the star player. The reason Butler had so many reps in those spots was due to the team lacking a point guard. Yes, they had guys who can run primary actions to find spots on the floor to lift, but it wasn’t a play-making role.

Now, I consistently bring up the Goran Dragic-Butler duo over the last two years. Dragic isn’t the play-maker you want running those sets, but he’s been a capable one at times. It’s why the Butler-Dragic PnR, both normal and inverted, became such a primary action at the end of games.

Speaking of inverted PnR’s, that is where Butler needs to be most of the time. When there were three spacers on the floor, while Dragic and Butler ran their set at the top of the key, allowing Butler to catch in stride toward the basket, that’s when he’s at his best.

It allows him to play to his strengths in every facet of the game: get moving downhill, play-make via kick-outs as defenders crash, and of course, embrace contact around the rim.

Fast-Break Freight Train

I spoke a lot about fast-break opportunities in my last piece about Adebayo’s next steps, but it is really special what Butler can do in the open court. Adebayo has shown to be very good in that area, but he doesn’t seem to take advantage of it enough. Butler, on the other hand, may take advantage of it a bit too much.

For an aging player, taking contact each and every game for easy points in transition may take a toll on him. It’s a staple of his game, and it’s pretty clear Butler will never shy away from that type of physicality. But it feels like we’re rapidly approaching the point where it’s no longer Adebayo surveying for Butler on those possessions, and instead it’s the other way around.

Aside from that, I feel the one major element to this elite ability in Butler’s bag has to do with something that occurs at the end of the clip. It’s all about the stuff at the rim. Adebayo has no problem getting to that spot on the floor with his versatility and skill, but the interesting part is that’s it’s not the same type of scoring as it is in the half court.

Take a look at the clip above. When Butler gets to the rim, he does something that we see much more than just this one clip. He hangs in the air for that extra half a second. That extra time allows him to adjust and score as defenders fly right by at full speed. That’s just Butler’s thing, and I believe that’s the key for that to become Adebayo’s thing.

This is why I mentioned earlier that it’s about the small stuff with Butler. All of those things add up, and it leads to him being such an elite player without a primary ability in the game of basketball, shooting.

Put-Back Expert

As we talk about stuff in his game that isn’t discussed frequently, why not dive into his oddly effective ways of being a put-back expert? Put-backs aren’t always an important area to highlight, mostly since it comes with the territory of being a big man.

The difference is that Butler is 6 foot 7, and somehow works that in repeatedly. The reasoning for that is just his basketball IQ, which I will dive into a bit more down the line on the defensive end.

We always discuss his methodical movements, knowing when to speed up the game or slow it down, and that just refers to the word: timing. And that’s why the put-backs have become second nature for him.

Once again, go watch the clip above, but don’t watch Adebayo with the ball, just watch Butler. Most guys sprint to the glass to try and tip it in, which ends in plenty of possessions where the offensive player flies right by the rim as it results in a defensive rebound.

Butler doesn’t speed up here, though. He takes his time as the ball goes up in the air, then explodes upward as soon as it bounces off the rim. This may not seem major, but everything is measured regarding Butler’s play-style.

The Helpful Actions for Downhill Success

There’s always a section on these pieces where we must discuss the utilization of each player. It may not be a huge deal for a team’s best player, since he will obviously be in so many different spots, but there’s a clear outcome for Butler thriving offensively.

When diving into film on Adebayo and Butler, it makes you realize how alike they are within their strengths. The hot topic with Adebayo next season will be running offense for him to get moving downhill, and well, that was where Butler truly thrived this season.

In the first clip, we see the usual DHO from Adebayo, but there are a bunch of layers attached to that. Tyler Herro sets the off-ball screen for Butler to flow into the DHO, while Duncan Robinson sets the back-screen on the big guarding Adebayo. We saw this 3-man set quite a lot this season, with the main option being a Robinson three as he sprinted to the wing for a kick-out.

No kick-out was necessary here, as Buddy Hield, who was originally guarding Robinson, is put in an uncomfortable spot as he’s no longer glued to his defender. An easy lay-in for Butler is the outcome.

The second clip above is very similar, as Butler’s battling to flow downhill and Herro sets the back-screen for him to get to the rim rather easily. As I’ve discussed, a point guard will be necessary to acquire in free agency, but a guy who can play off the ball will be even better for Butler to run stuff like this.

Spoiler alert: a close friend of Butler falls under that category.

The Defensive Skill that Sums It All Up 

There hasn’t been a ton of defensive talk in this article, which is Butler’s best side of the ball, but this one skill sums it all up. He essentially doesn’t have a defensive weakness, but after watching him closely this season on that end of the floor, his defensive IQ clearly lands at number one regarding his strengths.

In my opinion, the best way to discover defensive IQ is positioning and off the ball tendencies. When a defender doesn’t have to be on-ball to be effective, that’s when it becomes impressive.

The play above is a perfect example, since as I’ve mentioned repeatedly throughout the season, he has a special ability to unexpectedly double for a positive result. He notices Naz Reid receive the ball without accounting for his backside, which leaves Butler taking a costly gamble that leads to easy fast-break points.

