Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Could Miami’s Offensive Scheming Vs Bucks be a Flash from the Past?

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When looking at the Miami Heat’s series against the Milwaukee Bucks last year, it’s pretty obvious that both teams are different from where they stand today. But the scheming on the other hand, may not look all that different.

I’ll dive into that a little later on, but the beginning phase of the Miami Heat’s offense in this upcoming series, that will open up on Saturday, is Bam Adebayo. It’s no surprise that he will need to step up in order for this team to win, but there are many more valid reasons this time than a random Tuesday night against Dallas with no Jimmy Butler.

It’s actually because of the coverage that will be thrown at him and the space he will be given. So let’s hop right into it…

Bam Adebayo Pulling the Trigger

I will mostly be showcasing some things from last playoff series and how adjustments will be made, but recency discussion is the most important thing when talking about Adebayo. Just over a minute into the game on Saturday night, Adebayo begins to face up per usual, but his defender does something a little bit differently.

He purposely trots back to the paint to let Adebayo know that he’s giving him that shot, a shot that he is very capable of knocking down. The issue is that he instead decides to force a pass to Robinson on the top of the key, which perfectly showcases why he’s the difference maker in the series.

It’s not even about adding two points to the scoreboard when that occurs. It’s just about forcing Brook Lopez and the Milwaukee Bucks to constantly adjust defensively, which is something Coach Budenholzer doesn’t like to do.

Oh, and it’s something Coach Spoelstra absolutely loves to do, and he will do offensively, as I’ll point out down the line.

Now, a few minutes later, Adebayo dribbles the ball down the floor, while Lopez is giving him as much space as he did in the prior clip. A different result occurs as he pulls up with zero hesitation, and knocks down his favorite elbow jumper.

Also, Adebayo’s effectiveness doesn’t just fall on the open mid-range jumper. Milwaukee’s defense is designed to pack the paint, which will obviously fall onto Miami’s three point shooters. But the next element to his impact is that once threes begin to fall for the Heat, it’s Adebayo’s time to shine from there.

One more thing on Adebayo in this series is that there will definitely be things run for him, much like this possession above. He has the ball in the middle of the floor, and Lopez seems to be giving him much different treatment when trailing 4 with 50 seconds left in game two.

The first thing mentioned about sets being run for him is about finding a way to get him moving downhill, but I’m not so sure that’s the way to go in this series. I actually feel we see him hit the floor with four spacers, and allow him to go one-on-one at the free throw line with Lopez. The creativity will be fluid with him in this series, which is why he must be mentioned first.

Kendrick Nunn: Drop Coverage Killer

Kendrick Nunn finally gets to hit the floor in a playoff series with a significant role, after last season’s lingering Covid effects left him with some restrictions. Now he’s absolutely rolling, and seems to be at the top of most people’s picks for the series X-factor.

The reason for that is pretty obvious: he thrives against drop coverage. Coach Spoelstra labeled him as a three-level scorer the other day, and this allows him to showcase every single level of his game with the ball in his hands. The mid-range jumper will be there, the floater has been dropping, and the threes have seen a major increase in numbers. But the most important element for him will be at the rim.

If he can finish at the rim early in the series effectively, everything will open up for him from there, and he really will become the X-factor to open up guys like Jimmy Butler late in games.

DHO’s: A Flash from the Past

Now that we got through the two obvious elements of the series, I think this is the first major adjustment we see from Coach Spo, and I believe it begins in game 1.

Miami’s offense last year consisted of dribble hand-offs, dribble hand-offs, and more dribble hand-offs, but teams began to figure it out which forced them to adjust on the fly. The thing is now they’ve already made those adjustments comfortably, and it seems they may revert back a bit to begin the series to truly maximize the offense.

Plays like this where they force mismatches off the ball with their off-ball screening, then fly off a dribble hand-off pin down and knock down a three. That was the formula, and it may just work at times again.

As mentioned earlier, many are aware that the Bucks like to pack the paint, while covering the three-point line means that they’re relying on a bunch of tight close-outs, which has worked pretty well. And that’s where these type of pin-downs come into play.

Tyler Herro’s latest three point surge definitely makes this change even more possible, and even Nunn has looked very comfortable in these situations. It doesn’t mean that it becomes their base, but it should mean that we see it early on as Miami expands back into their normal offense.

Here’s one more instance of the effectiveness, as Herro flies off an off-ball screen into a DHO, while Lopez drops down and gives him just enough room to pull.

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Also, the focus isn’t on the personnel in the clips above. Two guys for Milwaukee and two guys for Miami are not even on the team anymore, but the offense being generating is what we’re taking a look at.

It may come down to guys like Herro knocking down these good looks, but I believe that’s a result Miami will live with to begin the series in Milwaukee.

Duncan Robinson Adjustments

If you’re wondering what Coach Spo’s awaiting pocket adjustment is in this series, it’s Duncan Robinson. This is the element that refers back to my previous Adebayo point, and it comes down to seeing how the Bucks choose to play their hand.

This play seen above was basically an introduction for what was about to come for Duncan Robinson this season as he transitioned into a different offense. The DHO’s have been eliminated by defenses whenever he tries to run them, which means his new scheme consists of high pick and roll after high pick and roll. And well, they’ve been highly effective.

When looking at this possession though, Lopez once again drops even lower than usual as Adebayo and Robinson do their thing on the perimeter, leading to a nice looking triple on the wing. The next thing we must take note of is the game they’re currently playing, since it’s game two. That may not seem like a crucial point, but it is, and I’ll show you why.

Now, here we are in game three. Robinson may have gotten those open looks in game two, but take a look at the game and time in this very moment: game three, 40 seconds into the game.

That’s been the Robinson effect all along, and this is where Adebayo’s effectiveness comes into play. Robinson has basically perfected the pocket pass, for obvious reasons, which usually means that Adebayo is on the receiving end. It allows him to begin moving downhill and make the right decision with the 4 on 3.

