Tag Archive for: Serge Ibaka

Voting on the Miami Heat’s Off-Season Possibilities

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In honor of Election Day today, I thought I’d vote on some free agent and draft options for the Miami Heat. Here are the most ideal and realistic pick ups for Miami.

Oh and by the way, make sure to go out and vote….

Most Ideal Free Agent Option:

Serge Ibaka

This one seems fairly obvious in my opinion. For starters, I believe if we are talking about the most ideal guy for Miami to grab, it would be a guy that can play next to Bam, while protecting the rim and grabbing boards.

And well, that’s exactly what Ibaka does. Something I mentioned in my piece a few weeks ago on Ibaka is that he has great offensive awareness through his spacing. He usually finds himself on the baseline right outside the paint, waiting for that dump-off pass or an offensive rebound.

He also always finds himself in the post, since that’s where he does most of his damage. And as I’ve mentioned before, a guy that thrives with his back to the basket is very important since that is not Bam’s game.

This signing may be a long shot for Miami, especially since there’s a good shot Marc Gasol will be out of Toronto. But with Miami, there’s always a possibility.

Most Realistic Free Agent Option:

Wesley Matthews

Wesley Matthews not only is the most realistic free agent for this Heat team, but it also makes a lot of sense.

For one, it’s a very cheap option since Miami would be giving him the mid-level exception. But for the basketball side of things, he gives Miami exactly what they’re missing at the guard position.

It has been fairly obvious that Miami needs a guard defender on this team, but with Matthews you’d be getting much more than that. He’s also a guy that is very capable of getting hot from deep. Some of the defensive guards that have been discussed in the past for Miami have offensive limitations, which means Wes has a decent advantage over those guys.

The fit is clearly there, but more importantly it’s a very possible option. They even have an opportunity to split the mid-level exception between Wes Matthews and another veteran like Paul Millsap.

We’ll see how it plays out, but keep your eyes open for this pick-up.

Most Ideal Draft Option:

Tyrese Maxey

The NBA draft this season will definitely be like no other. For starters, there is absolutely no consensus on who will be getting picked where, since mock drafts seem to be all over the place.

Tyrese Maxey has bounced around between late lottery and early twenties, which means Miami at least has a shot. And well, he’s a Kentucky Wildcat.

If Miami was to draft a guard, it would have to be one who is capable of holding their own on the defensive end. Tyrese Maxey gives them exactly that, and a ton of upside on offense. He’s showed that he can clearly score the ball from just about anywhere, which Miami could definitely try and tweak some efficiency things.

It also seems a little similar to Miami’s draft pick last year…

These two guys had the exact same stats for the same college at the same position. And after the last pick worked out so well, why not try it again?

Most Realistic Draft Option:

Daniel Oturu

Although I believe Miami would definitely pick Maxey if he fell to them, a big man may be the better option.

A bunch of bigs have been discussed, since most all seem to be falling in that early 20 range, but Daniel Oturu seems to stand out the most in my opinion.

I believe he has a mixture of all the other bigs that will be considered, including Jalen Smith’s shooting, Zeke Nnaji’s motor, and Vernon Carey’s feel around the rim.

He gives Miami the shot-blocking rebounder that they’re looking for, who also has the ability to stretch the floor next to Bam Adebayo. Although it’s clear a bunch of big guys will get consideration, Daniel Oturu seems to fit this Heat team the best.

 

(And once again, make sure to go out and vote.)

#BugBrady: Taking Your Miami Heat Questions #2

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Honestly, if we’re talking about realistic possibilities, I would like to see a Jae Crowder re-signing more than anything. Obviously there is hope that Miami can throw him a big one year deal and try to get someone else, but in my opinion that should be priority.

We can discuss possible fits next to Bam Adebayo, mostly since there is a need for a rebounding big, but Jae had a pretty great run at the 4 next to Bam in the Bubble. If you take a look back, he had an amazing stretch shooting the ball, which was not something expected when Miami brought him here originally. He had some cold stretches towards the end of the run, but he kept that hot streak going longer than many expected.

His defensive presence was also known upon arrival, but he was given a much bigger defensive role throughout the playoffs. He had to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo for most of the Milwaukee series, and held his own against Jayson Tatum. And when he was asked to guard opposing bigs on the Lakers, he did that as well.

Miami could really use Jae Crowder next season, and it’s a pretty realistic signing.

You mentioned it right there, Serge Ibaka is the most ideal signing. I’ve mentioned in the past that I don’t think there’s a better player to put next to Bam than Serge Ibaka. He’s everything you’d want, since he can rebound, protect the rim, and space the floor.

And when I say space the floor, I don’t just mean that he can shoot the three ball, which he can. I really mean that he has a great feel for the game, that he knows where to position himself offensively to find dead spots. It helps that he played with a dynamic Toronto Raptors team, so he had to get out of others way. He likes to position himself on the baseline right outside of the paint, since he can be a disruption on the glass. This would allow Bam to work in his favorite spots, mostly at the free throw line extended.

He also brings another element to their offense, which is a solid post-up game. Bam and Ibaka have such opposite playing styles, that I truly believe that big-man duo would work perfectly.

