Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Timberwolves

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The Miami Heat played the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back to back, and well, they fell yet again.

They came out firing with high energy, but like most nights, it all faded.

Some takeaways:

#1: Heat first half takeaway- intention in two places: boxing out and a shift in the 2-3 zone.

The Heat were coming off a night in Cleveland where they essentially couldn’t defend the Cavs in the 2-3 zone, while also not gobbling up any boards. Yet tonight, it was clear from the jump that they shifted their attention. While the Timberwolves do have a lengthy front-court in Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, they have not been a good rebounding team. The Heat, who were much smaller, sent 3 to 4 bodies at the rim for box-outs and crowded boards, sensing some intention. On the 2-3 zone side of things, they were continuing to force the shots in the middle of the floor that I harp on. Towns was getting it to go, but the portion of kick-outs Miami was forcing fell in their favor. Minnesota shot 3 of 25 (12%) in the first half from beyond the arc, which the Heat’s rotations deserve most of that credit. Then the third quarter happened, where all of those numbers were thrown out the window. The timberwolves put up 37 in the third, where Miami shifted to a lot of man, and hit the three at a high clip.

#2: A standout moment from Nikola Jovic.

Nikola Jovic started at the 4 next to Bam Adebayo yet again, but there was less intention to solely feed him early in this game. They wanted to find their base with the Lowry-Bam PnR, then work him in. Yet he wasn’t finding that same rhythm as the outside jumper wasn’t falling, which usually leads into a dark path for young players like himself. But we saw a different response. After some poor offensive possessions, he was crashing the boards and embracing the grab and go system completely. He ran into transition with intention, as Max Strus trotted on his left to the wing. On back to back plays, we saw the same exact formula: transition, Jovic assist, Strus three. For him to be confident enough to run the floor and make decisions after being blitzed early on, that could be one of the most promising signs I’ve seen to date.

#3: Miami’s updated usage of role players…

It’s hard to have offensive diversity when dealing with a short-handed roster with heavy minutes for guys like Haywood Highsmith and Jamal Cain, but Erik Spoelstra found a way to change some minor things up in the first half. With the same roster as last night, minus Duncan Robinson, they needed a positional shift in the half-court for the role players. Banking on threes from Orlando Robinson, Highsmith, and Cain types won’t work when the opposing team is intentionally helping off that corner “spacer.” But the key is they aren’t spacers, so don’t use them as if they are. That was the shift from Miami in this one, as they just constantly sent those two young wings streaking down open lanes and cutting to create some chaos. Highsmith and Cain went on a 9-0 run by themselves in that first half, hammering that alone. Then that led into Highsmith knocking down the outside jumper, which absolutely opens up their half-court offense when dealing with that weak-side helper.

#4: The ball-handling reps for Miami are eye opening with short-handed roster.

As I talked about after last night’s game, one of the main issues with the offense was the lack of shot creation from the guards. Every two-man action is run through two different guys: Kyle Lowry, who we know as the primary set-up man generally, and Max Strus. They were running high PnR after high PnR for Strus in this one, not because there was a match-up they liked, but due to the fact that was their only option. Yes they have Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic, but they aren’t guard creators that are necessary to run a consistent high powered offense. Many of the creators should be back after this one, but it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot on the plate of Lowry at the moment as the sole option in the ball-handling room.

#5: Late-game execution watch…

With 5 minutes left in this game, the Heat trailed by 3. The Lowry-Bam PnR spam continued, and the Heat couldn’t hit open threes. Not only could they not make those shots, but free throws were bouncing out. The offense for Minnesota was consistently on the shoulders of Anthony Edwards, who had a big night, yet he kept walking away with empty possessions. Bam Adebayo walked into a pull-up mid range jumper under four minutes to go, tying this one up at 99. Back on the other end, a foul was called on Kyle Lowry who felt he got all ball with a block on McDaniels, which Miami challenged and won. Big swing for the time being. After a miss for Miami, Russell hit a baseline jumper to take the lead by 2. Shortly after, Lowry took a charge on the driving Towns to foul him out of the game, showing some more hope. But well, that faded quickly. The Heat’s offense didn’t show up for most of this one, and a late step back three from Strus summed it all up. They don’t have options at the moment.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Cleveland

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The Miami Heat had another short-handed night, adding Bam Adebayo to the fold, but it still wasn’t enough against a healthy Cavs starting group.

They were blitzed on both ends from start to finish, not even in competition to put up a fight.

So they fall to 7-10 with another game tomorrow night. Anyway, here are some takeaways…

#1: The Cavs taking advantage of Miami’s zone defense for a couple reasons…

With the roster Miami had available tonight in Cleveland, it was clear we had a night of 2-3 zone ahead of us. And well, the Cavs found their way against it early on, which should happen when a team stays with it as long as Miami. The Heat are looking to force a certain push shot in the middle of the floor, mostly known for being inefficient, but Evan Mobley was the consistent hub in the middle of the floor. He chopped Miami’s zone up a bit, which leads into the next element. Now that Miami has to clamp down middle, who should they help off? Well the easy answer is Isaac Okoro, right? Okoro ended up going 4 of 5 for 13 points in the first half. Combine those schematics with a ton of ball movement and a bunch of high low action from Mobley and Allen on Miami’s lack of size, and yeah, it’ll lead you to giving up a 59 point first half.

