Tag Archive for: Tyler Herro

5 Takeaways from Miami’s Win Over Washington

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The Miami Heat played a short-handed Washington Wizards team on Saturday night, and came away with the win. The Miami Heat looked pretty sharp offensively throughout, which clearly won them this game. Here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Miami comes out on fire offensively, but invisible defensively.

The Miami Heat set a franchise first quarter record tonight, scoring 47 points on 78% shooting. Only issue was that Washington put up 44 points as well in that first quarter. As much as we can discuss Miami’s impressive shooting early, the defense is what truly needs to be keyed in on. The reason for that is because you’re playing a team without their two best players, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. A lack of individual efforts on defense was obvious, since there seemed to be a lack of urgency. That is not surprising, since that is what usually happens when going into a game against a team without their top players. It comes down to intensity on that end of the floor, and they didn’t have it early in this game.

#2: Kelly Olynyk having one of those Kelly Olynyk like games.

In Miami’s impressive first quarter scoring display, Kelly Olynyk was one of the players that truly shined. It is known that Kelly is capable of having those type of shooting games, but it just come down to consistency. Tonight was one of those games though, where he just couldn’t miss from deep. He also used his nightly fake hand-off, which usually ends up with an open layup at the rim. It was especially needed for Kelly Olynyk to have this type of performance tonight, since Bam Adebayo and Precious Achiuwa each had three early fouls. Obviously nothing can be replicated on defense or by rebounding, but the offensive boost was a huge positive for this team.

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#3: Goran Dragic getting back to his normal shooting abilities.

Goran Dragic, surprisingly, hasn’t been shooting the ball great to begin the year. Heading into this game, he was shooting 25% from beyond the arc. But he came out in the first quarter going 4 for 4 from three, which i discussed before the game since Washington’s lackluster defense can give those types of guys the rhythm they’ve been looking for. Those 4 triples were his only scores in the first half, and actually his only four attempts, but he used his passing to create for others on offense. The defense began to fly high, which led to him dribbling right by for a kick to the opposite wing or corner for a three. And that right there is the Goran Dragic effect.

#4: Tyler Herro showcases his great touch around the rim.

Tyler Herro was scoring the ball well tonight against the Wizards, mostly by attacking the basket with the ball in his hands. He seems to have great touch around the rim when using the basket, almost Goran-like, and showed his aggressiveness to get to the rim. He also cuts off the ball quite a lot, and against a defense like Washington, he found himself open a few times. And once he begins to get his scoring going, his play-making begins to look better and better. Not only did he score the ball well tonight, but he scored it efficiently, and that’s more important than anything.

#5: Jimmy Butler’s offensive initiative was this Heat team’s staple.

Although many of Miami’s players exploded on offense in that first quarter, nobody scored the ball as consistently as Jimmy Butler did tonight. He clearly could score the ball at will tonight against this poor Washington defense, and chose to do just that throughout the game. He probably could’ve done it a lot more, but that’s just not Jimmy’s game. Well, unless he’s in the finals. I’m pretty sure everybody is aware that Jimmy is more than capable of taking over on offense when needed, but if there was uncertainty, tonight should’ve cleared that up. Once again, there’s not much to takeaway when it’s against a team you’re supposed to beat, but Butler can do exactly that against pretty much anybody.

How Can Miami’s Game Against Washington Be the Big Turn-Around?

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One of the biggest issues for Miami has been the lack of getting a good amount of shot attempts up, which turnovers and rebounding have played into that.

Miami currently ranking 26th in the NBA in points per game mirrors that statement as well.

But how cam Miami turn things around in their match-up with Washington?

Although we can dive into things Miami can do better, looking sharper on offense will be the spark for everything else. And since Washington’s defense is known to not be very good, the Heat can use this game to get into a rhythm.

When the players spoke with media on Friday afternoon, there seemed to be a mutual statement and feeling towards the importance of this road trip. Tyler Herro even mentioned looking back at it later in the season, since it can be the turning point.

Tyler Herro is also the name that can benefit from this game tomorrow. He has taken major accountability for Miami’s struggles, saying “Everything is on me.” But I’m not so sure it’s all on him.

Many can point to his offensive struggles thus far, but he’s actually averaging the same exact numbers he put up in his rookie season, just with a bit better field goal percentage. Now, of course those numbers should be up since it’s supposed to be his second year breakout, but they’re only seven games in. He will begin to find a rhythm offensively, which can ultimately be a huge plus for this team.