After this game, I asked Butler about those unexpected doubles specifically, which he responded, “I think you gotta look at who has the ball, right or left handed, what their skill-set is, and I guess some good timing, some timely gambles…If I get them it’s a good thing, if I don’t I gotta here Spo telling me to stop doing it, but I think I got them tonight.”

Once again, every major part of Butler’s game has evolved so fluidly due to all of these small elements coming together. He has already shown what he is capable of on the basketball floor in a Miami Heat uniform, and now it’s time to fill out the roster to get him and this team back into contention.

It’s not hard to find likable characters to put next to Butler, since he just wants one thing: guys who care as much as he does. And once they find that after a resting period this off-season, it’s pretty clear they will be back.

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Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

The Past, Present, and Future of Bam Adebayo

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Bam Adebayo’s season had an unfortunate ending after being swept in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks. But that shouldn’t dictate his overall progression and career year he had in the regular season.

This obviously was far from a normal season in the NBA, which made this period of time even more developmental centric than usual. He recorded a career high in points, assists, steals, and free throw percentage, while slightly adjusting into different offensive schemes.

As we know, the dribble hand-off was ran into the ground the year before with Adebayo and Duncan Robinson, while opposing defenses were prepared to start the season this year. This led to some new base sets for these two offensive sticking points, and both sustained that effectiveness in the regular season.

In most of these roster evaluation pieces, we take a look back at the positives and negatives of the season, but for the Heat’s young centerpiece, it’s necessary to take a different approach. I always highlight “what’s next” for each player, in terms of an off-season deal, but Adebayo’s next steps are more important than them all.

But before we look into that, let’s take a quick look back into the two primary areas of sustainability and growth…

A Brief Reflection 

The Shooting Expansion

One again, recency bias has seemed to completely takeover the season perception of Adebayo. When watching a certain player or team super closely throughout a certain period of time, it’s important to take a step back at times. That moment is now.

The latest discussions that I’ve had about him is the unwillingness to take the given jumper against the Bucks in the post-season, but don’t allow that to blur the number of leaps he has made in this short amount of time.

The mid-range jumper has become a staple of his offensive game now, but take a quick look at the clip above. Retreating the ball out to the perimeter as the shot clock trickles down, he turns into a deep two with a great contest and buries it.

Yeah, he wasn’t doing that a year ago.

I’m going to dive into his jumper later in this article with a closer lens, but the progression to this point must be noted. This one ability opens up the rest of his game tremendously, and it shifts into a much cleaner fit with Heat’s star Jimmy Butler.

Continued Defensive Excellence 

This wouldn’t be an Adebayo breakdown piece without touching on his defensive excellence. I could turn this article into a novel if I highlighted each of his suffocating perimeter lockdowns this season, but let’s just cut it down to one.

And why not showcase how he’s able to slow down the greatest shooter in the history of the sport.

He switches onto Stephen Curry, arms up eliminating the shot, great cut-off when he tries to dribble left, and the perfect angle with the basket to put him in no-man’s land. This is nothing new for Adebayo.

Similar to the shooting, closely evaluating Adebayo this season left us pointing out unnecessary soft switches or easy dump-offs to a big being defended by a guard, but this isn’t the time for that. Opposing guards were aware, when Adebayo switches onto them, it wasn’t the normal big being forced to stay in front of a guard. With this guy, it’s his happy place.

We focus so much on his perimeter defense, but I don’t believe his interior positioning is touched on enough. Yes, bigger guys are able to overpower him at times on the block, but the key phrase there is “at times.” Trust me, he gets his fair share of wins down there.

Just watch this sequence against Portland: he catches the ball out of mid-air off the Damian Lillard blow-by, showcasing not only athleticism, but more importantly, his defensive positioning to get to that spot.

In a matter of seconds, Enes Kanter gets Adebayo in the post, but Adebayo ends up sending it back. As Jayson Tatum knows really well, Adebayo knows which hand to utilize when going for a block without fouling. Off the spin, he switches into a right hand contest as Kanter goes up with his right, and it leads to an absolute stuff.

The defensive IQ is absolutely through the roof when watching him rotate freely each and every night, mostly since miscues don’t occur often from an individual perspective.

The Next Steps

Now, that’s enough reflection regarding Adebayo, since as Pat Riley likes to say, it’s always about the next thing. Well, the next thing for Adebayo isn’t just one thing, especially being labeled as a guy with no ceiling. He recently committed to the USA team in Tokyo, which I believe will be very crucial for his development.

Playing against top talent, getting some extra game reps, and just a great confidence booster for a guy who is never done making leaps. But as for specifics, let’s take a look at some things that have caught my eye for the future, and the possible ways of utilization for Erik Spoelstra and the coaching staff.

The “Go-To”

When diving into the next steps of his shooting, this would be number one on my list: a go-to move into the mid-range jumper. As I’ve reiterated many times, this is considering his defender isn’t camping out under the rim when he has the ball in his spots. And clearly, I don’t think he will allow that to take place again.

Aside from that, this go-to move changes everything. He completed the first step of knocking down the shot at the elbow consistently, but he has to allow his talent to takeover at times. That talent definitely took-over in this match-up with the Brooklyn Nets when he dropped 41.