#2: The two sides of Miami’s offensive shot process in the first half.

The Heat came out clicking offensively to begin the game, with Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic running the show. The process was clear: Adebayo had the green light. Every set was being ran through him: isolations, post splits, face-ups, post-ups. The key on night’s like this is movement, movement, and more movement. Why do I say that? Well, a good portion of that first half would give you that answer. The Heat fell right back into the trap of having Miami’s guards and wings create, which is a tough ask without Herro or Butler. None of their guards could burst by Cleveland’s point of attack, leading to a pretty ugly shot profile. I’ve compared this to a first drive in football, where a team has that initial drive that is scripted. The Heat are great as a scripted offense beginning halves, but when they stray, they stray away far.

#3: The Nikola Jovic timeline tracker…

As I began to dip into a second ago, we got the Jovic debut next to Adebayo, but it was much briefer than we all expected. While it was executed perfectly in that opening stretch, Haywood Highsmith entered into the game and it felt like Miami completely went away from Jovic again. At the half, on a night where Miami was very short-handed, Jovic was tied for the 6th most minutes on the roster. Yeah, it’s interesting. It feels like there are more positives than negatives with Jovic on the floor in games like this one, yet there doesn’t seem to be the same level of trust that we’re accustomed to with other guys. Same thing in the last game against Washington where they had 7 total players. We will see if it changes, but the Jovic minutes just aren’t equating with the fan-base’s perception of effectiveness right now.

#4: Injured or not at the moment, here’s the team headliner:

No need to further explain. They need more…

#5: Onto…tomorrow night?

These games have felt like Miami’s trying to get to that final buzzer by any means, as Miami’s without many of their primary guys on the roster. As the Cavs ran out a major lead in this game, I said to myself ‘well, it’s time for them to get the main guys out for tomorrow night.’ But they essentially couldn’t since they only had like three guys to sub in for them. Now Miami is less than 24 hours away from another game against Minnesota, where they will be without the same guys on the roster. And even worse, it’s another lengthy front-court with Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, meaning the rebounding numbers will be wild yet again. Miami could possibly find themselves at 7-11 after tomorrow night if they can’t generate some lightning in a bottle, which seems near impossible with what we saw in this one in Cleveland. But well, onto tomorrow night…

Top 5 Power Forwards The Miami Heat Can Realistically Acquire

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With the first month of the NBA season on the cusp of the end, it lies pretty clear what one of the struggles of the Miami Heat is, and that’s the starting power forward position. 

Although Caleb Martin’s numbers have been solid overall, and he is a good asset for the Heat, there is one thing he lacks, which is height. 

At 6’5 Caleb Martin is one of the shorter Power Forwards in the league, the Heat are currently 16th in the league for rebounding.

The Miami Heat currently average 39.4 rebounds a game, which is less than last years 2021-22 season, where we averaged 43.7, so this list is going to show 5 Power Forwards the Miami Heat can realistically trade for.

 

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Jae Crowder

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Miami Heat Receive: PF Jae Crowder, PF Dario Šarić

Phoenix Suns Receive: SG Duncan Robinson, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected)

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Even though it is hard to give away the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick. 

The Heat trading for Jae Crowder and Dario Šarić benefits Miami in not only reuniting Jae Crowder, who was a good role-player and defender on the 2019-20 Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat, with the team. 

It also adds another PF in Dario Šarić who is a taller, three-point shooting big who just two to three years ago, in the 2019-2020 season was averaging 6.2 rebounds a game. 

The trade also frees up the contract situation with Duncan Robinson for Miami, as he still has three years left on his 5-year 90M deal, and both Crowder and Šarić are on the last year of their contracts.

 

How The Trade Benefits Phoenix

Phoenix not only will be getting the unprotected first-round draft pick that Miami has in 2023, but they will be receiving Duncan Robinson in the trade as well.

Duncan Robinson has a career average three-point percentage of 40.2%, as of right now the Suns have the 8th best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA, at 37.9%.

Even though trading for Robinson can be seen as a risky move, he potentially can add three-point shooting off the Suns bench, to help increase their already good three-point percentage.

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P.J. Washington

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Miami Heat Receive: PF P.J. Washington

Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Dewayne Dedmon, PF Nikola Jović

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Although losing the new-rookie in Nikola Jović maybe isn’t the ideal choice, this trade does bring in an athletic stretch-big in P.J. Washington, who is only 24, and is averaging 15.1 points per-game, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists with the Charlotte Hornets. 

With Dewayne Dedmon no longer on the team after this trade, it also allows Omer Yurtseven to get a chance to make an impact off the bench for the Heat.

This trade also wouldn’t be allowed to happen until January 15th, due to Dewayne Dedmon being on a recently-signed restriction, and because he re-signed using Bird rights with a 20% raise in salary and the Heat are over the cap.

 

How The Trade Benefits Charlotte

This trade allows the Hornets to get younger with adding Nikola Jović, who is only 19 years old, and also gives them the chance to help develop the rookie from Leicester, England as much as they can.

During the 2021-22 season with KK Mega Basket, a men’s professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia, where Jović played before he got drafted. Jović averaged 11.7 points while shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 35.6 percent on threes, 75.4 percent from the free throw line, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists to 2.7 turnovers and 0.4 blocks per game in 25 appearances.