His three point shooting has not been ideal this far especially, since he is currently shooting 30% from three. And even with Goran Dragic’s hot start, he is shooting 25% from beyond the arc up to this point.

Lastly, many figured Bam Adebayo would take a leap in aggressiveness and initiative to begin the season, but that hasn’t happened as much as many would’ve liked as well.

It’s a combination of a bunch of guys across the board that have contributed to Miami’s struggles, but each of them can look to benefit in this road trip, starting with the Washington Wizards.

Miami should be able to explode offensively on Saturday night, which would be even better due to the fact that they can rest for the following night against Boston.

And once offense begins to generate on this Heat team, that will make their other issues much less noticeable.

If they come out with the mindset of just getting the ball up when they have an opportunity, rhythm will begin to form.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Tough Loss to Mavericks

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The Miami Heat had an offensive night like no other, losing to the Dallas Mavericks. Shots weren’t falling, rhythm wasn’t forming, and nothing could go right. Although there only seems to be one overall takeaway from this game, here are five…

#1: Miami Heat or Miami Cold?

Well, it’s obvious that this would be the first takeaway from this game, since the Miami Heat did not hit one three in the first half. It seems as if the troubles change every game. It went from turnover issues to offensive issues, which I will say I definitely did not expect. Goran Dragic has been a guy that has helped Miami when they begin to struggle offensively, and not even he could save them in that first half. It’s not everyday you see Duncan Robinson shoot 5 threes in a half and not make a single one. Ball movement is probably one of the main points you can look to, since they had 4 assists in the first half. So, it was clearly the Miami Cold in the first half, or better yet the entire game.

#2: Tyler Herro comes out under control offensively, back into his role.

As discussed previously, Miami could not get any shots to fall early in the game, except for Tyler Herro. He continues to look like the Tyler Herro that we all know. One who is confident in his game and looks to score first when he has the ball in his hands. He looked good off of the pick and roll, specifically when Precious Achiuwa was setting the pick. He knows he can utilize the pull-up mid-range, but he also threw a nice lob to Precious under the goal, which may have been Miami’s first offensive spark. A second year Tyler Herro, who struggled in his first game or two, being the rock of their offense in a game like this is a very positive sign.

#3: Although the struggles were clear, Bam Adebayo gave it his all from the jump.

Now, there’s obviously not much to point to statistically in that first half performance, but Bam Adebayo definitely stood out when watching. He was playing with a level of energy that was needed in this type of game. That mostly was visible in his ability to run the floor once he grabbed the ball off the rim. He also knocked down some mid-range jumpers, and it seems as if every one of these takeaway pieces includes an improved jumper from the past game. Bam being the source of energy and offense in a game where Jimmy Butler returned is interesting, but it’s also promising for their young centerpiece.

#4: Precious Achiuwa looks good once again, while it seems as if the KZ Okpala unleashing is ways away.

Precious Achiuwa and KZ Okpala seem to get linked together quite a lot, since they were two of Miami’s most intriguing young projects heading into the season. And well, not many would’ve expected the rookie to get the edge. Precious played very well tonight once again, since as I’ve mentioned, he knows how to play to his own role without straying off. He set good screens, played good defense, active around the boards, and lurked around the rim for lobs. And in a game where Miami trailed for most of it, and were looking for some type of spark, KZ Okpala was never inserted. He may still need some time to grow and put his entire package together, and the key word there is “time.” If he isn’t getting any run in a game like this, it doesn’t seem like he will have a set role in the rotation any time soon.

#5: Jimmy Butler doesn’t appear to look like himself.

Jimmy Butler returned to play tonight after missing the past two games, but he clearly wasn’t himself. He didn’t have it going offensively, and more importantly he didn’t seem to have that same energy that we’re used to seeing with Jimmy. Now, you can categorize it as a bit of rust after taking some time off with the ankle, but I would expect more initiative from the team’s leader when the team struggles this way. When speaking about him offensively, he just had no rhythm at all and did not seem to get off of his feet much, but I guess the entire team didn’t have any offensive rhythm as well. Either way, it was a poor performance from Miami in this game, and the team’s best player and leader will always get looked at first, especially since he was 0-6 from the field. And I’m sure he will take accountability, but he just needs to be Jimmy for this team to strive.