An iso for him as he turns toward the basket. A hard jab towards the empty corner leads into a hard drive right and an immediate pull-up at the free throw line. He has the length and high release point to make the jump-shot pretty close to unblockable, but the process before that jumper is the part to harp on.

There were times when an overly emphasized pump-fake came into play, where defenders would stop and stare without biting. There were also times when he threw his favorite jab-step, not just to create space, but to get into a comfortable motion.

His jumper always looked smoother when it was followed by that quick jab, and that’s exactly why that go-to move is important. A move that’s comfortable. A move that gets him to the free throw line consistently to fire away. A move that increases shooting confidence.

He’s obviously capable of doing so, but it’ll be necessary to see it come into NBA game speed next season.

If you want an example, here you go. He faces the basket with a scoring mindset, and flows right into that jumper that I was just discussing. After teams watch film on him, they know he likes the pull-up jumper after the jab. But well, he mixes in an extra element.

After that jab, he gives that quick hesitation, acting as if he’s going to shoot. Instead, he explodes by and finishes with his left at the basket. The point of this clip isn’t to say that he needs to utilize the hesi consistently as his go-to move. It’s showing that these added layers to get him to his spots go a long way.

Referring back to him joining the USA team this year, maybe some of those fun one-on-one drills that we saw once upon a time with Jayson Tatum and others will surface the internet again. It’s another reason that type of experience can elevate his game more than a normal off-season. There’s nothing like facing NBA talent, no matter if it’s game seven of the Finals or a competitive one-on-one in pre-game.

A Three Point Shot?

If I’m going to be honest, the three-point shot just doesn’t seem to hold high importance this off-season for Adebayo. Of course that expanded range would change a lot for the team’s offensive scheming, spacing, and possible acquisitions, but pushing the young centerpiece into a certain direction is not necessary at all. Natural development is the essential part for a player of his caliber.

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Yes, he has had plenty of end of shot clock moments where he shows that it’s in his bag, but as I pointed out previously, the focus should be to completely master the second level in the half-court before jumping the gun.

It’s why I just don’t see that happening at this point. Do I think it will eventually come about? Absolutely, but a few more boxes are going to have to be checked before that is harped on.

More Transition Offense

On a positionless team, Adebayo is essentially the point guard for a good portion of the game. The takeaway from that statement is two things: Adebayo is really talented and Miami needs a point guard.

That’s a discussion for another time, but those possessions as a point center have showcased a huge strength that I don’t believe was taken advantage of enough. An exceptional scorer in transition.

On this play, Adebayo correctly decides to just go make a play early in the shot clock, instead of setting up offense in the half-court. It leads to him going at the defender, taking contact, and knocking down the one-hand push shot plus the foul.

Why is transition offense such a positive for Adebayo? Well, that’s easy: he’s playing freely on those possessions.

Here’s another example of that fast-paced excellence. While running the floor quickly, he acts as if he’s going to flow into a DHO with Robinson, but quickly dives toward the basket instead.

It leads to a wide open lane as he takes the bump and lays it in at the rim. It’s one of those reasons the way he’s being utilized comes up so much, even being mentioned by Pat Riley in the latest press conference.

The spots that he is put in are clearly comfort areas. It allows him to survey the floor and play-make in the middle of the court, which is something I’ve noticed a lot of current playoff teams are missing at the moment. But although he’s terrific in that spot, a player with that type of talent shouldn’t be your half-court play-maker each and every possession.

He needs the same amount of freedom that he has in his fast-break offense to translate to half-court offense. But well, what’s one way that can be shifted over?

Inverted PnR’s

They’re going to have to be creative with blending Adebayo into a scoring role, but the best way to do that is getting him downhill. I’ve talked about his self-creation from the mid-range, but his best offense still seems to occur when he’s moving toward the basket with the ball in his hands.

We saw some inverted PnR’s, but not enough. Almost every one of them were created by Robinson, who is the perfect guy to run it. His defender is always glued to his side, which he began to utilize to his advantage. He would use the defender as a screener into the guy guarding Adebayo, leaving him with a run-way to the basket as seen above.

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Adebayo can then use his athleticism to his advantage, and it opens up the floor for everybody else out there. There are plenty more ways to free him up in this exact way, but some extra inverted pick and rolls would be a great start.

The future is bright for Adebayo, and this last playoff series doesn’t change that. He has all of the tools to continue to build upon his game to take this Heat team to the next level, but it’s all up to him to develop that. And with his work ethic, that shouldn’t be in question.

He’s taken his game to the point where everybody knows who Bam Adebayo is. But now it’s time to show them who he really is.

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A Look Back into the Second Year Burst from Kendrick Nunn

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Kendrick Nunn’s situation this off-season regarding the Heat is a bit different from other players on the roster that I’ve discussed. Guys like Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala have team options, meaning Miami dictates how they want to deal with them.

Somebody like Duncan Robinson is in a similar spot with Nunn, but obviously seems much more likely to be back on the roster next season with the Heat. After Nunn’s sophomore season bounce-back, following a tough run in the bubble and start to the season, he will now test the market to see what is out there.