On this play above, there’s one defender guarding two guys on the perimeter, which leads to a pump-fake to the wing and pass out to the top of they key for a three.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s on the Bucks to choose how they want to handle it. Do they drop low like they did in the first two games last year? Do they blitz Robinson on the perimeter out of the gate?

Either way, Miami has a solution, which is why Robinson is Spoelstra’s main adjustment.

The last thing that must be noted about Robinson is that the pocket pass on the doubles isn’t the only solution. He’s a much better passer now than he was the last time he faced the Bucks, and those reads were even occurring then.

Double. Patience. Kick-out. Three. That’s the formula, and even though many believe his threes falling is the most essential thing against a team that allows three-pointers, it may instead result in triples for the surrounding cast.

And if the primary evaluation for his contract this off-season is 3 point makes in this series, your evaluation is way off if they do end up finding a way to win the series.

Extra Useful Sets

Finally, there were some extra offensive actions that seemed to work well against Milwaukee, and Miami may be better suited to run it with their current roster. So, what do those look like exactly?

One of Miami’s most used lineups recently has been the three guard lineups. Herro’s play-making moving downhill and Nunn’s catch and shoot leap have really made that possible, leading to these situations.

Miami ran a double drag with Nunn as the initial screener and popper. They even had respect for Nunn at that time, leaving Herro with a 2 on 1 opportunity, ending with a lob and dunk, which Herro has shown major growth in down the stretch of the season.

Miami’s guards obviously aren’t going to be taking anybody off the dribble to create offense, but the young guys on the move like this will lead to great things for Miami. And when looking at Herro specifically, he totally thrives off confidence, and these type of reps might be the best thing for him to find a rhythm.

This may not be anything spectacular, but this is just one quick example. The Bucks were going under screens constantly in this series when Lopez wasn’t on the floor, leading to possessions like this.

When Lopez is on the court, their deep drop means that Jrue Holiday and others fly over screens then recover while Lopez awaits at the free throw line. But when that’s not the defensive scheme they’re facing, the guards must pull whenever a slimmer of space is given after a defender dips under.

When I asked Adebayo earlier in the season about his message to shooters no matter what, he responded sternly, “If you’re open, shoot it.” And I believe that’s the motto in the locker room before this series.

The last set that must be used fluidly consists of Butler, Adebayo, and three floor spacers. Miami usually waits to utilize their most effective set, Butler-Adebayo PnR’s, late in the game when they need a bucket. But during playoff time, that will be used right out of the gate.

Although this play ended in a dump-off play from Butler to Adebayo for a dunk, there’s just so many options that they have. For one, that elbow jumper we discussed for Adebayo could’ve been utilized, as nobody would’ve been in sight if Butler decided to kick it back out.

Also, whenever this play was ran, Robinson always found himself in that corner, which eliminated any type of help defense onto Adebayo on the roll.

Anyway, Miami’s offense is clearly based around a lot of guys heading into Saturday, while you may be wondering why most of these breakdowns didn’t include Jimmy Butler. That’s because there won’t be many changes in how he is utilized, and frankly, we already know what he’s going to bring to the table.

It just comes down to the other guys, and each of them have multiple ways of being effective, especially if Miami makes that initial back-track with DHO’s to begin the series.

 

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Summer League Trio to Playoff Trio

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When looking at the stories of Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson with the Miami Heat, they’re all clearly different. But they still ended up at the same starting point to end up where they are today.

It all started in Summer League, as the three of them were just trying to showcase their youthful skills to try and move up to the next level. Now, Miami’s heading into the playoffs with two of them as starters and the other as a sixth man scorer.

This has been a season of ups and downs, but now that every team has officially made it to the 72 game mark, it’s necessary to evaluate this trio of young guys and depict the biggest improvements that they’e made this season. So, here’s what stood out…

Kendrick Nunn:

Catch and shoot

When I say that I’m evaluating the biggest improvements this season, it doesn’t mean that I’m looking at the numbers to find an increase. But if there was any point that would be backed up by the stats dramatically, it would be this one.

Kendrick Nunn has pretty much been an on-ball guy since joining the team last season, but the reason for his latest surge has a lot to do with giving him time off the ball. Lineups with both Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro are much more possible due to that ability, and that ability is spot up shooting.

He shot 35% on catch and shoot threes last season, which has jumped up to 42% this season. Spoiler alert: that’s a big deal.

One thing I’ve mentioned for quite some time is that he’s utilized in an interesting way when Duncan Robinson exits the floor. He basically becomes the Robinson lite in most of their offensive sets, which is something I would not have expected from him before the season started.

When I asked Nunn about the reasoning for his improvement in that area, he said, “I just put in the work to become better at catch and shoot, and obviously the results are showing.”

Yes, the results are showing, and it’s perfect for Coach Spo due to the fact he can utilize his starting guard in a much freer way on a position-less team.

Decision making in PnR

If you asked me what Nunn’s biggest struggle was last season, it would be the indecisiveness in the pick and roll. He never really knew when to pull that mid-range jumper with confidence or make the lob pass, which is an important trait with his current role.

But not only has he gotten better in that area, it’s actually become one of his biggest strengths. Coach Spo labeled him as a “three level scorer” the other day, and being a quick decision maker allows him to succeed at all three levels.

A quick decision maker doesn’t mean just as a passer, since as shown in the video clip above, the mid-range pull-up with confidence has a lot to do with his improving defensive reads.

The funny thing about these being two of his biggest improvements is that they’re total opposites. One highlights his off-ball abilities, while the other showcases his skill-set with the ball in his hands, and that’s the very reason he’s been rolling ever since being stuck in the starting lineup. This exact combo is a hard player to guard, and he will finally get his shot in the post-season to show that he can contribute on the big stage.

Tyler Herro:

Off-ball navigation

Tyler Herro has had an odd season individually, including injuries, slumps, and changing roles, but the improvements are still fluid. When I mention changing roles, I’m talking about being the starting point guard to begin the season, then shifting down to the bench when that didn’t seem to work out.