The Real Reason Tyler Herro Shined Against Milwaukee

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Twenty-One points. Fifteen rebounds. Four assists.

That is what Tyler Herro put up on the second night of a back to back against Milwaukee.

It’s a known fact that the overall game of Tyler revolves solely around the self confidence he has in his scoring ability with the ball in his hands.

Although the big discussion as of late has been about his point guard skills, scoring is his natural ability, and he needs to play to his biggest strength.

We already know Tyler can score the ball like he did last night, but the biggest takeaway from that game was the exact spots and times he thrives as a play-maker.

He’s just not a natural point guard, which means he’s not the type of player that comes out the gate trying to get everybody in their spots. When the passing begins to be on display is when he gets into a rhythm with his scoring.

When the ball begins to go into the basket, his confidence rises. His body language tells you that automatically, since he begins to be on his toes a bit more, and has a burst of energy.

Now, another thing with his play-making is that he thrives as a passer on the fast-break or from full-court, more than he does in the half-court offense, as I mentioned during the game yesterday.

But why is that?

Well, it just plainly comes down to instinctive decisions. When he makes passes when running the break or from full-court, he just does it without thinking. But when he has the ball in his hands in the half-court trying to create for others, it seems as if he overthinks things at times.

As Tyler said after last night’s win, “I don’t think it has anything to do with point guard or shooting guard.” It just comes down to his primary mindset heading in to be a scoring one, and the passing will bounce off of that.

Erik Spoelstra seems to be putting Tyler Herro in these unique spots to test his limits, and see what he is truly capable of growing into. But now it seems as if he has realized that everything else is secondary.

Miami has a bunch of defensive guys on this roster who can rattle an opposing offense, but Tyler will be needed to take the reigns of the offense and do what he does best, which is putting the ball in the basket.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Victory over Bucks

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The Miami Heat came out in the second night of a back to back against Milwaukee with a purpose. The Heat went from being offensively dominated in yesterday’s game, to utilizing their defensive grittiness with their unique lineups. A couple players shined with Jimmy Butler out, but here are five takeaways from this game….

#1: Turnovers strike early once again, but intensity balances it out.

One of the biggest issues early in yesterday’s game against Milwaukee was turnovers. The same thing happened tonight, except the intensity Miami brought on the defensive end kept them in it. The Bucks had trouble capitalizing on those turnovers since Miami made them play in a half court offense since they love to run. Miami’s defensive starting trio, Bam Adebayo, Avery Bradley, and Andre Iguodala, made this into a gritty defensive game, which plays into Miami’s favor. The turnover issue obviously means some are being careless with the ball, but it seems inevitable on a position-less team. Tyler Herro is still trying to get adjusted to that position, while Bam Adebayo had to take a leap in his offensive load. It was bound to happen, but it needs to be cleaned up quick.

#2: Bam Adebayo begins to play like Bam Adebayo.

After some interesting comments that began to loom about Bam Adebayo on the first night of the back to back, Bam came out with a purpose. For one, he attempted 7 shots in yesterday’s game, but attempted 9 shots in the first half tonight. And that’s all people can ask for. More importantly, he played to his role much better than the night prior, bringing much more intensity on both ends. Although we can discuss the capabilities Bam has in his arsenal, right now he has a certain role that he plays to, and the team needs him to play to. They are very capable of winning basketball games in that fashion, but Jimmy Butler being out makes that a bit harder. But increased shot attempts and offensive aggression is all you can ask for at the moment.

#3: Andre Iguodala and Avery Bradley starting insertions cause defensive disruption.

It was expected that the starting lineup would change after Milwaukee got off to a 12-0 run in last night’s game. They decided to insert Avery Bradley and Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, and it was very effective. I’ve mentioned quite a few times in the past that Avery and Andre seem to play very well on the floor together on the defensive end, since both are high IQ defenders who are huge disruptions with their hands. And after an NBA record shooting the basketball from the Milwaukee Bucks, it was clear defense would be a priority. It’s also a huge positive going forward, since most effective lineups for Miami have to include either Jimmy Butler or Goran Dragic. But finding a lineup that can make some noise, while Goran and Jimmy can rest, will end up being very useful for Miami.

#4: Goran Dragic picks up the offensive load once again.