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Julius Randle

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Miami Heat Receive: PF Julius Randle

New York Knicks Receive: C Omer Yurtseven, SG Duncan Robinson, PF Nikola Jović

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

The Miami Heat have always been known as a team who chooses not to tank, as well as also being known to be a win-now team, so although we would lose two young and promising players, in Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jović, we would be receiving the Knicks current star-player in Julius Randle.

Randle as of right now, although having early season struggles, averages 21.3 points per-game, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists so far in this 2022-23 season.

Julius Randle also helped lead the Knicks to the playoffs in the 2020-21 season.

 

How The Trade Benefits New York

The Knicks in this trade, would receive 2 young players, in Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jović, which they can help develop, as Yurtseven is currently 24 years old, and Jović is currently 19 years old.

Along with receiving the guard, Duncan Robinson who averages 40.2%, from the three-point line, for his career.

New York would be getting younger, and can use a bit of a restart by trading Randle, after failing to make the playoffs last year, having a record under .500,  with 37 wins and 45 losses.

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Lauri Markkanen

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Miami Heat Receive: PF Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz Receive: C Omer Yurtseven, SG Duncan Robinson, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected)

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Lauri Markkanen has found himself with the Jazz, as he is currently averaging 21.3 points per-game, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists so far in this 2022-23 season. 

Lauri Markkanen is averaging better numbers than he had in his one-year stunt with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. 

Markkanen could help space the floor with Bam Adebayo, as Markkanen would play his role as a three-point shooting stretch-big.

 

How The Trade Benefits Utah

The Jazz over the off-season traded the former three-time defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, this trade would allow Utah to help develop Omer Yurtseven into the next center for the Jazz’s future.

The Jazz will also be getting Duncan Robinson, who can bring in some firepower from deep off the bench for Utah.

All while giving Utah the unprotected first-round draft pick, that Miami has in 2023, which will add another to the Jazz’s huge pick stash.

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John Collins

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Miami Heat Receive: PF John Collins

Atlanta Hawks Receive: SF Max Strus, SG Duncan Robinson, PF Nikola Jović, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), 2026 second-round pick via OKC, DAL or PHI

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

This trade benefits the Heat by getting a 25 year-old star in John Collins, although the Heat might be giving up a lot especially like a core player in Max Strus, and the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick, you gain an established, versatile scorer in Collins — who happens to be from South Florida and has always expressed an interest in returning.

Collins is also currently in a 5-year 125M deal, which in trading for him, the Heat have a guaranteed player for the next three years.

It has also been reported, by trusted reporter Shams Charania, that the Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions involving John Collins.

 

How The Trade Benefits Atlanta

The Hawks would not only be receiving a good role-player in Max Strus, who has come into his own the past year with Miami, elevated three-point shooting with Duncan Robinson, and a young player with potential in Nikola Jović.

Atlanta would also be receiving the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick, that Miami currently has, along with the 2026 second-round pick via OKC, DAL or PHI.

Trading Collins to Miami would also free up some cap space for the Hawks, as Max Strus is on the last year of his deal.

 

 

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Shorthanded Night in Washington

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Well this was a wild one.

The Heat having seven available players battled like no other in Washington, really showcasing themselves individually on all fronts.

Yet they came up just short in OT.

Here are some takeaways…

#1: Throwback Kyle Lowry appearance?

This wasn’t a normal night in the NBA. Kyle Lowry was the sole veteran on the floor for Miami who had 7 available players, and he turned back the clock. After the extensive talks about his physical conditioning this off-season, he went out in Washington and played every second of that first half, dropped 14 points with 9 assists and 7 rebounds. But beyond the stats, he was the engine to every action they ran. Off a miss, he was running with the young guys breaking free in transition. In the half-court, they did what they always do without their main guys: run post splits non-stop. They used Lowry as a hub in that high-post to hit cutters off stagger screens, which is where the lay-ups and trips to the foul line were coming from. Good stuff.

#2: The rookie Nikola Jovic is here, and he shouldn’t be going anywhere in terms of this rotation.

Nikola Jovic has been given opportunity in the midst of the loaded injury report, and it might have just cemented his spot in the rotation for good. All teams need sometimes is an extra eye of game-time from a young guy, and that seems like the case for Jovic. He’s played a role he’s uncomfortable with to say the least, and still played it at a high level with zero experience. That’s usually the tell. Offensively he’s just a supreme talent. A skilled passer on the move or stationary, moves off the ball at levels that even I didn’t expect, and can shoot/score when put in a position to do so. Let’s save the starting four conversation for another occasion with deeper dialogue, but the rotation stuff should be a no brainer on this roster. He’s a lock in the big man room. (With more to explore next to Bam…)

#3: Orlando Robinson showing some skill.

Tonight’s game was one for the kids (which feels wild to say with them being older than me), and we got a deeper look into specific skill-sets at the end of the roster. The one who debuted tonight was Orlando Robinson, who we saw for a bit in Heat Summer League next to Jovic. But I’d say he was pretty solid in this one to say the least. Good looking foot-work, great use of shot fakes in the interior, and an overall slow-paced flow to him once he gained possession of the ball. We’ve seen a lot of guys debut and not really know where to locate on the offensive end, but Robinson fit right in and attacked. We will need to see more, but a pretty intriguing starter kit when the Heat need an extra push on night’s like this one.

#4: Max Strus deserves another segment of shine, but for a different reason.

