Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo Not in All-Star Game, Forcing Best Case Scenario

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Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both attended the All-Star game last season as Adebayo made his first appearance, but this year is much different. Miami currently sits at the 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, which pretty much explains why they didn’t get an All-Star this season.

But Butler and Adebayo not making the All-Star team could be the best case scenario for this Heat team for an abundance of reasons.

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For starters, any rest this team can get after recent injuries, Covid tracing, and a short off-season, they must take it. It allows Goran Dragic to regroup over a short period, since he’s played minutes to begin the season that weren’t really expected coming in.

Butler has had to carry a load over the past few weeks, since the interchanging lineups haven’t allowed Miami to get in any type of flow.

But rest isn’t the main reason for this being a positive for the Heat. It’s actually about the chip that’s back on their shoulders.

Every player on the current roster has had a chip on their shoulder their entire life, since the Miami Heat embody players who battle adversity. But a spark has been needed as of late, even after the latest three game winning streak.

The only way a spark can really be generated is with an addition to the current roster, but well, that was until the All-Star reserves were released on Tuesday night.

This gives Miami’s two stars even more drive to take that next step, while everybody continues to count them out once again. But they’ve been counted out their entire lives.

Now, they can regroup back home in Miami, without taking a chance of being in a crowded environment on All-Star weekend.

No All-Stars, no problem. As Butler has always essentially said, it’s about winning over other accolades, and this snubbed accolade could actually be the biggest spark for their winning.

A Breakdown of Max Strus’ All Around Game

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Miami lacked offensively sound bench players on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which meant Max Strus would have another opportunity to step in and be effective.

He scored 11 points with 3 triples, but that wasn’t even the most impressive part of his performance. Let’s take a dive into Max Strus’ all around game in last night’s win…

– Getting to his strengths

It’s obvious that the primary strength with Strus is his three point shooting, not only on wide open attempts, but finding space to get into his favorite spots.

On this play, Kelly Olynyk screens the defender to allow Strus to drop down to the corner. He slides down as Jimmy Butler attacks, leading to a triple in the corner for his first points of the game. Also, take a look at his high release point as the defender flies out on him. It’s a hard shot to block when he’s in rhythm.

He’s not on any radars at this point in his career, while Duncan Robinson doesn’t have the ability to get free on a simple off-ball screen. So for now, he must take advantage of this ability.

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– Reading situations, making the right read

As Gabe Vincent takes the baseline, he begins to find himself with no where to go. Strus realizes this, as his defender has his back to him, then immediately cuts toward the basket.

This forces a 2 on 1 opportunity at the rim with Bam Adebayo, which leads to an easy dump-off for a dunk.

Most shooters are known to move horizontally on the basketball court at all times, but Strus has been a guy that doesn’t rely on that the entire offensive possession. Miami has turned into a very good cutting team in general, but it also comes down to reading a situation as he did here.

– Showing flashes of play-making and penetration

This definitely isn’t something that many expected when they first saw Strus play, since he seems to be going through practice reps leading to this being showcased.

On this play, his shooting ability forced the defender to fly by him when he got the ball, so he immediately attacked the rim. This forced yet another 2 on 1 opportunity at the rim with Precious Achiuwa, except he displayed something a little differently this time.

He gave a great ball-fake to Achiuwa, which dropped Andre Iguodala’s man down a bit from the corner. He made the pass out to him and he knocked down the three, which is a sign of great growth since his first time getting minutes in this league.

– Defensive physicality

Miami lacks defensive abilities from their offensive players, but Strus continues to show great signs in that area due to his size and physicality.

There are a couple of things to dive into on this play. For one, when discussing Miami’s overall soft switching defense, take a look at what happens when Mike Muscala fakes the hand-off. Achiuwa looks to go for the switch for no apparent reason, but Strus fights through it to eliminate any type of mismatch.

He then immediately looks toward the ball, forcing him to slide down into position to take the charge. A defensive possession like this stands out more than any of his three triples in this game to the coaching staff.

– Constant shooting stance means fast release

One more thing must be noted about Strus’ shooting abilities, other than his high release point and deadly catch and shoot abilities: His constant shooting stance.

At times, players get lazy playing off the ball, which leads to guys not being ready for an immediate pull-up when the ball finds them. But well, that isn’t the case with Strus, since he is in his knee-bent, hands ready stance at every moment of the game.

Take a look at his body language on this play when he sees Achiuwa fighting for the offensive rebound. He was ready, fires it up leading to an And-1 three to spark Miami going into the fourth quarter.

– More defensive flashes

Other than describing Strus’ defensive abilities as physical every single time, his ability to cut off guys with the correct angle and move his feet rather quickly is an underrated part for him on that end of the floor.

On this possession, he slides down to cut off the dribble penetration, leading to his man catching the ball on the kick-out. He recovered quickly, and Lou Dort immediately took it toward the basket to get Strus off balanced. Except, he never was off balanced, and cut him off perfectly, while his great size forced Dort into an unorthodox shot that came flying off the rim for an easy rebound.