I expected that Goran Dragic would need to pick up the slack from Jimmy Butler on the offensive end, since losing a veteran that attacks the basket is pretty huge. And after getting some time off in yesterday’s blowout, it was obvious he’d be out on the court for quite some time. It’s continually mentioned that Goran always finds a way to get Miami out of their tough spots, and he battled to do it once again. As discussed prior, turnovers were an issue early in this game, so having Goran take control of the offense was essential. Same thing occurred in the beginning of the second half, since Dragic checked in and got right to work. Some big time triples early in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker as well. Not many expected Goran to have this much of a load this early in the season, but it seems necessary for this team at the moment.

#5: Tyler Herro shines with an impressive overall stat-line.

There’s one overall takeaway from Tyler Herro’s performance in tonight’s game: He played like Tyler Herro. At times in the first few games, he seemed uncomfortable with his new role, since it obviously takes time to get acclimated. But is it about getting acclimated or playing to his strengths? In my opinion, he just needs to do what he does best which is score the basketball in a confident manner. You can just tell when he begins to get into a rhythm offensively, and that is when his play-making abilities begin to shine. There’s a reason he seems to be a better play-maker on the break than in the half-court. And that’s because his passes are instinctive on the break. Everybody is aware that Tyler is a completely different player when playing with confidence, so his indecisiveness will need to fade away for him to thrive.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Blowout Loss to Milwaukee

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It was clearly a tough night for the Miami Heat, in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on the first night of a back to back. The Milwaukee Bucks were scorching on the offensive side of the ball all night, but Miami obviously have some things that need to be touched up as well. Either way, here are five takeaways…

#1: Early turnovers occur for Miami, which is problematic against Milwaukee especially.

It’s no secret that Miami played pretty poorly early in this game against Milwaukee, and one thing the Bucks do is take advantage of your mistakes. Well, that’s exactly what they did, getting out to a 12-0 lead to begin the game. Milwaukee loves to run the floor, and when turnovers begin to occur carelessly, that is what they will automatically begin to do. Now, not having Jimmy Butler plays a huge role in turnover issues, due to losing a primary play-maker, but there’s still no excuse for sloppy basketball. Luckily, Miami gets to hit the floor against the same team, in the same building, tomorrow night, and it’s clear that Erik Spoelstra will be ready to make adjustments.

#2: Tyler Herro gets into an offensive rhythm, which may be only positive from this game.

If there was anything good to takeaway from this game, it was that Tyler Herro finally looked like Tyler Herro. He seemed to lack a bit of confidence in his overall offensive game in the first two regular season games, which is unusual for Tyler. One thing I’ve mentioned is that it’ll take some time for him to get acclimated to his role in the starting lineup, and it still may take a little bit longer. But getting his shooting and scoring going was a huge step. It seemed that he was unsure if he wanted to pass or shoot at times to begin the season, but he just needs to play to his natural talent which is scoring the basketball. All he needed was one performance like this to get him rolling, which is why this is the positive takeaway from this game.

#3: Bam Adebayo lacks initiative on offense, mostly with reluctant jumper.

It’s very different discussing Bam Adebayo after a game in a type of negative connotation, but he just plainly was not himself. In a game that Jimmy Butler wasn’t playing, it was going to be essential that he took initiative on offense to not just direct traffic with his passing, but also scoring the ball. He had plenty of open mid-range jumpers early in the game, but he just refused to even look toward the basket at times. It feels as if people have been saying this for quite some time now, but it just comes down to confidence with his jumper. I expected him to attack the basket early in the game, but that did not occur either. But as I mentioned previously, Miami will face off against Milwaukee in a little less than 24 hours, and I’m sure we will see a much more aggressive Bam tomorrow.

#4: Avery Bradley looks impressive on both ends once again.

Although there aren’t many positives from this blowout loss to Milwaukee, I can’t let Avery Bradley’s individual performance go unnoticed. He played for the first time with the Miami Heat on Christmas Day, and was a big reason for their win over the Pelicans after shutting down JJ Redick. But once again, Avery showed flashes throughout that he can make some noise with one-on-one defense by beating over screens and things of that nature. He also didn’t look too bad offensively, showing that he has the ability to knock down the three, as well as get to the mid-range area and utilize his floater. It’s hard to discuss him shining on both ends in a game where they’re trailing by 30 for most of the night, but just know Avery will win Miami some games throughout this season.