When looking at Max Strus in this one, I can have a similar conversation that I have as of late. The shooting will always be there, but the development off the attack continues to impress. He was blowing by the point of attack consistently and finding creases around the basket with scoops and runners from all spots on the floor. But aside from me going on that tangent again, he needs credit for another reason: cardio. Not just because this group was playing high minutes, but combining that with Strus’ role in this one. There’s already an element of this where Strus has to non-stop move in this offense to create shots for both himself and others, but that was taken to new heights in this one. That led into him struggling in the second half with every shot being short, but tonight was unique all in all.

#5: Fourth quarter/OT watch.

Now getting away from the player story-lines, let’s get back to the actual game. Lowry sat for the first time with 1 minute left in the third quarter, which was long overdue, but one thing was clear: the offense would fall off a cliff in the time he sat. He re-entered with 11 minutes to go in the fourth, meaning he sat for 2 minutes, and we saw that flip with an 8 point swing. There’s nobody to emulate what he was providing. But once he came back in, he picked up right where he left off. Big threes, more paint touches on drives, and finding the balance of a settled offense with a faster pace. Eventually, the Heat found themselves in a tie game with 3 and a half minutes left. Haywood Highsmith was putting together a rough offensive night, but his rebounding was one of the keys to the game. I noted it prior, but at that point in the game, he got 2 offensive boards with one being a tip-in to take the lead. After some other necessary plays, he hit an open three to take the lead late, giving Miami real hope. A possession after this, Kyle Lowry went deep in his bag for a fadeaway baseline jumper to extend the lead to 5. Washington bounced back with clutch buckets themselves though, sending the game to OT. Some back and forth continued, with some questionable calls late, and Miami found themselves in an awkward position. Down 1 for a  good portion of time, they couldn’t get over that hump offensively with all shots coming up short: for obvious reasons.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Raptors

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The Miami Heat faced the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday night, and well it was your typical Heat-Raptors game.

If you looked at a stat sheet, you would say Miami had no business being in that spot. Turnovers. Bad. Rebounding. Worse.

They stayed around even through that, but those things were the overarching issues.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Nikola Jovic getting his moment.

With Bam Adebayo being ruled out tonight in Toronto, it raised an eyebrow for their big man room. Dewayne Dedmon was the sole big ready to play it seemed, and he was questionable up until tip-off. Yet Spoelstra did what he does best, make the unexpected move: Nikola Jovic as the starting five. And well, he had about as great of a start as you could expect from him. They were purposeful in getting him involved in that first quarter: pick and pops, dunker spot re-positioning, quick dives to the rim. He had 11 points in that opening quarter, but the bigger point was that he fit in. They were able to successfully run a 5 out offense, while his drop on the other end was solid with straight up contests. This was his first true showing in the regular season for Miami, and it definitely won’t be the last. He’s impressive.

#2: Max Strus’ offensive diversity stands out as he catches fire.

Max Strus walked into the second quarter with 0 points, while Miami knew they needed something from a shooter to create positive half-court offense. And he ended up finishing that quarter with a total of 15 points, including 2 triples and 5 free throws. Not the usual Strus shot profile, but that’s what stood out here. There was diversity in the sets they were running for him as the Raptors overplay with a ton of length and solid defenders. Curls, hand-offs, pick and rolls, paint touches, catch and attacks. You just didn’t know what was coming from possession to possession, and that’s why I say he’s improved more than anybody on this team. The guy literally threw down a poster dunk in the second quarter as well. He’s elite as a simple shooter, but we just have to quit stopping there.

#3: The take-away mid-way through this game: the transition and pace game.

When entering this game, the biggest X’s and O’s story-line for me was the battle of pace. The Raptors are the best team in the league in that transition department, meaning you just have to turn down turnovers and you’ll be in a good spot. If you allow them to get out and run, it becomes problematic for a few reasons: 1) they generate both rhythm and points when entering this mode and 2) once they start getting out and running, it’s almost contagious. In the second quarter, we saw Miami pushing pace in unnecessary fashion at times, simply falling into their play-style a bit. Kyle Lowry deserves a ton of credit for settling Miami in this one, which partly has to do with his familiarity with the Raptors, but they needed him to calm down the kids who were playing freely. A lot of the turnovers were the league sending an apparent memo to referees about travels (lol), but Miami also can’t produce this many against teams like this. It’s the main reason they dropped this one.

#4: The Raptors game-plan was simple for their 21-0 run: picking on a Heat big.

The Raptors went on a 21-0 run in the third quarter. For more perspective, the Heat didn’t score for 7 minutes straight. But I’m not focusing on the offensive issues right, since they were just playing high to not allow Miami’s shooting to redeploy. As for that 21 point spree by the Raptors, they played bully ball. Not by being physical, but because they were just picking on the Heat’s Dewayne Dedmon. As he entered the game in the third quarter, Toronto got ready to inbound. VanVleet yelled at Anunoby walked down the court to call out a play, which was essentially a curl to operate 2-on-1 with Dedmon. An easy bucket. Shortly after they went to that well for a bit, VanVleet entered his favorite mode: pick and roll against drop. They found a match-up they liked and went to it. This isn’t to just pile on Dedmon, since he actually got some buckets in that second half that were needed, but that was just Toronto’s perspective on offensive game-plan.