– The next step

Late in the game, it was just some extra time to get offensive reps in for a guy like Max Strus, and something stood out.

If Strus can consistently work a pick and roll as he did here, things change for his case to get regular playing time. He showed great patience as he began the PnR, while noticing it was drop coverage, he immediately pulled a three pointer. Although he missed, this shows a part of his game that hasn’t been explored, but very well can be in the near future.

Obviously those looks won’t be handed to him every night, but he can make defenses pay when running drop coverage, and utilize his passing abilities in certain spots, which I highlighted earlier.

Miami has something interesting with Strus, but the only question is where his rotation spot would be with a healthy Heat team.

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5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Thunder

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The Miami Heat finished 4-3 on their West Coast road trip after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in an ugly offensive performance. Issues were clear for three and a half quarters, but Miami got hot when it mattered late in the fourth. Here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Miami’s offense continues to appear problematic.

After discussing the offensive issues of the Miami Heat for quite some time, they come out with that type of performance against Oklahoma City. The reason Miami assisted on 13 of their 14 shot makes in the first half, is due to the lack of on-ball players in this game. Obviously Jimmy Butler falls under that category at times, but his unselfishness tonight proved why he needs somebody around him to do that. Kendrick Nunn is the closest thing to that, but there’s only so much he can do to keep the offense afloat. As much as we can discuss tonight’s offensive showing as a product of missing Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, this is a recurring issue. It’s not just health, it’s not systematic, it’s not about one individual player. It’s just that Miami may be one on-ball player short with the current roster.

#2: Kendrick Nunn keeps Miami going on a night that was tough to do.

Kendrick Nunn was the guy for a good portion of the season that Miami awaited to be a spark. And tonight, he was the consistent player trying to spark others around him. He came out with the same scoring abilities that have been seen lately, but it’s much harder for him to be effective when there’s limited spacing with a stagnant offense. He then began to make an impact in other areas, most importantly as a ball-handler to set others up. The lob to Bam Adebayo late in the second quarter comes to mind, since that was essentially the only moment Heat players could score at the rim early on. He also competed defensively much more, since it seems he can be an impactful defender in spots when he wants to be. Nunn has been the real bright spot throughout some of Miami’s struggles, which has a lot to do with the overall trust to insert him in the starting lineup, while he continues to thrive in his minutes with Butler.

#3: Precious Achiuwa’s impact relies on the team’s health.

Precious Achiuwa’s overall role lately has been a tough code to crack, but it finally seems clear. It just plainly comes down to the overall health of this team for an abundance of reasons. For one, there’s a lack of offensive firepower off the bench with Dragic and Herro out, and those two guys are the ones Achiuwa benefits from most. Also, there’s a necessity to stagger Butler and Adebayo’s minutes with Dragic out, which means Achiuwa has a much different role than he did early in the season. Once Miami has a full roster, he will thrive once again in his minutes with both offensively savvy guards who work him into the offense. But for right now, his offensive role is unclear, which means his playing time comes in short spurts with the inability to get into a rhythm.

#4: Bam Adebayo has yet another efficient night throughout, but tonight was more about attempts.

The Bam Adebayo shot attempt discussion has been fluid for quite some time, since certain night’s efficiency is not the needed offensive ability. And as mentioned earlier, Miami’s offense had struggled throughout the entire night, by missing shots, not flowing into sets, and settling for jumpers instead of getting to the basket. But well, that’s where Adebayo comes into play. Most of his shots came at the rim on dunks, either from a lob pass or offensive rebound, but that just doesn’t seem to be enough on nights like this. Obviously he put up an impressive stat-line, but sometimes it’s much more than that. Even if he puts up some shots and they don’t go in, you live with the result, but relying on other guys that are much less qualified doesn’t always seem like the best route. It’s still something that many are awaiting Adebayo to fully realize, since he just needs to allow his talent to takeover at times.

#5: A Max Strus sighting, a Max Strus display.

After a tough shooting night against the Lakers on Saturday night, Max Strus had yet another opportunity with Tyler Herro out. He was basically thrown into the fire late in the past game, which didn’t allow him to get into a natural flow. Tonight, though, he had an obvious offensive flow, shooting the ball the way he usually does, but that’s not what stood out in his game. It was more importantly the other parts of the game that Miami lacked. He began to showcase a play-making ability when he was chased off the three point line, leading to kick-outs for open triples. The defense must be highlighted as well, since his physical presence allows him to guard bigger guys in the post, and stand strong against penetrating ball-handlers. Taking charges, grabbing rebounds, and-1 triples. Strus did it all on a night it was most needed, which shows they have another rotation guy awaiting his chance as the season progresses.

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Which team (Heat, Lightning, Rays) in Florida will win state’s next title?

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It probably doesn’t need saying, but it’s been quite a seven months or so for sports teams in Florida. From September through March, we saw Florida teams in the Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, World Series and the Super Bowl. If you count the MLS Is Back Tournament Final, which saw Orlando City SC lose out to Portland, that’s five major sports finals for Florida teams. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

But Florida sports fans already knew all of the above. The more pertinent question is what comes next? Can Florida teams capitalize on the best period of success since the Bucs, Marlins and Lightning won championships between 2002-2004? We just don’t know. But we are going to guess by power ranking every NBA, MLS, NHL and MLB teams by the probability of winning a championship in 2021, starting with the least likely. 