To that point, it’s clear that many expect Nunn to take a much bigger deal from a team willing to give it to him. But the only way I can see him returning, would be if Miami pulled off a huge deal through trade. If they send out a bunch of guys through sign and trade, while there’s enough money to retain Nunn, then I would see them doing it.

Other than that, it’s just hard to say at the moment.

Anyways, this piece isn’t about projecting forward, it’s about taking a look back. Nunn made a bunch of strides this season to get to a point where a good sized deal could be coming his way, so let’s take a look at those primary areas…

An Interchanging Shooting Ability

Sometimes shooting numbers relate to the role you’re in, and Kendrick Nunn is the perfect example of that. Even though Miami is a position-less team, while Butler and Adebayo are the primary play-makers, Nunn is essentially the 1. To that point, he runs a lot of the Heat’s sets when he’s on the floor, which began to decrease a bit as the season went on.

And that’s a good thing.

Once he jumped into the starting lineup, his shooting from deep really progressed. The issue was that his pull-up threes weren’t falling. By that I don’t just mean transition pull-ups, but also the stop-and-pops out of the high pick and roll. That was his best three-point ability last season, shooting 37% on pull-up triples, which then plummeted to 27% this year.

If those numbers decreased so drastically, how did he become such a better shooter from the outside?

Well, insert the catch and shoot three. When I mentioned his role being so important before, that proved to be true within these numbers. He began to run a bunch of actions off the ball, even running some of Robinson’s sets when he exited the floor, which I called Robinson-lite.

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Roaming baseline off pin-downs or basic off-ball screens into a wing three became his specialty. The usual kick-outs became huge for him as well, which increased the chemistry of Butler and him offensively. That spot-up three allowed him to stay on the floor for increased minutes, and honestly, that will keep him on the floor wherever he lands in free agency.

Finding the Elbow

If you asked me what Nunn’s go-to shot was in his rookie year, it’s pretty obvious it was the elbow jumper. The question this season, once he regained his usual role, was if that shot would be sustainable along with the other attributes.

And yet, it was. 45% on mid-range pull-ups last season to 48% this year may not seem major, but it answered one of the main questions that we had.

Not to focus on the past post-season too much, but that’s why many people labeled him as a major X-factor for Miami to win the series. As I’ve called him in the past, he’s a drop coverage killer, but when that shot isn’t dropping, it allows a defense to completely dictate his shot chart.

Aside from that, the main reason this shot held such high important had nothing to do with the numbers. It was more self inflicted stuff, which is exactly what I will dive into here…

PnR Decision Making

The stats don’t tell the full story, since the true tell for mid-range excellence had to do with his decision making. One of his biggest downfalls in his rookie year was that he didn’t seem to know when to shoot and when to pass. It made his time in the PnR quite unexpected, since there wasn’t a high trust level with him in those spots.

But as soon as he filled into that starting spot early this season, things seemed to change. He knew when to pull-up at the free throw line. He knew when to throw a floater. He knew when to explode to the rack. And he knew when to throw the lob.

That was the element that would allow him to take that next step. And essentially, that’s the element that would get him that nice sized contract.

This whole discussion ties back to an overarching point that’s been harped on forever with Nunn: confidence. When he is confident in his scoring ability, he’s hard to stop. It’s why his end of the season struggles in his rookie season seemed to be dictated by the first shot of the game. If the ball wasn’t falling early, he wasn’t going to be effective.

Flipping that switch this season into a competent reader in the pick and roll elevated his value, and of course, elevated his play.

A Free Throw Line Dip

The one negative aspect from his sophomore season that I expected to make a jump, but didn’t, occurred at the free throw line. Not about knocking them down at the charity stripe, but actually getting there.

He attempted 1.5 free throws a game in his first season with the Heat, and for a player who continued to flow downhill, it was going to be big for him to draw contact continuously. That was a theme for many of Miami’s guards, since a lot of them avoid contact at the rim instead of embracing it, which is odd due to the bull-dozing role model they have at the top of the roster.

Not only did the free throw attempts not increase this past season, but they dropped to 1.1 per game. Some of that may have something to do with that shifting role that I discussed previously, but still, the frequency at the rim didn’t translate to that number.

Maybe a bigger role with another team would lead to an increase in that stat column, but that should be a focus as he heads into his third year in the NBA.

Finding His Spots Instinctively 

To finish it off, the decision making wasn’t the only area of major growth, since his on-court instincts jumped off the screen. In a motion offense, you must be instinctive at times instead of continually being predictable with your movements.

We saw Nunn learn that over time, and the off-ball role really brought that alive. If you’re wondering what I mean by that, just take a look at the clip above. He looks at his defender, Trae Young, totally ignoring him on the wing as he’s focused on Adebayo with the ball.

As soon as he notices this, he darts to a dead spot on the floor in front of the basket, catches it, and scores at the rim. This may not look like a key play from the season or a big deal from an individual perspective, but it was a big deal for Kendrick Nunn.

These small elements add up, and we saw a much more complete player by the end of the season.