That’s not an easy thing to do, going from bench player to playoff breakout to starting lineup then back to bench. Nunn may have done it and thrived but he’s proved to be a different breed in mental readiness.

Through this roller coaster of a season for Herro, he’s finally found his role, and completely thrived. No matter if he’s had a dip in some of his numbers or not, he still gets the defensive respect from opposing teams. Everybody knows Tyler Herro, so everybody wants to shut down Tyler Herro.

The thing about that is it’s forced him to adjust his offensive game. Instead of the free flowing offense he played last season, it’s become working for a slimmer of space off the ball. As seen above, the use of off-ball screens on this team have allowed it, but he’s been figuring out some individual fakes on the run to get free by running his defender into the screen.

I asked Herro about the different defensive coverages recently, and he responded, “Obviously it’s a new year and things change. Different defenses are going to throw different things at you night in and night out, and you just have to adjust.”

Well, he’s done that pretty well to end the season, but the playoffs will be a whole other beast. Teams will be ready for his off the bench production, especially in a familiar town of Milwaukee.

Downhill passing

This improvement isn’t just recency bias from his career high assist night on the last game of the season, so it must be noted.

For one, some of the downs of Herro this season have forced people to forget the production to begin the year. His shooting numbers weren’t great, but he was getting to the rim pretty regularly and was highly efficient. He shot 51% less than 10 feet from the basket last season, which shot up to 57% this season.

The thing about that ability is it can easily be taken away when he doesn’t have a screen to navigate around. So, the next piece to add to the puzzle was going to be a reliable passing ability on the move, and he’s added that.

When I asked Herro about that ability, he said, “I came here and the coaching staff really helped me with my decision making and being able to make the right read.”

It’s pretty clear that his play-making abilities are at its best when he’s on the move downhill, since the key to his passing success is instinctive decisions. It’s something we’ve especially seen in the 3 games this season where the Heat had eight available players, while Herro was one of them.

Why is it that his downhill passing and lob is so effective in those settings? Well, it’s one word: freedom. When he’s playing tense, those passes become turnovers, which will be one of the most interesting things for him heading into the post-season, to see if he can sustain that ability in games being played in the half-court.

Duncan Robinson:

Individual defense

I am not going to lie, I did not expect to be discussing Duncan Robinson’s defense as the primary improvement this season, but here we are. Early in the season he had flashes of team defense expertise, due to his knowledge of when to double, splitting the difference between two guys on the weak-side, and his best possessions occurring in the zone.

But well, his one-on-one defense has made major leaps this season as well, even seeing the Jayson Tatum match-up for two straight games to end the season.

He’s always been a guy that offenses looked to force a switch and attack, or better yet search for him in the zone as shown above. But his length has prevented that overall bullying on a night to night basis, which is something else that changes things for the playoffs.

The utilization of Robinson last year was interesting, since his offensive gravity in the Finals was obviously needed, but LeBron James depicting the defense to put Robinson on whoever he wanted made it difficult.

Now, that can’t be used as frequently. Of course, he’s not this world class defender that is going to lock up his match-up every night, but he does have the necessary attributes to stay on the floor and not be a total liability.

I asked Robinson about the defensive leaps this season, which he responded, “It’s definitely been a process. There’s been highs and lows throughout the year…but I’m just trying to continue to build and improve. When I’m put in those situations like that, I’m just continuing to build that trust that the coaching staff and the team has in me to be solid.”

DHO to high PnR

It’s not everyday that you see a team base an offense around an undrafted shooter, but that’s exactly what the Miami Heat did last year. And well, it worked.

It actually worked so well that teams have schemed against it so much that Miami was forced to go away from it this season. So, eliminating dribble hand-offs from the offense would eliminate Duncan Robinson, right?

Wrong.

A straight catch and shoot player wasn’t expected to make improvements on the fly to impact games off the dribble, but that’s exactly what he did. He shifted into more of the high pick and roll sets, giving him more room to navigate and leaving the defense with a very difficult decision.

Do I lag behind and give him a good look on a pull up three? Do we double out on him and allow Bam Adebayo to run a 4 on 3? It’s a tough decision, but most times they’re choosing the latter, which just reflects his offensive abilities.

Out of all the improvements named in this article, I don’t think there’s one more significant than this one. Yes, others made some jumps in certain areas of their game, but nobody was forced to change their entire offensive game and absolutely thrive.

Nunn, Herro, and Robinson went from trying to prove themselves in a Summer League setting to being three of the primary elements to their offense heading into a very intriguing first round match-up. And the one thing all of them have in common: they aren’t one bit scared of the big stage.

 

 

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 http://everythingtradeshows.com or call 954-791-8882

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Final Regular Season Game Vs Pistons

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The Miami Heat finished off the regular season with a win over the Detroit Pistons. They were without most of their primary players, including Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, and others. Anyway, here were some of the takeaways from this final game before the post-season…

#1: Tyler Herro displaying his play-making in a similar setting.

When the Heat faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers early in the season with 8 available players, Tyler Herro’s number one takeaway was very simple to the one tonight: Downhill play-making. Now, the reasoning for that isn’t as clear. He looks to be playing much more freely in these games when working pick and rolls, but the fact that he looks smoother with Precious Achiuwa as a roller is definitely odd. But, the 2 on 1’s were on point tonight in the half-court, which led to him tying his season high with assists in the first half alone, then achieving a career high 11 assists. The decision making for Herro is going to be the biggest step in his game that isn’t physical, since Kendrick Nunn has made that mental fix recently and has absolutely thrived. If this level of play-making can carry over to a full rotation, then he may need the ball in his hands more often in the lineups with Goran Dragic and Nunn.

#2: Nemanja Bjelica gets it going from deep.