#5: The importance of Jimmy Butler shines tonight.

One broad takeaway from this game against Milwaukee was that the impact of Jimmy Butler is greater than you may have thought. Everybody knows what Jimmy does for this team, but just his presence on the floor is impact alone. As I mentioned before, losing his play-making tonight plays a huge role in this game. One example is Duncan Robinson, since it’s clear that Jimmy’s ability to attack the basket allows Duncan to get some room on the perimeter. The same goes for everybody on the floor though, since the entire team is just much more comfortable when Jimmy is on the floor. But as the players have said in their press conferences, it is next man up. It just comes down to that next man playing Miami Heat basketball.

Tyler Herro’s Season Opener: A Quick Preview

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The Miami Heat begin their season tonight against the Orlando Magic, which is why I thought I’d discuss Tyler Herro in a basketball manner.

For the last few weeks, his name has only seemed to come up when discussing possible deals for James Harden, but now it’s time to think impact when hearing his name.

After a very unique rookie year, he will be starting his second season tonight, which is odd since it feels he has been in the league for like 4 years.

The reason I’m bringing up Tyler heading into this game is because he will look very different tonight then he did in the preseason. He played very good in both games, with limited minutes, but now the leap will be made.

He continues to show these flashes, but hitting the floor tonight with Jimmy Butler once again means we get to see a more polished Herro from the preseason.

This game tonight will be a quick preview of what we should expect for the rest of the season. Will we see a scoring mindset from Tyler tonight or an eagerness to show off his improved point guard skills?

Well, there’s a chance we may see both, but ultimately the passing will come after the scoring gets going. Although Bam Adebayo is the entire offense, the keys will be handed to Tyler Herro for him to do what he does best: Put the ball in the bucket.

And as I’ve mentioned with Jimmy and Bam in the past, Butler will be in Tyler’s ear to continue to shoot and attack as much as possible.

Coach Spo won’t be afraid to utilize him in a bunch of lineups tonight, but one of them will most likely be in the starting lineup at the point guard position.

Tyler Herro is a very intriguing name heading into the season, mostly since it doesn’t seem like he will be hitting a wall anytime soon with the amount of confidence he has. And the work he has put in behind the scenes will be on full display tonight, once again, as a preview of the future.

Miami Heat: The Beard or The Bunch

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James Harden.

That’s a name that has been flying across the league after his eagerness to find a new home became public. And obviously, this was reported by ClutchAdamNBA from Five Reasons Sports a while back, which included the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Miami Heat.

Now, the reason I haven’t discussed it much is because even though there was interest there, and active discussions going on, it just honestly felt like a waste of time to discuss at the current moment with the pieces that were going to need to be thrown in.

The issue I had with the trade had nothing to do with James Harden, clearly. And it had nothing to do with including Tyler Herro in a trade for a top 7 player in the NBA. Instead, the issue I had was trading away the entire house.

And clearly Miami feels the same way.

Does it seem like a viable option to trade away four shiny, young, and improving pieces away? It always makes sense to trade away assets for the star, but not four.

Having to include Precious Achiuwa, who just had the best day of training camp thus far.

Having to trade away KZ Okpala, who just scored 24 points in a preseason game while getting thrown into the fire.

Giving up Duncan Robinson, who just had one of the best individual seasons shooting the basketball in NBA history.

And of course Tyler Herro, who is an improving young prosepct in which Miami is already ready to hand the offensive keys to.

That’s a lot. A whole lot.

And once again, this doesn’t mean that they won’t ever come back to this James Harden situation, but just not for that asking price.

The beard or the bunch. Miami tested the waters for the beard, knowing that they always had the bunch to fall back on. And well, it’s a solid bunch.

Although it seems as if most people are more worried about trades than actual basketball, the Miami Heat have been “locked in,” as Jimmy Butler said today.

We will see how this plays out, but as I’ve discussed many times, it’s a win-win situation for Miami. And now they’re almost ready to kick off their season in 48 hours.