  1. Orlando Magic 

It’s a testament to Florida sports teams’ strength right now that the team at the bottom of these rankings isn’t awful. Orlando has been blighted by injuries this season, and that looks like it might cost the team a third consecutive tilt at the Playoffs. There have been positives, notably Nikola Vucevic emergence as a truly elite NBA player. 

  1. Miami Marlins

Clinching a first postseason berth since 2003 might have convinced Marlins fans that better days lay ahead, but the rebuilding might have to continue in 2021. A problem beyond the team’s own limitations is the strength of the NL East, with both the Mets and Braves tipped to have big seasons.  

  1. Inter Miami CF

Florida’s newest sports club is finding its feet in the MLS. The team has big ambitions, and the acquisition of Phil Neville as head coach looks to be a clever move. Gonzalo Higuain, too, could provide the X-factor and goals. But this is a long term project, and we would be shocked to see Inter Miami in the latter stages of the MLS Cup. 

  1. Miami Heat

It’s not impossible that Miami wins the NBA Championship this year. In fact, the basketball odds at MansionBet put the Heat at 28/1 – about ninth-favorite overall. So, you shouldn’t rule it out. But the team really needs to start winning consistently. We are approaching the half-way point of the season, and Miami sits outside the playoff spots. 

  1. Tampa Bay Rays

Sportsbooks and pundits are quite cool on the Rays’ chances this season. Both MLB and CBS have the Rays at 10th in their power rankings, behind the AL East’s Yankees and Blue Jays. It’s a tough call, but Kevin Cash and the Rays could make those journalists eat their words – again. 

  1. Florida Panthers

It might seem strange to rank the Panthers ahead of the Rays and Miami Heat, but NHL is a little less top-heavy than NBA and MLB, so we rate the Panthers’ chances just a little higher. A lot would have to go right, of course, but this is an organization on an upward trajectory. 

  1. Orlando City SC

You have to like Orlando City’s chances this season. Coach Oscar Pareja has made the team hard to beat, and the run to the final of the MLS Is Back Tournament will act as good experience for the players. Like Inter Miami, they have a potential superstar in Alexander Pato. You get the feeling the Brazilian will either shine or flop, with no in-between. If it’s the former, then Orlando could land the MLS Cup.

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning 

Tampa Bay tops the power rankings and bookmakers’ odds to retain the Stanley Cup in 2021. What more is there to say? The champions are the best team in NHL, and the most likely Floria team to bring home a championship in 2021. 

 

A Breakdown of Bam Adebayo’s Outstanding Defense on LeBron James

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On a night that LeBron James was held to 19 points without Anthony Davis, it seems necessary to dive right into the defensive source, Bam Adebayo.

Now, Andre Iguodala had that match-up for a good portion of the game, and did a tremendous job out on the perimeter, which should not be overlooked. But when a team’s big man is guarding one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball for a bunch of stretches, it must be noted.

So, here’s a look into Adebayo’s defensive performance against an old friend of the Miami Heat.

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– Fronting James early

Before we look into this match-up a little bit deeper, let’s start with the first possession, which was a sign that this was going to be a battle all night.

Adebayo showed that he wasn’t afraid to play a little physical out on the perimeter with LeBron, fronting him in the post, denying the entry pass. This led to a chucked up three point attempt from Kyle Kuzma, missing badly and getting Miami right into their offense.

These are the type of plays that aren’t shown in a stat sheet. Plays that force others to make a mistake, or force others to become uncomfortable. And well, that’s the Adebayo effect. No matter the defensive personnel around him, he’s going to bother a team with his physical abilities, his quickness and length, as well as his intense motor.

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– Mind games

LeBron is one of the most gifted players when manipulating a defense with his mind, due to his many unique abilities in his arsenal.

On this possession, LeBron gets Adebayo on an absolute island. Wide open baseline, wide open wing. Usually when LeBron is given that much space, he takes it at the chest of his defender due to his physical dominance. But that changed when he realized he had a very different player lined up across from him.

He scanned Adebayo, figuring out his next move, took one dribble and passed it out to the perimeter as the ball rolled down the court out of bounds. LeBron is the king of mind games, but a player with as much activity as Adebayo brings on that end of the floor, he ended up on the other side of things for a change.

– Forcing more uncomfort late in possessions 

It’s not an easy task to guard the best player in the NBA individually, but it’s even tougher when you must worry about the backside the entire game being the defensive staple that he is for Miami.

This is another example of LeBron passing up shots that he would usually take. As Adebayo tries to avoid putting his back to all of the action, he tries to slide over as much as possible with the dribble penetration. The ball ends up swinging back around to LeBron with the shot-clock ticking down, he passes out to Montrezl Harrell for a corner three with 2 seconds left on the shot clock.