Nemanja Bjelica was the leading scorer at the half for Miami with 17 points, going 4 for 4 from beyond the arc. I think many are aware that his strength is shooting the basketball, and nights like this can occur when shots drop to start. One thing I’d like to point out from his game that was a bit surprising was his play-making. The Kelly Olynyk comparisons are no longer necessary with where the Heat stand at the moment, but when many believed he was the replacement, I said the passing abilities would be the tell. The thing about this game was that he is a much better play-maker than originally expected, especially around the rim. It’s odd that we’re getting our first true evaluation of Bjelica in the final two games of the season, but it’s clear this will also be the last.

#3: Precious Achiuwa with a mini Summer League type game.

In some ways, this was a mini Summer League for Precious Achiuwa in a lot of ways. Once again, this refers back to that two game set with Philly early in the season, when Achiuwa was allowed to play as free as can be to just showcase his youthful abilities. One thing that is clear with his game is that he is super explosive, but the issue is that leads him to the free throw line a little too often. The free throw shooting is far from being his best attribute, but the other stuff in the post and as a roller will be so crucial for his long term success. Not to harp on Summer League too much, but that element is so necessary for him to make an impact in this league. This notion that he could be a reliable back-up big with absolutely zero experience seemed to have some recency bias after the rise of Herro and Nunn the previous season. The thing is: they both played in Summer League.

#4: Duncan Robinson plays his 72nd game of the season, which is quite the accolade.

Duncan Robinson’s list of accolades has been a long one this season, but the one he achieved today is much different, but it’s still so impressive. Playing all 72 games in this type of year is something that seems pretty close to impossible. Obviously it’s been done throughout the league, but the usage of Robinson makes it so much more interesting. When discussing a guy that never stops running on offense just to find a slimmer of space, it just doesn’t seem like durability would be the outcome. But it has been, and Erik Spoelstra says it begins with his body of work behind the scenes. Before the game, he said, “He’ll continue to grow because of that work ethic. But that conditioning….is underrated. He’s put in a lot of work behind the scenes. He’s not the same physical player from when he showed up in our building.” So, the clear takeaway is that even though injuries can’t be prevented, it’s possible to put in the work to control what you can control.

#5: Heat vs Bucks: The rematch.

Well well well, it’s official. The Miami Heat will face off against the Milwaukee Bucks yet again in the post-season, while last year’s result must be totally erased from memory. Both teams with different rosters from a year ago, while each have a chip on their shoulder in this circumstance. Milwaukee clearly remembers what Miami did to them last season, while the Heat remember how they went out in the Finals. When evaluating the match-up between the two teams, it’s hard to truly know on film. Jimmy Butler has yet to play the Bucks this season, meaning it’s not easy to really know how the defensive match-ups would look. Even if he did play in the regular season, it wouldn’t mirror the level of play Butler brings in the post-season. Many are aware of the statement floating around that no one wants to play Butler in a 7 game series, and that still stands.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Bucks

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The Miami Heat fell short to the Milwaukee Bucks after Jimmy Butler was a late scratch with a back issue. So, that means we’re going to see a lot more of these two teams moving forward, as the playoffs slowly creep up. Anyway, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: An interesting starting lineup choice.

Well, the Heat were without Jimmy Butler on Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, but the starting lineup went in a much different direction than originally expected. Nemanja Bjelica was inserted into the power forward position, which always seems to be the way Erik Spoelstra goes so he doesn’t mess up the rotation. The issue is that when the missing piece is Jimmy Butler, that theory should be thrown out of the window. That exact move forces everybody to shift a position, and not only positionally with Trevor Ariza to the 3. It leads to some weird offense after they’ve been so acquainted to small ball offense, and easily switchable defense. One of the most telling stats of the game was at the end of the first quarter when Bjelica had 4 shot attempts and Bam Adebayo had 1 shot attempt. But, that seems to be the case many nights.

#2: Kendrick Nunn doing his thing…but that’s about it.

A recap of Miami’s offense in the first half was Kendrick Nunn, Kendrick Nunn, and Kendrick Nunn. He scored 16 points and went 4 of 5 from deep, but the reason it stood out so much was due to the fact there wasn’t many other story-lines from the Heat that were positive. But since I’m going the positive route for a second, Nunn’s catch and shoot improvements are no joke. He shot 35% on spot-up threes last season and has shot up to 42% this season. The reasoning for that seems much more complex. It could be a slightly different role for him depending on the lineup that he is in, since he’s an on-ball guy with the starting lineup, then shifts to a Duncan Robinson lite role with the bench unit. The versatility that he currently brings offensively is one of the most underrated elements of his game.

#3: Hard to overcome non-Butler games without their bench back-court production.

As mentioned previously, the first half was a mess for the entire Heat team offensively, but one thing particularly stood out. When Butler is out, they need production from their offensive bench back-court, in Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro. Both of them came out firing, but not capitalizing, which is never a good combination with one-way players. Dragic and Herro have kind of gone back and forth with big games, and sprinkle in a game where both of them play well once in a while. The issue is that when both aren’t scoring, the surrounding pieces with Andre Iguodala and Dewayne Dedmon can’t make-up for that offense. Dragic began to get it going in the second half, while Herro shot 1 for 9 in the entire game. Obviously this bench play had nothing to do with Butler not playing, but it does show the hole this team can dig when he’s not out there to start.

#4: Oh yeah, Jimmy Butler’s pretty important.

There’s a common denominator when talking about the reasons things went wrong tonight, and they all come back to Jimmy Butler. In the big picture, this team hasn’t been able to survive many games without him, since this game puts them at 6-13 on the season when he doesn’t play. To look on the opposite side of things, that means Miami’s 33-19 when he plays, which just shows how things run so much smoother when he is on the floor. Another element to this topic is Bam Adebayo, since the shot attempts are not going to continually be harped on here, but it does relate to Butler being out. Adebayo doesn’t elevate to another role in those games, which means he’s still the play-maker at the elbow which gets exploited without a player with the downhill gravity of Butler.

#5: Prepare for a lot more of this match-up.