As stated earlier, the future of Nunn is unclear at the moment, but it is clear how he will treat it. Plenty of teams with money will be willing to give a skilled offensive player a good sized contract to possibly make that leap, and Nunn deserves that chance.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

How Would Brandon Ingram Look in the Heat’s System?

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Brandon Ingram and the Miami Heat. Those aren’t two names that I saw being linked together this off-season, but here we are. In the latest episode of Floor’s Yours, which you can watch here, it was reported that Ingram is a possible target for the Heat.

It makes sense for a couple reasons, beginning with the recent rumblings in New Orleans, including a fired coach and some angered family members associated with the young centerpiece Zion Williamson. Once again, if you want more discussion about that whole situation, take a look at the video link above, but in this piece, we’re going to dive into the fit.

It doesn’t seem like I would have to sell a lot of people on this acquisition, since frankly, it’s widely known he fills a lot of the Heat’s current needs. So, what are the strengths of Ingram that fill the holes in Miami’s roster?

The Missing Piece

Ingram is a three-level scorer, but before I dive into all three of those levels, an overarching area of his game must be touched on: he’s a tough shot maker. And well, the Heat need that type of player.

A guy that can make a play out of nothing with the shot-clock going down. A guy that has the length and freedom to get to any spot on the floor that he chooses.

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In the clip above, he euros over the top of Will Barton into a one-legged, double clutch fade-away. Bucket. News flash: that shot isn’t a normal outcome. But it seems to be quite normal for a guy who was the second pick in the 2016 draft for a reason.

On one hand, it’s a good thing to see him play with this free play-style, but I don’t think that’s where he would absolutely thrive. He needs structure in a system where he is put in a position to succeed, instead of a side-kick in other situations. Putting him in a score-only role on this team, increases the effectiveness of not only Ingram, but the Heat’s offense.

Oh, an Attacker in Space

This seems to be my caption whenever reviewing players who are capable of scoring in the half-court without a screen. It’s one of the things Miami missed majorly this season, and Ingram takes this to a whole other level than previously discussed.

The word I attributed to him to start was length, and that’s what makes his attacking ability so special. Not only is he incredibly skilled as a scorer, but he makes things so much harder to guard with those long strides and lanky finger-rolls.

There’s one thing that stood out at the beginning of this play that many Heat fans probably aren’t used to. When he surveys the floor on the wing, he waves his hand in the opposite direction. He’s not calling for a pick, he’s calling for an open lane.

That one hand wave should tell you everything you need to know about this type of acquisition. Jimmy Butler’s Derrick Henry-esque drives to the basket may get the job done, but a secondary attacker is needed. And that phrase doesn’t do that element of his game justice.

The Mid-Range Choice

As I said in the headliner here, the mid-range is a choice for Ingram. He’s a very good scorer in that area, but I don’t believe it’s a priority for him once the overall talent levels takeover.

On this play, you see the ability. His back to the basket in the mid-range, spins toward the baseline and immediately fades into a jumper for a score. The reason this is important to highlight is that a mid-range jumper was taken due to where he started the possession.

What I mean by that is most of his possessions begin beyond the arc, and when he begins to breakdown a defense, he can decide where he wants to go on the floor. But when he gets rolling downhill, those long strides and lengthy arms, that I discussed before, come into play. It almost always leads to an attempt at the basket.

Don’t take this the wrong way, he takes plenty of mid-range jumpers, but this just highlights more of that freedom that he has. When talent levels takeover, he tries to get to the best possible spot on the floor, and when you can get to the basket with ease time and time again, that’ll usually be your choice ultimately.

Beyond the Arc Shooting

The three-point shot really wasn’t there for him consistently when he was in Los Angeles, but that turned around when he arrived in New Orleans. The attempts from beyond the arc rose from a little under 2 a game to a little more than 6 a game.

Not only did the attempts increase, but he shot 39% and 38% in the past two season respectively. Aside from the numbers, that area of his game is intriguing due to the different ways it’s generated. Transition pull-ups, side-steps, and even some off-ball catch and shoot opportunities.

In a Miami Heat offense, I could very well see him as a spot-up threat as time progresses. Although the on-ball stuff is the key area to fill Miami’s weaknesses, allowing him to navigate off-ball with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler as facilitators would fit him well.

Of course he’s had good passers alongside him before, such as Lonzo Ball at the moment, but the offense isn’t based around that. If the Heat were to acquire Ingram, Duncan Robinson would be sent out, meaning there would clearly be a new offensive scheme, possibly mixing in some off-ball stuff to favor his game.

In the clip above, there’s a chance you’re watching a practice preview. Adebayo switches onto Ingram and contests well on the side-step three, but Ingram just isn’t fazed by the close-out, knocking down the triple.

When watching the playoffs right now, you’d notice every remaining team has a “thing.” But what is the Miami Heat’s thing? We once thought it was three-point shooting, but we’ve seen it fade away repeatedly. It could be defense, but too many spotty areas in the roster deter that.

There’s the issue. They don’t have a “thing.” But spoiler alert: Brandon Ingram gives them a “thing.”

One Underrated Element

To finish it off away from the scoring, I think his passing and play-making is by far his most underrated part of his game. As we know, the Pelicans are a different type of team in terms of roster construction.