#5: An interesting style on the surface for Jimmy Butler usage.

As I said earlier, the Heat were without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro tonight, arguably the team’s second and third best players. But well, they still have their best player to generate a good amount of usage, right? Wrong. As I went through early in this piece, the Heat’s box score was pretty spread around. Good start for Jovic, good second quarter for Strus, Martin and Vincent played very well offensively. Yet Butler only had 4 shot attempts halfway through the fourth quarter. And once he’s out of the mix in the offensive rhythm, it feels hard to just merge him back into things on the fly. Let me also add something of significance: Toronto was basically sending 3 guys every time Jimmy touched the ball. Hard to look past that. As the Raptors pulled away, Lowry was the one to keep piecing things together by getting to his spots, but it’s just an intriguing base on a night without two primary guys.

Miami Heat X’s and O’s: The Defensive Shift

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This hasn’t been the Miami Heat defense we’re accustomed to. Currently sitting 17th in defensive rating, they’re leaning heavily into the offensive side of things with this roster, which has essentially led them to a very strong 3 game win streak to get back to .500.

Yet while the box score would suggest it was all scoring, the film would tell you the opposite.

We often focus on the possessions where opposing teams draw a mismatch off a switch and get an easy bucket, making a total observation off a very small sample size. But in reality, they’re currently mixing up their scheme more than ever, and it’s giving me more hope that this team will be just fine for the time being.

We’ve seen them lean heavily into the 2-2-1 press and 2-3 zone, which off first glance makes you say: well they’re just doing that because they don’t have the personnel to guard straight up.

On some night’s that actually is the case, but the real reason for the heavy reliance is due to the Heat trying to find their defensive base in the meantime.

If you played basketball at any level from little league and up, there is always one primary principle taught when approaching a 2-3 zone: “flash middle.”

That essentially opens up and breaks the zone once the sides pinch in to the ball at the free throw line, leading to easy kick-outs for threes. But here’s the thing with the Heat defense: they don’t pinch in.

They stay home on shooters basically daring you to take that inefficient push shot in the middle of the floor time and time again. If you hit that enough to beat Miami, well then take the win.

I talked to Gabe Vincent for a bit after the Hornets game where we discussed the 2-3 zone, and I asked “is this your guys’ comfort zone now defensively?”

He responded, “Nah, everybody just struggles with it. I don’t think it’s our comfort zone, I think they just struggle with it.”

Bam Adebayo then joins in on my right: “If it ain’t broke, don’t break it.”

So I dug in a bit deeper. I asked him about that exact push shot that Miami keeps forcing within the 2-3 zone, and he said “that’s the stat guys upstairs.”

“For every organization, nobody likes that shot I guess,” he continued. “Percentage wise it’s a great shot for the defense, but for the offense it’s not as great of a shot.”

But the key point here to make is that this isn’t just a “2-3 zone” thing anymore. It’s becoming a man to man thing as well, as Miami has altered back into some of their drop coverage with Bam Adebayo. (Something I’ve been calling for a while now.)

Just take a look what Miami did to Cameron Payne in their win against the Suns:

They aren’t going to obtain this same coverage when a guy like Devin Booker is coming off a ball screen, but they will when it’s an inefficient shooter like Payne or Terry Rozier from the night’s prior.

This is a coverage that the Milwaukee Bucks have fully mastered. Since they have an elite rim protector in Brook Lopez, the ideal weak-side roamer in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and one of the best screen navigators in Jrue Holiday, they basically force one single shot as much as possible.

They shut the water off on threes and shots around the rim, forcing mid-range pull-ups all night.

And well, this is a variation of that.

Whoever is guarding the “Payne-like” handler will fight over the screen to force him downhill. Adebayo’s job is now to contain with a back-pedal, where he’s playing back to cut-off the pass or the full-out drive.

And as you saw when viewing that plethora of clips from last night, they just kept baiting them into the same shot.

You may be wondering, well what if they just begin attacking the rim relentless anyway? Well here’s what happens:

Now let me just reassure you that this isn’t a one game sample size thing. They did it in their two-game set against Charlotte as well, but we were just so focused on the fact that they almost blew the game on a night that flowed into OT.

That extra stuff disguised a major shift that we’re seeing at this moment in time. Just take a look at the shot profile in this two-game set as well:

Guys like Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier were being forced to take shots they didn’t want to. But the bigger point here, Bam Adebayo in drop is just as elite as Bam Adebayo on switches.

Actually he may be more elite.

Yes it’s fun to watch clips of Adebayo clamping up your favorite guard or wing in isolation, but that’s not what makes him arguably the league’s best, and most versatile, defender.

The reason is because he can switch 1 through 5, back-pedal in drop, sit on the bottom box in a 2-3 zone, blitz and recover, or simply rotate at a very high level. Putting all of that stuff together is actually what gives him that label.

When I talked to Jimmy Butler post-game, he gave all of the credit to Bam “back there being an anchor on defense.” He’s the guy that they’re forming this all around, and as seen over the last three games, this shift could really be something that sticks long-term.

 

Video Version Here:

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Suns

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Simply this game was insane. If you like scoring, this was the game for you.

The 4th quarter consisted of the Suns and Heat just matching buckets, but the Heat stayed the course with Butler, Bam, and Lowry all coming up big.

Here are some takeaways…

#1: The Heat getting good bench production early on.