Adebayo clearly knew the clock situation as well, since he allowed his hands to be much more active than his feet, leading to another impressive stop.

– Avoiding soft switches

Soft switches has been Miami’s downfall on the defensive end this season, since although Adebayo can handle a guard on the perimeter, the guard who just switched can’t handle the rolling big man. It’s been a cycle, but Miami showed that they can end it when most needed.

There were moments where they would willingly switch, mostly when it involved Butler, Adebayo, or Iguodala. As seen here though, Adebayo stayed steady on his match-up with LeBron, forcing Max Strus to rotate down. This led to a turnover for the Lakers, instead of LeBron taking advantage of a one-on-one situation with Strus.

Adebayo making these decisions also has a lot to do with the personnel on the floor at the moment. He trusts Iguodala on the backside to step up, which was exactly what happened on this possession.

– The Block

For a player that is not known for his rim protection, every one of Adebayo’s most incredible plays involve a swat around the rim.

As the Lakers got into their transition offense, the ball found LeBron in stride. Adebayo noticed him moving downhill with Iguodala on his heels, which is why he exploded towards the action. He then timed it perfectly to block it off the backboard, creating a huge spark for Miami in the fourth quarter.

Also, length and quickness shouldn’t always be the headliner for these moments, since as I just mentioned, timing plays a big part in not only his blocking abilities, but just about everything, which I will explain next.

– Timing plays, reading the pace

As I just began to get into, timing plays a big part in a lot of Adebayo’s defensive success. He knows when to be in certain spots on the floor, when to jump in the air for a contest, and more.

But as seen on this play, that timing also can lead to reading the game at a deeper level. On the last block, he immediately exploded when seeing that one player was handling LeBron on the move. On this possession, he doesn’t explode toward the rim since three defenders are waiting for LeBron’s next move.

He was then in perfect position to deflect the pass, and cause another Laker turnover. As mentioned previously, it just isn’t about his athletic abilities all the time, since his basketball feel is just off the charts.

– Defending every option

Although this wasn’t smothering defense from Adebayo, and a shot LeBron usually knocks down, it’s necessary to evaluate his defensive positioning.

Guarding LeBron is non-comparable to any other match-up, since he can drive it into your chest, pull-up from three, or throw a no-look dime backdoor as soon as you fall asleep. And at that point in the game, forcing him into a three pointer was the best option.

But notice how many steps Adebayo takes inside the arc when defending him. It’s enough to recover from a blow by, while close enough to contest a jump-shot good enough as seen here.

He truly has the whole package on the defensive end, and it stands out even more when facing a player of LeBron’s caliber.

A Breakdown of Kendrick Nunn Against the Lakers

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In an NBA Finals rematch on ABC Saturday night, the story lines were fluid. LeBron James vs his old team, the Miami Heat. LeBron James vs Jimmy Butler in yet another duel. But well, none of that compared to the explosion of Kendrick Nunn occurring right in front of our eyes once again.

So, let’s take a dive into the success of Kendrick Nunn as of late, and what has led to this resurgence.

– Taking defenders off the dribble

Nunn has had an ability to take players off the dribble for quite some time now, but it finally appears to be more than going through the motions. By that I mean he’s not just utilizing pump-fakes as an add-on, since he’s beginning to use it to his advantage, which means he’s playing the game at his own speed as he continues to grow.

He’s currently shooting 64% from the field less than 10 feet from the basket, which is up from last season’s 55%. The attempts are pretty identically, which means he’s just increasing the comfort level in that area.

On this possession, he sells the pump-fake due to his improved shooting, as he dashes by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He has a very quick first step when putting the ball on the deck, which allows him to get to the rim with a 2 on 1 opportunity. Marc Gasol didn’t step up, which took the lob pass out of the equation, leading to an easy finger roll at the rim.

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– Floaters from just about anywhere

Nunn’s floater has been utilized this season much more than his rookie year, and it’s been working quite well for him. It’s not just about the floater itself, but the spots on the floor in which he’s shooting them, which is just about anywhere in the half-court.

He’s very comfortable with push-shots, which he attempts here at the free throw line over Gasol. This shot leads to many things in Nunn’s game being added, such as a hesitation dribble. This will slowly become a shot defenses will look for out of a pick and roll, leading to lob passes and slight hesitations to get to the basket when a big steps out.

– An improved three point shot on the move

Nunn has become a much better spot-up shooter from deep as of late, shooting 39% on catch and shoot triples compared to last season’s 35% shooting, but there’s a certain element to his shooting from deep that must be discussed. It’s not just about shooting on the move, but the direction in which he’s shooting on the move.

When he goes left off of screens, it usually ends with good things. It’s a bit odd for a lefty shooter, since it’s usually the exact opposite direction that they tend to thrive.

On this play, Nunn dribbles left off of a double screen, as Montrezl Harrell begins to drop. He immediately pulls-up at the top of the key, with his jumper looking as fluid as ever.

Now, here’s an example of Nunn leaning left on three point shots and looking as comfortable as he does with spot-up opportunities. This unorthodox ability leads to other things as well, such as a quicker getaway to put the ball on the deck and drive baseline.