If Miami has a chance to grab Serge Ibaka, they will jump at it as fast as possible.

Well, I don’t know about significant, but I do believe that KZ Okpala could find himself a solid bench role.

Duncan Robinson bounced back and forth from the G-League to the Heat team all of his rookie year, much like KZ has. And look where he is now. This gave Duncan an entire season and off-season to be fully ready to make an immediate impact.

It seems like that’s the way they’re heading with KZ Okpala, especially since there’s a good chance Derrick Jones Jr won’t be in Miami next season. They are hoping he can take the role of DJJ, just younger and cheaper.

He showed during the season that he is an energetic defensive guy, and many believe his offensive package is evolving more and more.

Once again, I don’t know about significant impact, but I do believe he has a role next season off of Miami’s bench.

Is Serge Ibaka the Best Big Man Option For This Heat Team?

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There are a bunch of possible options for Miami to take a look at in free agency, when discussing possible big men to pair with Bam Adebayo. And the more you look into it, the more Serge Ibaka makes sense.

It truly seems as if all of Serge’s strengths are the things that can help Bam out. For one, Serge has a very respectable three ball, which gives Bam the spacing that he needs. He’s also a great offensive rebounder and shot blocker, which are two things that would be great to take a bit of weight off of Bam’s shoulders. And third, he’s a player that thrives with his back to the basket, which is obviously the opposite of what Bam likes to do.

Bam also fills a bunch of holes in Ibaka’s game, most importantly the play-making side of things. He hasn’t been the best play-maker throughout his career, and it’s clear with Bam that’s not an issue.

Serge Ibaka ran most of his offense through the pick and roll in Toronto this season, but he had some of his most inefficient numbers through that. And since Bam is one of the league’s best screen setters, that’s also not an issue.

Either way, let’s take a deeper look at how he helps Miami right now.

Spacing

The spacing on the floor is what stands out most when discussing Serge, since he can stretch the floor and allow Bam to run the offense from the elbow. One of the main reasons the starting lineup with Meyers Leonard worked so well was that the offense ran so fluid due to spacing. So imagine replacing Meyers Leonard with the same type of floor spacer, but who can rebound and defend.

The spacing does not just improve because Serge can shoot the three ball, it’s also because he has a great feel for the game. He knows how to find dead-spots in the offense, usually right outside of the paint on the baseline. This spacing once again means that Bam can continue to utilize his spots at the free thow line, with the option of dishing it low to Ibaka for a layup.

His touch around the rim allows him to utilize his floater in the paint area, which is something he usually goes to off of the pick and roll. All of these things just show that he can really help their offensive flow, which isn’t even the reason for adding him to the team.

Offensive Rebounding

Serge definitely brings rebounding on the defensive end as well, but the offensive rebounds stand out more. He’s one of the best bigs in the league with put-backs and activity around the rim. That’s also a game changer when thinking about the Los Angeles Lakers match-up in the finals when offensive rebounding was an issue. If you had Serge on the floor, that might’ve forced Dwight Howard to play more minutes, which would’ve been beneficiary for Miami.

One of the major keys as well when discussing rebounders is giving their team extra possessions. One way to do that is by being able to utilize tap outs. Serge is very crafty with doing that, which consequently allowed Toronto many extra possessions.

And most of the time when he would grab an offensive rebound or attempt a put-back, he’d end up at the free throw line. Getting opposing bigs in foul trouble could become crucial, due to the fact that Miami would have a major height advantage with these two talented bigs.

Post-Ups

As mentioned before, Bam does not feel comfortable with his back to the basket. And well, Serge Ibaka is a terrific post-player who likes to play physical. And it’s clear that Miami likes players who play physical. I believe Miami could run a lot of things through him in the post when Bam Adebayo is on the bench.

And as mentioned previously, he wasn’t great this year off the pick and roll. But something I noticed down the stretch of the season, is that he would dribble the ball once and get into post position every time after rolling to the basket. That’s because he has the ability to get to his spots that he feels comfortable. This led to the pick and roll becoming much more efficient.

This gives Miami’s play-makers a bunch of options between their bigs on pick and rolls. Bam can be the threat above the rim, while Serge can be the outside threat who can also get to his spot on the box.

Rim Protection

Serge may not be the same rim protector that he once was, but he’d still be a huge factor. Sometimes a rim protector shouldn’t be labeled as a guy who gets blocks, but instead a guy who forces misses around the rim. And that’s exactly what he does, since he’s very comfortable when defending around the rim. This also allows Bam to play even more perimeter defense, which is another positive aspect.

It would also be interesting to see how the zone defense would work with these two, because I believe that would be an absolute problem for opposing offenses. Bam continuing to run across the floor per usual when in the zone, but not having to worry about the paint as much. Serge also has the ability to be mobile when in the zone, which is something that could definitely be useful.

All of these things are just extra proponents of why this Serge Ibaka signing would be so great for Miami. Although there are a bunch of options, none of them seem to have the ability to fit in immediately on both sides of the floor. He’s clearly a Miami Heat type player, who knows what it takes to win.

If Miami could pull off this signing, this Heat team would be an absolute problem for opposing teams in the East this upcoming season.