This has been a season for Miami where bench production as a whole isn’t the hottest topic. Although guys like Max Strus have shined when entering and Gabe Vincent has vastly improved, we’re talking about a team that is currently rolling out an 8 man rotation. But well, those three bench guys tonight were heavily responsible for the early offensive push. Vincent had 8 points, 3 assists, and 4 boards in the first half, but the bigger point was his half-court control and paint touches. He was generating great looks against a top tier Suns defense. Duncan Robinson was the recipient of that, knocking down an immediate two triples, while mixing in an in-between floater. Lastly, Dewayne Dedmon even provided some serviceable minutes. They’re not looking for anything special from him, just be neutral before Bam walks back to the scorers table, and did that early on.

#2: A substitution change from Miami.

When documenting certain trends that we see from the Heat, the substitution pattern was one of them tonight. The main thing we’re used to is Jimmy Butler playing the entire first quarter after Bam Adebayo exited first, which just basically means those two are being staggered. Yet tonight, we saw a minor shift. Max Strus and Jimmy Butler exited at the 5 minute mark, as Adebayo anchored that first quarter lineup. Then after 3 minutes, he walked back to the scorers table with Dewayne Dedmon. The only main change there is Butler played 3 stretches in the half instead of the usual two. Will find out more on that adjustment, but stood out for now.

#3: I still believe defensive creativity should be coming.

When talking about the Heat defensively, we’ve seen them withhold the switching structure for years on end. But more importantly, they’ve always had the personnel to actually do it. Now that they lack the size, we continually see smart offensive teams punish Miami down low, as the Suns did with Kyle Lowry on Deandre Ayton. But more big picture, this defense needs to lose the predictability from night to night. They may lack size, but they do obtain versatility. We’re seeing them embrace some of that with the 2-3 zone, but we still need to see more drop coverage from Bam Adebayo than a possession here or there. They will lean offense, but still need to tinker in other piles once in a while. We saw a bit of that with Dewayne Dedmon blitzing in the second half, but Booker and Ayton picked that right apart. (Which had to do with Miami’s rotations for the most part.)

#4: Heat fighting through the random scrub Heat killer trend.

The Heat have this bit where random role players seem to dominate them, but it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen it last. Yet this one came in a massive wave. Duane Washington Jr, who I put out there could’ve been an undrafted option for Miami a season ago, came out on fire. 16 points in about 5 minutes of game-time in that first half. A lot of that can relate back to my last section of defensive lapses, but it’s also just a certain player getting hot at the wrong time. Chris Paul being out meant more playing time for him, while the Heat’s defensive game-plan to start was essentially very Devin Booker driven. Giving him the Joel Embiid treatment with doubles was a sign of respect, but Washington made them pay.

#5: The Heat embraced a certain offensive style in the 4th quarter.

The Suns began to takeover to begin the 4th quarter, appearing to fully pull away. Miami couldn’t get rebounds, stops, and were looking different offensively. By different I mean not slowing things down into the half-court. For a minute there that didn’t look like a good thing. Caleb Martin was forcing on the break, and it looked like Miami ran out of gas. But after a string of stops on the defensive end, Miami was getting out and running. More importantly, with Bam Adebayo having his hands on the steering wheel. He was attacking with purpose, including a big time and-1 to cut the lead to 3 halfway through the 4th. It just kept happening over and over: finally, the Heat were letting Bam just do what he does best. Operating in the open floor with the game in the balance.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hornets

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The Miami Heat played the Charlotte Hornets again on Saturday night, but they had a new face in the fold: LaMelo Ball. Miami coming off an OT win, simultaneously including an unnecessary collapse.

Either way, they came away with a much needed win in this one as well, landing themselves only 1 game under .500. And the way the offense looked, it was a good momentum builder to say the least.

So here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Miami’s opening stint showed off some of their intentional trends.

Before I get to how some of the things transpired in the first 24 minutes of basketball, I want to discuss some of the Heat’s intentional trends walking into this game. The first one was the Bam Adebayo element. They wanted him going at Mason Plumlee in the face-up game in that high to mid post. He can’t move his feet enough to stay with him, and it just unlocks so many things when Miami begins to move and cut like they did. Plus speaking of moving, the real takeaway from the initial game-plan was their pace. They clearly wanted to push in transition a lot more against this team that likes to do the same. It definitely wasn’t sustainable, but some interesting tweaks to keep track of.

#2: Well the defense has some cleaning up to do.

Although the Heat looked pretty crisp offensively to begin this game, it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but the scoreboard kept portraying that buckets were just being matched. The Heat were dipping off weak-side shooters and the Hornets continued to knock down shots. To put in perspective, Charlotte shot 54% from the field in the first half. That’s just tough to deal with mentally. To stray away for a second, that’s the reason I’ve said if a starting lineup shift was to be made, the move is to swap Caleb Martin for Max Strus. If the defense generally hasn’t been up to standards anyways, why not lean all the way into offense with Butler at the 4? It splits the reps of Strus and Robinson, pairs up Martin with his defensive pressure point buddy Gabe Vincent, and gives Miami a different dynamic. But hey, I guess that discussion is for another time.

#3: Aside from specifics, consistency and sustainability are the Heat’s main needs for fixing.