Nunn is a pretty unique scorer, and the reason for that is because he has unique abilities to be effective, and it just comes down to consistency which has occurred lately.

– Creativity in the pick and roll

As I pointed out in Tyler Herro’s game the other day, creativeness out of the pick and roll is beginning to progress for Miami’s second year players. Most young players become more and more effective out of simple offensive sets of with the more playing time that they get, which is what we’re seeing right now.

On this play, Nunn realizes a bit of indecisive play from both defenders, which leads to him utilizing a snake dribble to find a dead-spot. Precious Achiuwa being the screener adds to this as well, since he always seems to be running at full speed on the roll, making a defense uncomfortable as a lob threat.

– Offense to defense

If there’s anything that I’ve noticed from Kendrick Nunn’s game over time, it’s that his defense elevates when his offense is effective. And after his jumper continued to fall throughout last night’s game, he showcased his defensive will in spots that were necessary.

He had to deal with a tough match-up all night, against a much lengthier Kyle Kuzma, but gave Miami a huge spark on this play. When the Lakers could’ve cut the lead to 2, Nunn rose up and blocked his shot from behind, after Kuzma caught him off-guard with a slip screen. Even if Nunn struggles defensively when on an island, he is trusted to make defensive plays, such as hitting passing lanes to get into transition or make an unexpected block to get the team going.

– Taking advantage of Adebayo’s gravity

After Bam Adebayo’s early aggression, taking advantage of the Lakers lack of interior defense, it led to many other things for Miami. Halfway through the third quarter when the Lakers made their big run, they tried to eliminate Adebayo’s offensive presence as much as possible, which led to him adapting.

He has been needed to put his back to the basket and take advantage of smaller match-ups, which is what he began to do. But as Alex Caruso came for the double team, Adebayo made the right read, passing out to Nunn for a triple.

Although this has more to do with Adebayo, Nunn reading the situation as well must be noted. He was putting that shot up no matter who ran out on him, as they tried to recover on their rotation, which are the small areas Nunn has showed a ton of growth with.

– Back door cuts becoming a staple

Backdoor cuts have been Miami’s thing for the last couple of weeks, mostly since defenses are overplaying the three point line on shooters time and time again. But this has nothing to do with overplaying defensively, since the Jimmy Butler effect came into play.

As he attacked the basket on this play, the Lakers defense looked pretty lost with their defensive communication. Butler unfortunately picked up his dribble, looking toward the corner at Nunn, giving him the signal to cut to the basket. He hits him in stride for an easy bucket, which shows the level of chemistry Nunn is reforming with the new starting lineup.

– The play-making leap incoming

Nunn has made huge strides as of late as a play-maker, mostly in games like last night, where defenses are focused on his scoring.

On this play, he tries to blow by a good defender, in Alex Caruso, while Harrell cuts him off to eliminate that baseline floater that has been working all night. Once Harrell gets caught in the air, he dumps it off to Adebayo at the rim.

Although he missed, Nunn continues to battle down low, going back up with a reverse layup on a key possession for Miami’s offensive rhythm. While he continues to become a lethal offensive weapon, the play-making abilities become more and more essential, which will lead to a major increase in assist numbers.

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5 Takeaways from Heat’s Victory Over Lakers

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The Miami Heat faced the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Finals rematch, which Miami got the best of them this time around. It went down to the wire, which Jimmy Butler got to the line when they needed it most, while the Heat played great defense down the stretch to get the win. Here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Kendrick Nunn was cooking early on.

In a game televised by ABC on Saturday night, headlined by LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, not many expected Kendrick Nunn to be the biggest story of the first quarter. Nunn scored 15 points in the first on 6 for 7 shooting, looking as comfortable as ever with the ball in his hands. He was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc as well, shooting on the move on many of those looks, which seems to be when he’s most effective. The floater is also becoming a staple of his offensive game, since he rises up with one-hand push shots from just about anywhere on the floor. After the first quarter scoring display, he didn’t attempt one shot in the second quarter. And while that may appear to be a negative element of the game, it speaks to the growth of Nunn being aware of the pacing of the game, allowing the game to come to him.

#2: Bam Adebayo comes out with a necessary aggressive mindset.

On a night where the Lakers were without their best rim protector, Anthony Davis, it was clear there were winnable match-ups for Bam Adebayo to seize. And well, he did just that early on, playing above the rim on many possessions, which seemed to be a game-plan by Erik Spoelstra. He scored 14 points in the first half on 7 for 9 shooting, and there were still times that he could’ve been a bit more selfish scoring wise. But selfish and Adebayo don’t really mix, which is why he altered between aggression and play-maker throughout, controlling the game in the non-Butler minutes. Those minutes are more important than ever at the moment, since Goran Dragic being out forced Coach Spo to go this route, relying on Adebayo’s presence without Butler.

#3: The Goran Dragic absence is noticed in spurts.