Ingram was forced into facilitator a lot of the time this season, and I believe that made his offensive bag even bigger. He has great patience in the mid-range, constantly awaiting a defender to make a move, which would immediately result in the dump-off down low.

Or as seen in the clips above, reading the next rotation in the pick and roll, leading to effortless skip passes and kick-outs from the double.

We all know what the Miami Heat need, or as I’ve ordered it, half-court scorer then point guard then front-court pairing. The reasoning that I’ve had the front-court piece third is because I believe that can be figured out if you have the other two.

In this example, adding Ingram would also allow the acquisition of Kyle Lowry to occur, crossing off the first two items on my list. At that point, a filler can be found to pair with Adebayo to become a contender in the East.

Brandon Ingram type names don’t just come up on the phone line everyday. So if there’s even the slightest of chances for that to happen, I’d expect the Heat front office to pounce.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

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NBA Chaos Leaves Heat in Advantageous Position

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Chaos around the NBA could benefit the Heat.

You would expect the NBA to dominate the headlines in June, as the playoffs hit full stride.

 

 

Despite multiple competitive series reaching their peak, what seems to dominate our attention is the discontent around the league.

 

The Dallas situation seems to be the most tumultuous as within a span of 24 hours they lost both their General Manager and head coach.

 

Meanwhile, back in Miami.

 

 

I mean, what could possibly be better than this Heat fans?

 

In the City of Brotherly Love, there is not much left for Ben Simmons as the Sixers have imploded in back-to-back final quarters.

Simmons is shooting an ungodly 25.7% from the free throw line in the Eastern Conference semifinals, contributing mightily to the Sixers’ collapse.

Joel Embiid is the only player from the “Process” that has truly panned out.

Say what you want about Simmons three All-Star selections, the fact he was targeted by Atlanta and could not make them pay matters.

Embiid.

Butler.

(Insert eye emoji)

The most realistic scenario however seems to involve Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who would instantly upgrade Miami’s backcourt on both ends.

Miami has roster flexibility and more importantly stability, especially in the near future.

Despite the season ending on a low with a playoff sweep at the hands of Milwaukee, the sting of that will heal.

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The odds were stacked against Miami, and other “bubble teams” – the 2021 Miami Heat were not getting out of the East this year anyway.

After a redacted offseason and a roster that did not improve from last year, this team plateaued.

However the future immediately seems brighter in Miami.

Even if a lot of the positivity is perhaps hyperbole.

So sit back and relax Heat fans, enjoy the chaos from the safety of Biscayne Bay.

Related:

Taking a Look Back at Goran Dragic’s 2020-2021 Season

How Did Duncan Robinson Progress in his Third Year?

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The Duncan Robinson discussion this off-season is pretty interesting, since even though it could go in a couple different directions, it’s pretty clear which one will actually end up happening.

As I’ve been talking about in all of these pieces, the Heat lack a ton of assets, meaning even if they didn’t want to retain Robinson at that price, they would do it to reuse as a trade piece.

Now, I believe that Robinson will be retained immediately for a bunch of the same reasons that many have mentioned. For one, Erik Spoelstra re-designed his entire offense around this un-drafted shooter, so if you think that he will just end up walking this off-season, you’re completely wrong.

The interesting part about it is what will occur after he is signed. If the right deal comes along, a sign and trade scenario could occur to bring in a guy to fulfill the roster. The issue with that is I don’t see a player out there right now that Miami would trade Robinson for immediately. It’s all a waiting game, but at this moment, I’d imagine Robinson is back on this Heat roster next season.

But instead of completely projecting forward, let’s take a look back a bit. What areas of Robinson’s game actually took a significant leap?

Yeah, He Can Shoot A Bit

I don’t need to sit here and showcase a bunch of DHO’s from this season between Robinson and Bam Adebayo, since you guys have gotten a good enough look at that over the last two years. And well, so have opposing teams.

Opposing adjustments were made in the bubble which then blended into the beginning of the regular season. Defenders would guard him sideways when he lined up on the three-point line, knowing exactly where he was looking to go on the court.

This forced Spoelstra to scheme some different looks for him in the offense, leading to another Robinson transformation for Miami. As seen in the clip above, this was a base set for Robinson after the DHO expansion. Instead of lining up in a predictable wing or corner, he would start in the mid-range, ready to explode down the baseline and loop around off some stagger screens.

Of course the dribble hand-off is still there at times, but not to the extent it once was. And clearly, off-ball movement from Robinson wasn’t going to be enough to make him a complete player in the offense.

This led to another slight change for Robinson, which I definitely didn’t see coming so quickly: on-ball effectiveness. The high pick and roll basically became the new DHO for Adebayo and Robinson, but the key was that there was some diversity.

It was no longer about waiting to see how the defense decided to guard him each night. It then became: force the defense to make a decision. If the team is playing drop, will the big man double out to the three-point line? If so, Robinson can hit Adebayo, which I’ll discuss down the line.