The reason that this game held such high importance was post-season match-up based, since if the Heat won out they’d be placed in the 4/5 bracket. This loss means that it’s likely they will see the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round with the 3/6 match-up. For starters, this indeed is not the same Bucks team, even though some seem to believe it’ll just be a reiterated version of last season. Jrue Holiday definitely makes things a lot more complicated on the defensive end, while they still have a very unique way of generating offense. Now, Butler of course changes things in this game, and especially in a playoff series with the fear he strikes when he’s the underdog opponent. Coach Spoelstra and the players don’t seem to be very worried about their playoff match-up and I actually believe that to be true. Coach Budenholzer’s same exact statement doesn’t seem to be as promising, since there’s a definitive preference among the Bucks personnel.

“I Finished It the Only Way Udonis Haslem Could, With an Ejection”

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What a career it has been for Udonis Haslem, and what a way to end it if this was the last game of his NBA career. Key word if.

The three minutes he played might’ve been the most up and down sequence I’ve ever seen, but before looking at that side of things with the back and forth with Dwight Howard, let’s start it off with some parts of his game that stood out.

(Yes, I am looking at Udonis Haslem film. I’m not taking any other questions at this time.)

One thing about Andre Iguodala is that not only is he unselfish, but his high IQ can read different situations perfectly. Not to find the open man on the fast-break, but to find the OG on the fast-break to get him a bucket.

A nice tip back from Haslem gets them in transition, and he trails before receiving the ball for a nice finger roll at the basket. Bucket.

Some may have thought a minute of play is all that was needed for him to log his 18th season, which means he would exit after the end of the first.

Wrong. Here comes Haslem, trotting back onto the court to begin the second.

Philly is trying to navigate the 2-3 zone with tons of screens to get Tyrese Maxey some room to explode. The issue was that he exploded too hard to allow a seasoned vet to await a perfectly timed charge. And what do you know? Forces a turnover on the first possession of the second quarter, leading to Reggie Miller on the broadcast calling this Spo’s secret weapon.

But wait, that baseline jumper is still in that arsenal somewhere as well, right?

Correct.

Before evaluating UD’s jumper on this possession, the way this play is set up is quite funny. Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Kendrick Nunn are three guards on the floor that need a constant ball-screen, but Haslem’s motto seemed to be you get one then I’m setting up on the box.

After Herro loses the ball, Nunn picks it up expecting that screen, but spot-up Haslem wasn’t going that route. Nunn drives and kicks, while Dragic reiterates that same thing and puts the ball on the floor to get UD that beloved baseline jumper. Another bucket.

Now, let’s get into some of that UD and Dwight Howard battle, beginning with what sparked it. Let’s begin with this Haslem box-out that you only see from old-heads at the park for no apparent reason. He may only have 3 minutes logged for the season, but he’s going to make them count.

A grin from Howard basically shows that he noticed this as well, not knowing that smile won’t be there for long. After the game Haslem described the altercation, saying, “When he disagreed, I disagreed, and it was a whole bunch of disagreeing.”

This was the actual play that sparked this growing tension between Haslem and Howard, since that slight hesitance from UD when he hit the floor signaled it was go time:

After some tempers rose, Haslem was ejected 3 minutes into his debut, but UD says he “finished it the only way Udonis Haslem could, with an ejection.”

He also discussed the significance of representing Miami as a whole, “Regardless of what people want to say about my career…The one thing that’s remained loyal to me is this city….They’ve always had my back.”

Many others on the team seemed to love the way this played out, while even Coach Erik Spoelstra called it his “favorite moment of the season so far.”

I asked Bam Adebayo about this situation, which he said his initial reaction was that “this mother-f****r’s crazy.”

Once again, there is still so much unknown about the future of Udonis Haslem with the Miami Heat, but as he said, there’s not a better way to end it off. One hundred percent from the field. One hilarious altercation. One ejection.

The full Udonis Haslem experience.

 

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5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Philly

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The Miami Heat dominated the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, which was pretty promising as they get closer and closer to the post-season. An interesting game consisting of a couple scuffles, and of course one being Udonis Haslem, was the storyline of the night. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Udonis Haslem. That’s it. That’s the takeaway.

Well, we can add another all time Udonis Haslem moment to the catalogs. He was going to need to see the court this season if he wanted it to count, and Coach Erik Spoelstra said he would make it happen. Now, nobody expeced that insertion to occur in the first quarter, but it did. A few minutes prior he was the mediator after a back and forth between Trevor Ariza and Joel Embiid, but then he was the focal point. After some positive minutes, including finger-rolls, baseline jumpers, and charges, he got into it with Dwight Howard. He got ejected after telling him he would “punch him in his f****n mouth,” which was as much of a UD sequence as we will ever see. This is just a friendly reminder that even though he is the vocal guy and leader on the bench, he can be quite the source of energy no matter the situation.

#2: The Philly match-up brings out a different Jimmy Butler.

We all know the history of Jimmy Butler and Philadelphia, but not many expected him to knock down 3 triples in the first half. That stat alone can tell you the level that Butler was playing at, since he doesn’t even attempt threes unless it’s a game of high magnitude. Another interesting element to this game was that if somebody told me two Heat players would get into scuffles, I would think Butler would be one of them. But his calm demeanor and pure on-court dominance was the headliner tonight, which just foreshadows the way that the 76ers feel about this potential playoff match-up. There are plenty of reasons that they may not love the match-up, but it’s headlined that not many teams want to see Butler in a playoff series, especially when there’s this type of history and new things brewing.

#3: Why does Tyler Herro love catching fire against this team? I don’t know.

There were some fun story-lines throughout this game, but an odd one is that Tyler Herro silently dominates Philadelphia. Game-winning pull-up jumpers, season high scoring with 8 available players, and now an off the bench explosion. He’s finally beginning to hit his strides, and it’s happening at the perfect time. His level of efficiency this season should not be overstated, especially from deep. Four for five from the three-point line at the half doesn’t even fully explain the ways that he was scoring, since he’s actually doing it in a variety of ways. Pull-up triples are falling, catch and shoot threes are falling, and he’s even generating some looks on his own. Once again, like I’ve reiterated time and time again, this version of Herro makes this Heat team a totally different team come playoff time.