Big picture when looking at the Heat’s first few games of the season, we can discuss a couple different issues that need to change. The starting 4 spot, defensive liability, three-point shooting, etc. But the overarching point is that even when those things do make an appearance, it just can’t be sustained. As I stated in my first takeaway, pace was being pushed. Then it faded. Three-point shooting was there. Then it faded. Assisted field goals were at an incredibly high rate. Then it faded. That doesn’t mean things don’t need to be fixed up from the outside to propel this, but they just need to find a way to stop getting away from the intentional game-plans. If they can find that balance of consistent effort, they would be in a much different spot. Take the third quarter for another example. Getting back to the play-book, they scored 25 points in 5 minutes. That reflects the potential of a high powered offense. Yet once again, you can’t stray from that.

#4: Max Strus continues to do things.

While storylines have been flying surrounding this Heat team to begin the year, we haven’t had the time to truly discuss an internal roster one which is Max Strus. Who has improved the most from season to season? I would give that award to Strus this season, who has been one of their more trusted and consistent players. From hitting big shot after big shot upon entering off the bench to begin the year to the all-around polishing across the board, he’s playing at an exceptional level. We can talk about that “all-around game,” but the bigger point to make is he’s taking his role and exceeding expectations. And that role is three-point shooting. One thing you can bet on: Max Strus is going to get his shot off no matter what, and that’s the type of thing this offense needs.

#5: Some minor mental notes I took from this game: X’s and O’s.

We haven’t had a game in a while where I wasn’t spamming late-game execution in the final takeaway spot, but here we are. Instead, I want to just throw out some mental notes I took from this game on the X’s and O’s side. The first one includes the incredible movement we saw from the offense tonight, but more specifically Jimmy Butler. He’s never really a high usage cutter or mover in this Heat offense, but well, he was tonight. And that is the exact key to making the Tyler Herro starting lineup thing work. The second thing I noticed was more Bam Adebayo in drop. A trend that should not be a momentary thing. It works at a high level with his versatility, without shooting yourself in the foot with a smaller roster. The last thing I fed into a bit already, but this team is better scripted. Like a quarter back on that initial drive, this team operates better with structure. Tyler Herro sometimes makes those problems look smaller when he’s cooking, but staying with the game-plan will be a staple for me all year.

Five Takeaways from the Heat Escaping Charlotte

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The Heat walked into this game against the Hornets really needing one, and it appeared that they’d be getting it.

Except we saw a repeat of the last few games again: falling apart late.

A 13 point lead beginning the fourth went to a Hornets lead to Jimmy Butler dominance to eventual overtime.

They escaped late to come out with the win, so here are my takeaways from this one…

#1: Duncan Robinson with a strong offensive first half.

Duncan Robinson was the leading scorer for the Heat at half, and easily their most intriguing player from that initial 24 minute stint. He had 11 points, and 1 three. Yes I know, that makes you think. With Tyler Herro being ruled out in this game, Max Strus stepped back into the starting lineup meaning one thing: more intentional reps for Robinson in the second unit. Flying off hand-offs and pin-downs is all cool, but turning those into pick and roll reps is what led him to that scoring mark. Blending into 2-on-1’s with Bam Adebayo inside the lane has been a fun development, especially since his in-between game has looked good. He works heavily on that floater, and we’ve seen it come into fruition a bit recently. When he can not only be that offensive punch off the bench, but also the offensive hub, it’s a good sign for the offense.

#2: More inverted pick and rolls.

There are a couple actions that I feel like I discuss more often than others: one being the post splits they run and well, the second being inverted pick and rolls. For starters, it’s the simplest way to try and get Bam Adebayo downhill. Instead of asking for straight isolations, it builds up some momentum for him down either slot as an attacker. But the other element of this involves Jimmy Butler. It isn’t to get him moving downhill like mentioned with Bam. It’s about creating advantages through mismatches when the guard screens. As we saw in the second quarter tonight, Lowry came to screen for Butler, who bursted to the middle of the floor as the defender cut him off. The point to make: he cut him off under the free throw line. Win for Jimmy. He then put him in a footwork blender leading to an and-1 at the rim. With an offense that has felt bland at time early in the year, more of this continues to create advantages for their main guys.

#3: Yes I’m going to do it again: some more thoughts on the 2-3 zone.

Something I harp on a ton when discussing the Heat’s 2-3 zone as of late: shifting the shot profile from the opposing team. It’s one thing for the Damian Lillard’s of the world getting to adjust their shot diet in a game, but when facing a team like Charlotte who routinely has one offensive base, it can really create chaos. Getting back to the basics, the way to beat the 2-3 zone is getting to the middle of the floor one way or another. Off the bounce, entry to the free throw line, etc. But even though the Hornets were executing that early in the game, betting on push shots inside the free throw line to fall consistently is an uneven bet. That’s what makes the zone so effective. My only problem is that we’re seeing them rely on it so heavily this early in the year, meaning teams will be ready for it in no time. But for now, it’s cool to watch.

#4: Jimmy Butler reliance tonight.

Heading into this game without a lot of hype around it, with the Hornets being the third worst offense simultaneously being without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Cody Martin, it was still clear the Miami Heat needed to get this one. And well, Jimmy Butler seemed to want this one. He came out defensively in a way where you know he’s locked in, but as I stated earlier, he was just putting on a footwork display inside the arc. His attacking was evident as he got to the line 12 times through the first 3 quarters, while acquiring 8 boards and 7 assists in the same span. When talking about energy, I do believe Jimmy Butler being locked in means others will follow closely. You don’t necessarily want him hitting the deck time and time again to get to the line against a bad team in Charlotte, but well, Miami needed him doing just that in a close game in the 4th. Isolation, low post, spin moves, buckets. We saw it all in this one. Should we have seen it all in this one though? Probably not.