When discussing pure takeaways from this game from my perspective, the Goran Dragic absence was probably one of the biggest. Dragic has always been the guy for Miami to save them in tough spots, who can generate offense when everybody else cools off a bit. And well, Miami went through that stretch in the second quarter, but the only issue was that Coach Spo couldn’t turn to his bench to tell Dragic to try and get them out of this hole. As much as people can discuss certain losses lately not correlating with Dragic missing time, since a 34 year old shouldn’t be relied on this heavily anyway, that’s just plainly incorrect. It’s not that he needs to be the leading scorer as he did in the bubble last season, but he just needs to share the floor with others to force Miami back into their natural offensive flow.

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#4: Jimmy Butler controls the third quarter.

While the Los Angeles Lakers immediately crawled back into the game to begin the second half, it looked like Miami’s high level play in this game finally came to an end. But well, that was until Jimmy Butler decided to step up. As Tyler Herro was listed questionable to return at halftime with a hip contusion, Miami’s offensive options became limited, which meant Butler needed to do Butler-like things. And that category included getting to the basket, which leads to getting to the free throw line. Butler had 0 free throw attempts in the first half, which is a rare sight for him. He began to increase that a bit more in the third, showcasing his will to be aggressive during a stretch that it was absolutely necessary. And that was the only thing that kept Miami afloat in a time of need.

#5: The Gabe Vincent-Max Strus playing time decisions became crucial.

Who would’ve thought the minutes between both two-way players would be crucial against the reigning NBA champions? But here we are. The reasoning for Gabe Vincent getting the nod over Max Strus lately had to do with adding an extra ball-handler on the floor. And that’s exactly what Coach Spo went with again tonight, except Tyler Herro exiting the game led to another rotation adjustment. Strus got thrown into the fire in the third quarter without getting into any type of flow, leading to a terrible shooting stretch from beyond the arc, going 0 for 8 from three. As much as people can criticize Erik Spoelstra’s decisions between the two-way guys, there must be a realistic approach that we’re discussing two-way guys. There is limited production that will occur from those type of guys, especially when facing a team like the Lakers, and a player like LeBron who can attack weaknesses pretty quickly.

A Breakdown of Tyler Herro’s Performance Against the Kings

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On a night that was full of storylines with the Miami Heat, headlined by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo’s triple-doubles, it seems necessary to dive into Tyler Herro’s offensive play. Although I’ve dove into his package a few times in the past, it’s clear that it is developing game by game.

So, here’s a look into what stood out from his performance against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night…

– An evolving pick and roll ability

These are the types of things that Herro wasn’t doing last year, and even to begin this season. He’s becoming much more comfortable with the ball in his hands, especially in pick and roll sets, which has something to do with his new role.

On this play, he utilizes a snake dribble against the screener to find open space in the mid-range for an easy jumper. His mid-range game is probably his biggest strength at the moment, which he can seize when facing the coverages that he has been lately as the sixth man.

The PnR connection with Precious Achiuwa has something to do with it as well, since his burst of energy on the roll every possession makes a defense uncomfortable. And the sets with these two will only increase due to the fact that they enter together most of the time in the first quarter.

– Tight coverage is light coverage for Herro

There isn’t much to breakdown on this specific play, but this shot must be noted. The degree of difficulty to shoot over the top of someone with essentially zero room to work is the type of progression that is occurring right in front of our eyes.

As mentioned previously, he’s beginning to thrive in the mid-range area, but it’s more about him finding his sweet spots. He puts his back to Kyle Guy to fake a backspin slightly, then gets to his favorite spot on the floor.

And once again, that’s a shot that many players his size aren’t capable of making, but also a shot that not many players his size would attempt.

– Slight hesitation to an uncontested layup

This was probably Herro’s most impressive play of the night, when evaluating all of the elements.

He gives a slight hesitation while driving baseline, and while many may point to the space he gets with the guy on his hip, it pauses defenders on the backside as well. Hassan Whiteside froze when Herro gave that fake, leading to a reverse layup with ease.

Once again, these are the minor areas that are improving night by night, but due to the focus being in other areas lately, it hasn’t been discussed.

– Natural offensive feel

Now, this isn’t much of an improvement for Herro, since he’s been doing this since his rookie season. But, it’s still something that points to his natural offensive feel and IQ.

Cutting off the ball was a theme for all of the players on Miami last night, since they were overplaying the three point line leading to easy layups. On this play, though, this wasn’t a set play, it was just natural instinct. Herro notices De’Aaron Fox falling asleep, so he cuts immediately to the basket, and of course Butler finds him.

Adjusting on the fly is something Herro really improved in the bubble when he began to receive more attention, and it’s taking off once again.

– Great touch at the rim using the backboard

Herro’s ability to utilize the glass when attacking the basket with immaculate touch has been a real surprise in his growth. As I’ve mentioned quite a lot, that’s not something young players typically do, especially in today’s NBA. It could have something to do with his unique offensive game, or possibly something he picked up from veteran teammate, Goran Dragic.

On this play, he has a one-on-one opportunity with a big, Marvin Bagley, and takes it right up on him with his off-hand. Shooting across his body, tossing it underhand, using the left. It’s all on display on this possession.