#4: Bam Adebayo’s jumper becoming an offensive staple.

Bam Adebayo’s mid-range jumper has been an interesting discussion this season. A major point of emphasis has been that he is at his best when he’s putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket. Jimmy Butler even had the post-game press conference where he said he needs to play some “bully ball” and get to his strengths. The thing is that his jumper is becoming one of his strengths. He looked like he was at shoot-around tonight, specifically in the third quarter, since he was given the space and took advantage of it. Another interesting element is that he’s oddly good at knocking down jumpers with the shot clock expiring, but the thing is that it’s not very odd. The reason for the efficiency in that time slot is that he fires without thinking, and doesn’t have any second thoughts about making the pass out. If he embodies that mindset in a full shot clock, it changes a lot of things for his offensive game.

#5: A potential second round match-up, and Miami would love it.

The current mindset for Miami is to fall into the bracket of the 4/5 match-up, and it seems they’re on their way to that mark. The thing about that bracket is that they’d see the 1st seed in the second round, which looks to be the Philadelphia 76ers. For one, Miami would love that match-up. They like energy in that type of series, and as discussed earlier, the Jimmy Butler effect plays a big role. Secondly, who doesn’t want to watch 7 games of this? Maybe not as many UD minutes in that series, but the same exact amount of physicality. The Heat have had their ups and downs this season in terms of offensive success and defensive success, and they’re looking very similar to the way they played last season. This team is currently scoring in a consistent fashion that is needed in a playoff setting, which changes everything as they head into their final two games this weekend.

The Offensive Evolution of Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson

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The rise of Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo has been quite the ride. Not as individual players, but the offensive base that was revolved around them, then progressed as it became too much of a headache for opposing defenses.

The dribble hand-off was a staple of the Miami Heat’s offense, consisting of Robinson’s incredible ability to run full speed off screens and fire, while Adebayo sets the perfect and steady screen. It became almost too easy for the Heat in the regular season last year:

Robinson just runs the three-point line, as the defender goes under the screen, which is mistake number one when facing a shooter of this magnitude. He ran from wing to wing around the perimeter like a football player runs the sideline after the catch, which didn’t need any changes since nobody could stop it.

But well, that duo has been getting schemed against at the top of the scouting report, beginning in the post-season last year then growing even more this season. The question became: Could a catch and shoot guy overcome this defensive scheming?

The short answer is yes, if you’re Duncan Robinson. Things like starting offensive sets a few steps behind the three-point line have become a natural occurrence for him, stretching the defense as much as possible with the only option to put the ball on the floor and navigate off the Adebayo screen. And that right there has become a primary element of his game after some extra reps as the ball-handler.

When diving into some of the Adebayo/Robinson offensive sets, Erik Spoelstra has had to get really creative to free up Robinson.

A perfect example is this inbound play, as Adebayo receives the entry pass, Robinson’s off-ball screening becomes the decoy. He fakes the screen and flows into a dribble hand-off, which shows that even though DHO’s are trying to be eliminated, they’re still possible at times with some extra creativity.

Also, it’s just hard to scheme against this type of DHO. Slowly walking down the baseline, waiting for his time to explode. Right when Goran Dragic clears out, he sprints toward Adebayo and takes a sharp angle to allow him enough space to shoot over the top. Bucket.

If there’s anything that this tells me, it’s that Robinson is working really hard on the small things in his offensive game to make these things possible. I asked Adebayo about Robinson’s all-around improvements, which he responded, “He wants to win, it doesn’t matter how we win or what we do to win…He enjoys others success. So, that’s why I feel he’s playing out of his mind, he just spreads so much positivity.”

And that right there sums up the unselfishness of Robinson, that he will do the small things such as off-ball screening or play as a decoy if that’s what it takes to win, which is the reason he’s exploding at the moment.

So, it’s also important to note the amount of possessions that those DHO’s are totally taken out of the equation. He’s continually denied when navigating the Adebayo screen, but look at the creativity to get open next.

He passes out to Tyler Herro, rolls back into the screen and curls around to the middle of the floor where Herro finds him. Thinking back a few months ago, the next decision by Robinson would be to find the closest player to him to pass it to. But things have changed.

He decides to go with a one-legged baseline fade-away and it drops. I don’t think some people realize how much this weighs on a defender following this shot dropping. All of the efforts around screens to keep up with Robinson, just to catch it off the ball and score on the interior is far from being easy to guard.

This third quarter was probably his best all-around quarter of his career. Great defensive moments, putting the ball on the floor, knocking down shots, and impacting the game away from the ball. That’s why this evolving duo of Adebayo and Robinson continues to be effective.

 

The final way of trying to free Robinson in these sets is just to muck things up in the middle of the floor to confuse a defense. Usually this leads to both defenders flying out on Robinson for an easy pass down low to Dragic, but somehow, the opposite occurred.

Nobody stayed on Robinson, which led to him looping around to the corner for an easy corner three.

I’ve dove into a lot of Robinson here, but Adebayo’s role in the effectiveness will continue to increase over time. The pocket pass has been close to mastered between the two, which leads to getting Adebayo in his best offensive spot: downhill play.

Three defenders and four offensive players become the new offense, while the ball is put in their best play-makers hands.

When I asked Robinson about Adebayo stepping up offensively in those type of spots, he replied, “He can impact the game in so many ways without taking shots. He’s really good at picking his spots, and also knowing when it’s time for him to be who he is, to be an All-Star and dominate the game offensively…He, of course, rose to the occasion, like we all expect him too.”

Although Robinson has realized his offensive role and maximized it, it’s now time for Adebayo to do the same. He did that in the win over Boston on Tuesday night after Jimmy Butler went down, but it must become a normal thing even when Butler is playing.