#5: The continuation of late slippage.

As the Heat walked into the fourth quarter with a 13 point lead, it was certain they couldn’t do it again…to this Hornets team. With Butler playing the entire third, they can close it out early to give some of these guys rest. But well, the inevitable happened again. A 13 point lead turned into a 3 point lead in two and a half minutes. When trying to be in that elite tier of NBA teams, there just can’t be this seesaw of play and leads. Both sides of the floor once again turned off, as the Hornets began to turn up. When Butler is asked to re-enter into the game with 8 minutes left in the fourth in a game like this, there’s a problem. A big problem. Luckily he began bailing them out late in this game as I mentioned previously, getting them across the regulation finish line and into overtime. Miami somehow survived overtime with things going their way. It’s good they got the win, but far from a good win. This wasn’t a positive thing to see.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Blazers

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The Miami Heat played the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, and they played well for a major portion.

But well, that doesn’t seem to matter.

Late in the game, they fell apart on offense, while going away from the zone defensively.

They let this one slip away. Anyway, here are some of the takeaways…(some leaning into the early stages)

#1: A pull-up 3 point display against Portland’s drop.

The Miami Heat were 10 of 22 from three in the first half tonight, but that on the surface just doesn’t tell the full story. Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, and Duncan Robinson all had 3 a piece, but with the exception of Robinson, almost all of these shots were pull-ups. High pick and roll, dropping Jusuf Nurkic, that’s usually a formula for Tyler Herro to dissect. Yet tonight, Lowry and Vincent picked up in that department, both taking them in transition and the half-court. Miami shooting this well from three-point land is always a good sign of offense and ball movement, which was the case early in this one, but I mainly direct the credit to a nod in the schematic department, as these guys knew coming in: that shot will be sitting there for me.

#2: The 2-3 zone just keeps on pushing forward.

I feel like I land on this topic many nights, and maybe it’s nothing new since it’s becoming one of their base coverages, but I just can’t skip over what we’re seeing there. After most buckets in the second quarter, I was on Erik Spoelstra rotator cuff since he’d abruptly throw up the number 2’s in the air at the unit on the floor, meaning he wanted them to settle into that 2-3 press. The thing about that zone in this match-up is it messes up Portland’s usual gameplan. They’re 29th in 3 point attempts this year, which is essentially what that zone tends to give up. And the threes they’re used to are high PnR pull-ups from both Lillard and Simons. That zone mucked things up for a while there, and guys like Strus and Robinson deserve a ton of credit. We know what Martin and Vincent are doing at the top, but those bottom box guys being in correct positioning allows it not to bend. There is some real comfort in this coverage.

#3 Gabe Vincent deserves some words.

Although I touched on the overall shooting of this group and Vincent being a part of that, the specifics need to be discussed. He’s just been super stable in his role this year, which consistently includes heavy fourth quarter minutes. The way he can wreck havoc on elite guards on the perimeter is a gift in its own, but when he catches a rhythm offensively, he’s a tough player to keep off the floor. The pull-up three was falling, but he’s generating paint touches, feeding to rollers, and playing much slower than his past seasons. Another thing to note is he’s playing in some heavy creation lineups, which means his off-ball control is crucial. And while the spot-up three hasn’t been as elite as you’d want, he has still been a pressure point. Vincent is a back-up point guard right now, but starts are coming with Lowry’s rest days soon to come. And I know many are comfortable in him there, just as he did in the playoffs last year.

#4: We know this Heat team can force turnovers, but they’re turning the page on capitalizing off them.

As I talked about previously with their zone, plus Jimmy Butler’s passing lane masterclass on a nightly basis, it’s pretty obvious that this is a team that can force turnovers even considering being smaller. But the issue so far this year has been scoring off of those turnovers. They’ve never been a team that runs in transition too often, but it’s almost necessary when looking at the lineups they’re running of smaller/quicker guys. In this game, they were moving the ball extremely well in general, but that proved to be the case even more-so in transition to cash in on some easy buckets. If they can try and convert on this consistently, it makes things so much easier in their half-court creation.

#5: Ball movement and taking care of the rock early? Yes. Consistently carrying into late-game? Well, no.

With the ball movement looking as crisp as we’ve seen it tonight against Portland, I already know conversations are brewing surrounding Tyler Herro. Yet while I believe off-ball Herro movement is essential for this group, I’m not a part of that group of thinking. This formula transcends personnel. When this team gets paint touches on-ball, moves a ton off-ball, and takes care of the rock, this will be a familiar result. Turnovers are killer for this group, which always tend to follow heavy ball movement squads. Yet when you have a night to get the best of both worlds, it’s a great development for this team’s offensive trends. The only issue is consistency, which always feels to be the case. While all of that was true for 42 minutes, it stalled in the last 6. Portland fought back as Miami wasn’t generating the same looks. Simply, a major problem. The shot profile can’t be this flip-flopped depending on the time on the clock. While I hit on positives throughout this game, this takeaway of consistency is by far the biggest.