If the big doesn’t fully commit, then Robinson can rise up with a slight contest every time. We all know Robinson can shoot, so showcasing catch and shoot opportunities from the season is quite pointless. But seeing him able to adjust on the fly the way that he did this season says a lot about him as a player, and it was a perfect time to test him right before his contract decision making.

Swarming the Shooter Leads to Increasing the Dribbles

We saw Robinson run sets a little farther back to put the ball on the floor a bit more, leading up to the three-point line. But what about his attacking inside the arc?

Clearly, we don’t see it much, but there was a definite frequency increase from the year prior. It’s not about Robinson being this attacking threat to score at more than just one level. It’s actually about opening up his primary skill even more.

In the clip above, we get a glimpse of that. Robinson knocks down the triple on the wing, then finds himself at the same spot about a minute later. This time around, he doesn’t have anything close to the same amount of space. The slight pump-fake draws Josh Hart a little closer, then he drives to the basket with a nice fake to the corner to get Steven Adams out of his way, and lays it in with Hart on his back.

It was obvious that this element of his game only occurred when shots were falling, since he began to play much more freely. The good thing about that is that’s the only time they need him driving to the cup. That one drive keeps the defense honest from that point forward after they’re forced to leave some cushion, giving him the needed space to pull with zero hesitance.

Pocket Pass Expert

This ties back into the high pick and roll stuff I discussed earlier, since that’s when most of his passing is on display. Most of the time in that set, both defenders are blitzing him, meaning he must make the pocket pass to give Adebayo a 4 on 3 on the opposite side.

On this play above, the result of this play may have been a Robinson three, but that’s not the most important part. It’s more important that he starts off the game with a great leading pocket pass, which forces the defense to sag off that blitz a bit differently.

The reason it’s so intriguing to discuss his growing game is that most of my points seem to refer back to the same thing: forcing defensive adjustments. Teams continue to bounce off the play-style of Robinson, which is impressive due to the fact he has not yet reached his peak.

Also, it’s another reason the discussion that I continue to have about the addition of a point guard is so crucial. Yes, Spo voluntarily built the offense around Robinson, but he could be so much more creative with it if he had a trusted facilitator to get guys in their spots, instead of forcing Adebayo and Butler into that role.

Anyway, it’s important to note this passing ability from Robinson this season, since it basically opened up his entire offensive game as the year progressed.

Making Slight Defensive Improvements

Robinson has been a huge negative on the defensive end since breaking into the starting lineup, but we finally got to see some flashes late in the season. If there was one area to highlight on that end of the floor mid-season, it was that his team defense actually wasn’t that awful.

The 2-3 zone was basically a route to hide a lot of Miami’s poor defenders, but it actually allowed Robinson to make an impact. He has the length to be effective on close-outs and contests, while the foot speed seemed like a major issue at times.

The early foul calls every single night may not seem to be a great example for the improvements, but he’s shown an ability to be in the right spots, as shown in the clip above.

Now, the individual stuff was still in question, but down the stretch of the season, there were slight improvements. In the two game set against Boston, he gave a glimpse of what he could do on that end of the floor if he continues to work on it.

No, he didn’t shut down Jayson Tatum, but there were possessions where his length forced him into uncomfortable situations, which is exactly what many have been waiting for him to utilize.

When I asked him about his effectiveness on the defensive end after those Boston games, he said, “It’s definitely been a process. There’s been highs and lows throughout the year…Just trying to continue to build and improve.” And if he does continue to improve, it clearly raises his impact levels tremendously.

The Next Step

When I addressed the next stage of Robinson’s game following last season, it was that the addition of a one-dribble pull-up can shift his game even more. And well, here I am again, making that same point.

We didn’t see much of it throughout the year, but it definitely came up at times, while it always seemed to be a capable ability. This game against Philly is the perfect example since he was forced to put the ball on the floor with only eight available players.

He catches it off the curl, dribbles once, and rises at the free throw line. He’s very capable of knocking that down, but I think it’s more of a comfort thing. I said he would need to work on that last off-season, yet there wasn’t much time to actually make any improvements in that small frame of time.

But if that is added to his bag before the start of next season, it makes him incredibly more difficult to guard in the half-court.

The continued sticking point for every Heat player this season will be that first round series, but well, it shouldn’t. Robinson, specifically, made a ton of small leaps in his game that will be so important for the near future, making the roster construction aspect of things so interesting.

As pointed out earlier, I don’t see a way that a contract isn’t done between the Miami Heat and Robinson this off-season, but there’s a clear possibility the sign and trade route could be explored. Either way, that deal will make this Heat team better in some facet, leading to all eyes shifting to the start of free agency.

Taking a Look Back at Goran Dragic’s 2020-2021 Season

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The Goran Dragic situation this off-season is quite complicated. This isn’t just an ordinary team option that can be explored as freely as a guy like Andre Iguodala.

For one, the ties to the organization over the last few years make it hard for them to easily move on, but clearly if the right deal comes along, it’s necessary. The reason that I said it’s complicated is due to it being more than a organizational relationship: it’s actually the bond with the team’s best player, Jimmy Butler.

Decisions are being made through Butler, since that was made clear when he first arrived here in Miami. And over the last two seasons, Butler has made it known how much he loves playing with Dragic in Miami.