As Robinson said, it’s about knowing when to pick his spots and to be the All-Star that he is. And when that occurs on the regular, this duo will take yet another leap in their offensive effectiveness.

Dribble hand-offs weren’t the only reason for their success. It’s the joint mindset of buying into the offensive scheme, which is mostly based off the aggression of those two.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Boston

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The Miami Heat swept the two game set against the Boston Celtics, meaning the Heat solidify a top six seed in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament. A good start for Jimmy Butler turned into an unexpected ending, since he sat out the second half after being poked in the eye early on. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Boston Celtics meet Tyler Herro. Tyler Herro meet the Boston Celtics.

If anything is clear between the Heat and Celtics, it’s that they’re very aware of the play of Tyler Herro after a 37 point performance in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. That didn’t end there, since he came out to play on Tuesday night against the Celtics as well. He scored 15 first half points on 7 for 9 shooting, which just shows that it didn’t consist of set shooting, catch and shoot threes. If you were to ask which part of the floor he began to get it going from, it was the mid-range, which has become a staple of his young career. Other than usual pull-up mid range jumpers against drop coverage, he seems to be navigating different defensive coverages a lot better lately. His go-to move off the dribble is the snake dribble, but he’s added on to that a bit. He’s keeping guys on his hip before pulling into his high arcing shot, which is crucial for his offensive success moving forward.

#2: Some Heat star power early aggression.

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro combined for 43 points in the first half, and that was the most important thing about this game for Miami. Although I dove into Herro already, the stats of Butler and Adebayo were going to be crucial in this game, mostly in the shot attempt area. Dwyane Wade said pregame on TNT that Coach Spo should be telling his players to treat this as a game 7, and game sevens are for star players. Adebayo had the mid-range jumper falling early, while taking advantage of mismatches in the post frequently. Butler had some jumpers falling as well, but the usual free throw line antics was the story line, which is so essential for this team due to the fact an aggressive Butler translates to good offense for Miami. Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier had big first halves as well for Boston with 17 a piece, which shows how much of an offensive half it was.

#3: How much did it cost to get Dewayne Dedmon again?

Dewayne Dedmon has found himself on most of these post-game pieces, but it’s for good reasons. For starters, the big picture thought about the cost of acquiring him is mind-boggling due to the amount of impact he’s currently bringing. The first description that must be brought up about his performance is consistency. His consistency game to game is not an easy element to bring to a team after a long period away from an NBA team. Miami knows exactly what he’s going to give them every night: rebounds, strong box-outs, easy buckets in the paint. The other area of consistency has to do with his scoring efficiency, since he hasn’t had a poor shooting night since joining the team. Obviously efficiency is much easier with a guy who plays the interior and doesn’t shoot a bunch of shots, but it’s still very impressive.

#4: Third Quarter: Butler steps back, Robinson steps up.

Jimmy Butler came out of halftime, motioning towards Coach Erik Spoelstra with an apparent eye injury. With him out, somebody was going to need to step up. Adebayo did that majorly on the offensive end, yet he wasn’t the third quarter story-line. Well, that’s because Duncan Robinson had one of the best all-around quarters that I’ve ever seen him play. Great defensive positioning in isolation, pushing the pace in transition, rising the intensity, and of course, knocking down threes. He got to the free throw line after some back and forth with Marcus Smart, which is not a familiar area of the floor for Robinson. But when that occurs multiple times in a quarter, other things begin to open up. Seeing him find ways to score on his own is the ultimate explanation of his offensive growth, which is much more than scoring at this stage.

#5: A best case scenario in terms of confidence for this Heat team.

In one of the biggest games of the season for this Heat team, Miami didn’t have Jimmy Butler for a half. And yet, that didn’t seem to matter. I dove into some of the individual performances of the night, but this is much more than the nightly numbers. This team was looking for a certain spark approaching the post-season with this Boston series, and that spark just got a whole lot larger. Seeing role players step up is not only essential for the team overall, but Butler in particular. While he’s battling an injury, his team showed up for him, which is the type of trust he needs heading into playoff mode. People were talking about the importance of this game throughout the week, but this result is much more meaningful than originally expected.

Heat’s Hidden Gem: Star-less Success

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There’s been a lot of discussion about the Miami Heat lately, beginning with their star Jimmy Butler. He’s having a career year in field goal %, rebounds, assists, double-doubles, and triple doubles, while the Heat are 30-19 when he plays.

After an absolute dominant performance against Boston to say the least, he’s the clear headliner when discussing this Miami team. A close second would be Butler’s sidekick, Bam Adebayo, who was close to perfect on Sunday afternoon against the Celtics as well.

These two guys are at the top of the list when discussing the reasons for the team’s success, but the true reason for the latest spark has to do with when they are off the floor.

Some of Miami’s worst minutes this season came when Adebayo exited the floor, since there was a clear drop-off at the center position. But well, they cleared up that issue with the recent acquisition of Dewayne Dedmon.

The Heat originally approached the back-up big spot as a player that can try to mirror some of the things Adebayo does, but that didn’t really work out in the short term with Precious Achiuwa. The Dedmon pick-up showed that they were willing to go in the complete opposite direction instead.

He’s an interior force on both ends of the floor, who has a veteran play style, which tends to their playoff hopes. The other set of minutes that have had trouble is the non-Butler minutes, due to the fact his offensive abilities weren’t being reiterated by an aging Goran Dragic and inconsistent Tyler Herro.

The last set of minutes that were absolutely atrocious were the non-Butler and Adebayo minutes, which weren’t seen much throughout the season. One of the two making an early exit in the first, followed by one subbing back in as the other got a breather, became the new normal on this team, which didn’t seem like a winning equation.

But they’ve turned that around recently, and it’s the one hidden gem when discussing the Miami Heat’s success.

A recent Dragic surge and Herro comeback have been the main reasons for this, since that back-court tandem has been on a roll lately. They combined for an efficient 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, which was an introduction to Miami’s new play-style.