And surprisingly, using the glass nowadays is actually tougher to defend, since most players are so use to all-net floaters when guarding a player off the dribble. It’s another element to diversify his offensive package, as discussed previously.

– Explosiveness off the dribble

When Herro was drafted by the Heat, I don’t think many people expected him to have the amount of explosion that he has at this point in his career. Now, this isn’t to highlight a great play, since it’s clear the Kings defensive weaknesses is the biggest takeaway from this play, but it furthers improvements we’ve seen from Herro.

For one, instead of utilizing a Butler screen, he notices that the paint is wide open with Whiteside playing high on Adebayo. He immediately gives a great cross-over, exploding right past his defender, while beating Whiteside to the rim.

As the hesitation move was highlighted earlier, these moves that we’re seeing off the dribble are allowing him to thrive as a scorer at the rim. And once defenses begin to plan for that come playoff time, he will have added opportunities beyond the arc once again.

– Pull-up triples beginning to fall once again

The reason for Herro’s three point shooting being down to begin the season didn’t have anything to do with catch and shoot attempts. It was actually the pull-up triples that were down from his rookie season.

And although that’s been his biggest weakness lately, it can also be his biggest strength once perfected. Pull-up threes are linked to one word and one word only: confidence. And that’s a word that has been linked to him since he entered the league. When he’s in a natural scoring flow, he has more bounce on those attempts, while off nights lead to those shots being a bit flat footed.

On this play, they switch on the screen while Herro has more than enough room to pull, and he does just that. And as I just described, take a look at the amount of bounce he has on this very shot. It’s all about confidence.

Once again, Herro utilizes the pull-up, which is even more useful when a defense is playing this deep of a drop coverage.

Right as Herro took his first dribble, you can tell he knew that he was shooting it, and as Kyle Guy went under the screen, he shot it up with as much bounce as the last possession. Once these shots begin to fall at a good percentage, his numbers will increase even more.

 

– The next step in his game

As I just dove into the mechanical things in Herro’s game, there’s one element that must come next: Getting to the free throw line. With the amount of times he’s driving to the basket in the second unit, the free throw attempts should improve.

When he usually drives to the basket, he avoids contact, which leads to his constant circus shot attempts at the rim that usually find a way of dropping in. On this play, he goes right at the chest of his defender to draw contact, getting the foul call and the basket.

Once he begins to do this consistently, that rounds out his scoring abilities completely. This doesn’t mean that he has to be a Butler-level contact finder, since there’s nobody in the NBA who can do it to that extent. But periodically, taking it up strong at the rim instead of attempting an up-and-under, may be beneficial in the long run.

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5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Kings

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The Miami Heat got a much needed win on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings. Although many players stood out for Miami throughout, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both getting a triple-double was the biggest storyline of the night. Here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: A Kelly Olynyk first quarter scoring display.

When the Miami Heat hit the 20 point mark in the first quarter, Kelly Olynyk had exactly half of those points, scoring them in a variety of ways. Every few games, as I’ve mentioned in the past, Olynyk ends up on one of these takeaway pieces since he explodes from a recent slump. On night’s that he shines, his three point shooting is usually the reason, but his ability to find mismatches proved to be useful tonight. He has an ability to cut off the ball when a favorable match-up presents itself, allowing him to receive the ball in great position for a layup. The only issue is that those things aren’t utilized on a night to night basis, but when they are like tonight, things click for the team as a whole.

#2: Tyler Herro’s continued unique touch around the rim.

I’ve discussed Tyler Herro in different ways lately due to his evolving play, but his finishing at the rim needs to be mentioned yet again. He had 14 first half points, due to his ability to utilize the backboard on the move, which is not an attribute that is normal for young players. Goran Dragic definitely played a role in that development, since that’s a veteran move that Dragic utilizes when attacking off pick and rolls. His package is still growing as well, especially with minor moves leading to added opportunities when driving. A very impressive first half slight hesitation when driving baseline, led to a nice reverse layup at the rim, and those are types of plays that continue to stand out when evaluating the upside of his offensive game.

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#3: Erik Spoelstra figuring out lineups for Andre Iguodala to thrive.

One of the things I mentioned a few weeks ago involving lineups with Andre Iguodala was that it doesn’t seem like a viable option to play him with Butler and Adebayo. It just limits offensive effectiveness due to spacing, which led to Miami’s new rotation. Part of this has something to do with Dragic being out, since Coach Spo is staggering Butler and Adebayo’s minutes, but the Iguodala elements comes into play as well. Most of his minutes lately have come with one of Butler, Adebayo, or Precious Achiuwa, since having three players who can’t stretch the floor as a perimeter threat makes lineups ineffective. If they’re figuring out ways to run these with Dragic out, it’s clear this will continue whenever he returns which will maximize the play of Iguodala moving forward with the bench unit.

#4: Kendrick Nunn finding scoring consistency, while his passing continues to make strides.