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The Miami Heat lack a ton of salary fillers at this time, which means they must take advantage of the ones that they have, considering the most likely route that they end up going will be the trade market. As mentioned earlier, both Iguodala and Dragic have a team option, and currently are the only two players with that much money value to equalize a trade.

Anyway, we will have to see what happens with that off-season stuff once we get there, but for now, let’s take a look back at Dragic’s season. Even when many of us thought he had fully tailed off at certain parts of the season, he then showed a huge positive flash to make you think differently.

He caught some momentum to finish the season, which made many people hopeful of another post-season display. He did just that in game one, but clearly couldn’t produce as the series progressed with everybody else’s struggles. But aside from the playoffs, how did the primary areas of his game look?

Shooting From Deep

The three-point shooting is an important element to harp on for a 35 year old Dragic. If he can consistently hit the spot-up three ball, his game will age rather nicely.

When looking back at the shooting this year, the catch and shoot numbers beyond the arc made a huge jump. He shot 40% on spot-up triples after shooting 35% the year prior. As expected though, pull-up threes dropped from 37% to 32% this season.

I’m going to discuss his exact role in another section, but the lack of a true point guard didn’t allow him to play that spot-up role that he seemed to fit so well at times. Per usual, he was forced into a set runner and facilitating role, forcing him to take more shots off the dribble than he probably wished.

There was only one positive part of that off the dribble stuff, and no, it didn’t occur from beyond the arc…

Sustaining Elbow Pull-Ups

In some ways, that mid-range pull-up saved his offensive game this season. At many points of the year, he lacked a ton of burst to get to the basket and the three-point pull-ups just weren’t falling. So, that left him with only one of the three levels in a half-court offense: the mid-range.

It’s an exposable offensive tactic against drop coverage, which was a sticking point in their first round match-up with the Milwaukee Bucks. Dragic was the only one to take advantage of that spot of the floor to begin the series, leading to a situation that was less than ideal from a team perspective.

Aside from that, I can’t say that I expected a frequency increase from that spot of the floor this season, combined with a slight jump in percentage from 43% to 44%. All of this was done after an uneven start to the season with contact tracing, not playing back-to-backs, and just poor offensive play at times.

It was clear that running the same old sets for Dragic all year would absolutely plummet his effectiveness later in the season, which led to Spo tinkering for their veteran guard…

Sprinkling Creativity 

The internal question for the Heat about Dragic early in the season seemed to be: how can we maximize his play, keep his minutes down, and put the ball in his hands primarily every night?

Well, the answer to that question was some interchanging looks.

If I went through them all, this piece would probably be much longer than you’re willing to read, so I’ll limit it to the one that I didn’t see coming. He began to get some work in the high post when facing smaller guards, which fits Dragic’s offensive build so well.

It’s pretty obvious that Dragic is a physical offensive player who likes to draw contact whenever he can. The issue is that the lack of burst that I’ve discussed limited that downhill scoring. Putting him in the post like they did against Minnesota allowed him to do all of the things they need from him: physicality in a unique way, facilitating from the weak side, and of course, different ways to score.

When I asked Dragic about generating offense from the high post after this game, he responded, “Spo said the other day that in the second unit they’re going to try to give me some post-ups, and I took advantage of that.” This statement didn’t feel like a spontaneous task for Dragic to take advantage of the smaller guard, it actually felt like a season long process to find sustainability for him offensively.

The issue is that the roster’s skill-sets forced Dragic to carry the weight in certain areas that he definitely shouldn’t have been carrying…

His Unfortunate Role: Fill Weaknesses

In simple terms, Dragic was basically given the role at times to fill the weaknesses of others. The issue with that isn’t just that he was 35 years old, it’s that those aren’t his strengths either.

As discussed throughout the season, most of Miami’s guards shared the same type of play-style. Offensive players who need a screen above the break to get downhill, or spot-up opportunities to catch some rhythm. Combine that with the team’s two best players being non-shooters who primarily like to play-make, and you have a veteran point guard forced to do things that he should not be doing.

Take a look at this clip above as an example. It’s the play I always come back to when discussing the team’s needs heading into the off-season. They were facing a depleted Chicago Bulls team, and somehow, they’re down 4 with 1 minute to go in need of a bucket.

The play consists of a Butler drive into a kick-out to reset the offense in the hands of Dragic. 9 seconds on the shot-clock and a similar theme is occurring: all eyes on Dragic. They seem to be waiting for him to make a play, like he did so many times in the past, specifically in the bubble.

He flows into a PnR, snakes inside, and throws up a wild scoop that misses badly. That’s not on Dragic. That’s on the team.

Evaluating Dragic this season is an interesting thing to do since I believe he was forced to adjust more than anybody, mostly since they trust him so much to do so. But if they do end up keeping him for the 2021-2022 season, that just can’t be the case.

No more subbing him into the starting lineup when things get tough. No more relying on him late in games when the team needs a bucket. Those are things the team must fill this off-season in order to compete next season, and well, if Dragic can be a part of the supporting cast with no additional tasks, then he will thrive in his role no matter the circumstance.