Now, the Heat are able to leave Butler and Adebayo off the floor for longer periods than ever imagined, and not only have those lineups been stable, but they’ve boosted production. In the last two games, the bench lineup with Dragic-Herro-Iguodala-Dedmon, with Kendrick Nunn plugged in, has an offensive rating of 122 and a defensive rating of 97.

Although those numbers are exceptional, it’s a small sample size, but this shouldn’t be taken lightly. I don’t think anybody expected a lineup of Dragic, Nunn, and Herro to have a defensive rating of 97 over a two game span, but they’ve found a way through an effective scheme consisting of lots of blitzing and doubles. That defense also plays into their favor offensively while it allows them to get out in the open court and run.

The question now becomes, is it sustainable? It’s something that can’t be answered at the moment, but I will say that this Dragic run doesn’t seem to be temporary. The comfort levels with the three guard lineups have been a huge reason for the recent surge as well.

When I asked Erik Spoelstra about the lineups with Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn being so effective, he responded, “It wasn’t like jumping off the screen or in our reports and reviews until about two weeks ago. We started to notice that combination was actually being pretty effective. So it’s something that we will continue to explore.”

Well they’ve continued to explore it, and even thrown Herro into the mix with them, which has posted an offensive rating of 120 since his return.

This team has needed one more guy to step up for quite some time, and they currently have every role player doing that at the same time. If this team can at least stay afloat when Adebayo and Butler head to the bench over these last four games, there’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll have a week off while other teams battle it out in the play-in.

It’s a hidden gem that’s becoming not so hidden. And once that ability is noticed in a playoff setting, it leads them right back into Butler or Adebayo takeover mode, which is exactly what they want. As Adebayo said, “When we’re clicking on all cylinders, we’re a hard team to beat.” And their cylinders are currently clicking, due to this very reason: star-less success.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Celtics

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The Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics, which originally looked like a blowout win for Miami, turning into a down to the wire finish. It was an all-around scoring performance for Miami with 6 guys in double figures, but Jimmy Butler was the leader as he was absolutely terrific on both ends. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Kendrick Nunn’s impressive offensive impact has become…normal.

Well, 79 points in the half against the Boston Celtics is pretty general, so it’s necessary to evaluate it individually. Before a lot of Miami’s headlines become the bench back-court and two stars, don’t let Kendrick Nunn get swept under the rug. That’s been a common theme of Nunn’s career, and a major reason at the moment is that his scoring abilities have become the new normal for this team. He was the initial stamp of offense in the first quarter, finding that mid-range space against drop coverage, and of course knocking down the not so occasional catch and shoot three. Saying Nunn has returned to his rookie season form would be quite the understatement, since he’s grown in every major element of his offensive game.

#2: Jimmy Butler does absolutely everything. And I mean everything.

This game was originally expected to be a Jimmy Butler game, where he took over offensively from the jump. Except, that didn’t happen, and he still was the best player on the floor. One shot attempt and one shot make at the half may make that hard to believe, but watching him on the defensive end is pure art. Forget steals, forget deflections, forget blocks. It isn’t about the stats for him, due to the fact his level of disruption is the true reason he has such success on that end. It wasn’t just defense either, since 7 first half assists doesn’t even do it justice. He’s the engine of this team on both ends, and it doesn’t matter if he’s putting the ball in the basket or not. The main element is that he brings a certain energy level, which he did today.

#3: Duncan Robinson impacting the game on…both ends?

In a very spread out scoring display for Miami, it’s clear that Duncan Robinson was a major part of that first half explosion. But that’s not what must be harped on, since an unexpected part of his game stood out: defense. Yes, you read that correctly. He found himself on an island with Jayson Tatum frequently, among other Celtics’ creators, and actually held his own. Just like I’ve discussed constantly in the past, he has the tools to be effective on that end, due to his length. When he’s able to contest Tatum’s baseline sidesteps over and over, it’s clear that he’s growing by the day on that end of the floor, which is probably the most important individual progression of the season for Miami. Of course, guys like Trevor Ariza came over for the double when that match-up came up, but that’s the theme of this defense to blitz the perimeter player and force others to beat you.

#4: Dragic and Herro giving Miami exactly what they need in first half: scoring and rest for stars.

Tyler Herro had another one of those scoring stretches in today’s game, but the reason that is so essential is much bigger than points in the scoring column. Much like the last game against Minnesota, Herro and Goran Dragic stepped up big time off the bench, which is so impactful for Miami’s stars, Butler and Bam Adebayo. Miami went most of the season where they couldn’t head to the bench at the same time, unless they wanted to absolutely plummet on both ends of the floor. Allowing both of them to enter at the same time in the second quarter, while keeping their foot on the gas, is one of the most underrated parts of this Heat team at the moment. As for Herro, he had his usual scoring flashes, but he had to adjust more than normal. When he began to get defended tighter and tighter, he was forced to throw his defender into off-ball screens to find open space. And that space shriveled down to almost nothing by the fourth quarter. He, also, was continually attacked on the defensive end, which is the next development in his game to take that next step.

#5: The importance of the Dewayne Dedmon pick-up.

Dewayne Dedmon won’t be one of the main discussions following this game, but he definitely should be. He’s not a guy that’s going to totally wow you in the scoring column, and that’s exactly the type of guy Miami likes. For one, while speaking about his offense, he has been unexpectedly efficient in his minutes. He doesn’t shoot much, but he usually finds away to flip it in or bank it in when he does. The real reason of impact was the overall non-Bam Adebayo minutes, since that was one of the biggest issues for Miami early in the season. Nobody was able to mirror Adebayo’s play on either end, but Dedmon does it in his own unique way. He doesn’t bring the same level of defensive versatility, but he impacts as a rim protector. He doesn’t bring the same facilitating ways on offense, but he impacts on the block. This addition of some diversity was so important for this team to round out their nine man rotation.