Kendrick Nunn has found himself on these takeaway pieces almost every night as of late, and rightfully so due to his consistent offensive play. The only thing that speaks to is that he is overcoming the inconsistent measures that once got labeled to him, but he seems to be very effective throughout the entire game since his insertion into the starting point guard position. But instead of discussing his scoring, or his defensive off-ball presence that I mentioned last night against Stephen Curry, his improving play-making abilities must be touched upon. It is not an overstatement when I say that Nunn’s entire game thrives from confidence, since when shots are dropping, he has much more confidence to throw difficult passes instinctively. Other than a few skip pass mistakes he makes here or there, he can read a half-court offense pretty well, which was displayed tonight once again.

#5: Adebayo and Butler filling stat-sheet with all-around impact, while setting up teammates as scorers.

At times, it’s widely known that Butler and Adebayo could be a bit too passive when their natural scoring talents should be utilized. But when facing a poor defensive team as they did tonight, it’s necessary to attack from all angles. As Luke Walton said before the game, the plan was to stop Butler at all costs from getting to the rim and free throw line by throwing a bunch of bodies at him. And with switching defenders throughout, it led to guys like Kelly Olynyk having easy opportunities match-up wise as described earlier. The point is that these are the games that Miami’s two stars can afford to be unselfish, while filling up the stat-sheet all around tonight led to both Butler and Adebayo getting triple-doubles on the same night.

How do Lonzo Ball’s Strengths Fill the Miami Heat’s Weaknesses?

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The Miami Heat’s weaknesses have been apparent as of late, after dropping their third game in a row on Wednesday night to the Draymond Green-less Golden State Warriors. As the trade deadline gets closer and closer, it’s clear that trade talks will be heating up.

The Miami Heat currently have some interest in New Orleans Pelicans guard, Lonzo Ball.

It’s clear that he fills a lot of the holes that Miami is lacking right now, which is what I will dive into here. But it must be noted that a locker room spark may be just as necessary as filling holes, since adding a new personality and talent seems to be the only thing that can move the needle.

Anyway, here’s a look at what Lonzo Ball would be able to bring to this current Heat team…

– Bringing constant rim pressure off the dribble 

While Goran Dragic has been out, some weaknesses that may not have been clear before have shined. One being that a 34 year old Dragic is their only reliable guard who can get to the rim at an effective rate to put pressure on the defense.

And well, Ball would be able to change that upon arrival, since his unique all-around game allows him to get to the rim consistently due to him being a passing threat moving downhill. Just waiting around for Jimmy Butler to charge the basket and get to the free throw line is not a reliable source of offense, but can be when adding extra players who can do similar things.

– Improving his all-around package out of the pick and roll

This has been one of the biggest improvements for Ball, other than his catch and shoot abilities which will be discussed next. He was a limited player out of the pick and roll at times, since defenses would just play the lob pass due to his unreliable pull-up jumper.

But as seen here, that mid-range pull-up is evolving, and taking him to that next level. Miami has some guys that are capable of finding dead-spots out of the pick and roll in the mid-range, but none of them are as big of threats when running it. His natural passing gift means constant headaches for a defense having to worry about the next pass he will make, while Miami’s young players are pure scorers who defenses can sort of figure out at times.

– The catch and shoot abilities are becoming consistent 

Now, as mentioned previously, Ball becoming a consistent three point shooter is the key for his high value at the moment. He’s attempting 7.6 triples a game, while shooting 38%, which is far from easy to do.

As seen here, he’s becoming much better at moving off the ball as a shooter, since it’s known that he has been pretty decent off the dribble with his usual step back triples. Most of the time when discussing pure point guards who can control an offense and have defensive impact, it’s not much of a worry that they’re not great shooters. But Ball working on it throughout the off-season to improve his game to this extent is something that stands out to neighboring organizations.

– Controlling the pacing of the game through his play-making

Lonzo Ball’s passing abilities is what gets linked to him most when discussing him as a player. And honestly, it could be one of the most underrated things that Miami could use.

Relying on Butler and Bam Adebayo to set everybody else up when they’re the two best players is not ideal. At times, they must worry about themselves on the offensive end to be most effective.

And well, a way to cure that is by adding one of the best passing guards in today’s NBA. There’s a difference between being a good passer and a play-maker, and Ball is both of those. He can make spectacular passes on the break for others at the rim or in stride, but also knows where to put the ball in a half-court offense with his ability to find the open man.

If there’s anybody that benefits from this very element, it’s Butler who wouldn’t have the same load on the offensive end.

– A unique defensive presence 

And finally, a defensive presence. If there’s anything Miami has been missing, it’s point of attack defense, and Ball brings all that and more. He’s a great individual defender, which is once again beneficial to Butler not having to defend the best wing every night.

He can also create offense from his defensive abilities as seen here, being able to rip the ball away from somebody to get into transition offense.

There’s not much else to say other than he’s the most ideal defensive guard that will come up, and pairing him up with Butler and Adebayo automatically improves the defense of this Miami Heat team, which will allow Miami to get back into their prior Heat culture ways.

Lonzo Ball is the type of young and focused individual that Miami could use to spark this free-falling Heat team, to put them back on the right track, while only being 3 games out of the 5th seed.

 

 

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