5 Things to Expect in Heat’s Second Preseason Game

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The Miami Heat will be playing against the Toronto Raptors in their second and last preseason game. Now that they got a look at the raw talent of their young guys, there are now new expectations. Here are five things to expect tonight…

1. Goran Dragic getting some minutes, most coming with Avery Bradley.

Goran Dragic mentioned yesterday that he’s going to play tonight a bit, which most likely won’t be much. It’ll be good to see the exact level that his health is at currently, but if he’s playing in a preseason game, my guess is he’s fine. In those limited minutes tonight, I’d bet that Avery Bradley lines up next to him in most or even all of his minutes. For one, it’ll be interesting to see how Avery looks next to Goran, especially since we know how Goran plays next to the other guards. They will also be coming off the bench this year together most likely, which makes me think Spo throws that lineup out there. We will see what he does with these two tonight, but as I mentioned, the most important thing is the evaluation of Goran Dragic.

2. The young guys game-to-game adjustments.

As I’ve mentioned lately, I expect some adjustments to be made involving KZ Okpala and Precious Achiuwa. KZ Okpala seems to need a bit more confidence in his game right now, since he was reluctant in the first preseason game. If he tries to be involved a bit more offensively by attacking the basket, it would be huge for him. Precious Achiuwa, on the other hand, just needs to improve on the small aspects of the game, involving dribble hand-offs and picks and rolls. After him watching a bit of film, I think we see him begin to set some good, hard screens on the pick and roll, while giving better hand-offs. This is something the coaching staff definitely brought up heading into tonight’s game, which is why I’m interested to see if he fixes it right away.

3. A Kendrick Nunn possible bounce back.

I expected a better first game performance from Kendrick Nunn on Monday night, mostly since he’s the one guy whose role is unknown. After his struggles in the bubble, he needs to show people once again that he can make an impact on this team. One thing I noticed on Monday was that spacing was a bit of an issue when he was on the floor. And after some missed opportunities early in the game for him, that usually means it’s hard for him to bounce back. But if he comes out tonight with a purpose, and has confidence in his game to score the basketball, we may be having a different conversation heading into the first game of the regular season. But first, he needs to show the coaching staff and team that his scoring abilities can help this team right now.

4. A true Moe Harkless evaluation.

It’s hard to truly evaluate Moe Harkless from that first game, especially on the defensive end. He’s not going to be guarding Zion Williamson every night, since he’s just a unique player who can overpower his opponent once he gets the ball inside. Now Moe will get to match-up with Paschal Siakam, which will be a much more interesting defensive assignment, since he can showcase his perimeter play instead of his interior defense. The main thing that has been discussed when Miami signed him was that he can truly help guard the perimeter, since it was a need on this Heat team last season. The Raptors were one of the main teams that Miami struggled in that area against, due to their offensive perimeter play, as well as the two point guard lineups. This game will be a great one to evaluate Moe’s overall game.

5. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro play off each other offensively.

One thing that has never been discussed much with Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson is their impact together, mostly since the lack of defensive abilities are hard to play together. But one thing I noticed on Monday was that they played off each other a lot more, utilizing the pick and pop frequently. Tyler has greatly improved his ability to attack the basket, which is why they’re able to use this a lot more. And when Duncan is on the floor, most defenses make it a priority to follow him wherever he goes. Consequently, Tyler’s improved passing abilities allow Miami to create a lot of offense out of this. We may not see it a lot tonight, since there’s no reason for Spo to show it in a preseason game, but what you can expect is these two guys playing off each other quite a lot.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s First Preseason Game

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The Miami Heat faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night in their first preseason game of the year. As expected, we got to see some run from a bunch of young guys, and even the improvements the rotational guys have made. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Bam Adebayo’s jumper looks fluid.

It is obvious that the first takeaway had to involve the centerpiece of this Heat team, Bam Adebayo. We can talk about his heart on every single play, diving for loose balls in a preseason game, but we knew he had that already. The thing we’ve been waiting to see in his game though is the mid-range jumper, and he seemed to make it an initiative to go out there and shoot it. The first play of the game was a mid-range jumper from Bam, but a little bit down the line, the jab step into an elbow jumper gave some Chris Bosh flashbacks. Once again, the thing everybody has been saying is for him to have the confidence to attempt them, and if he continues to shoot them like he did tonight, his development will take yet another leap.

#2: Tyler Herro comes out firing, but once he cooled off, he turned into Goran Dragic.

Tyler Herro came out with a purpose to begin the game on Monday night, scoring 8 points early in the first. After that though, he and the rest of the team seemed to cool off from beyond the arc. These are the moments that many want to see, since it’s important to see the reaction from a young player. And well, he decided to get into his Goran Dragic bag of tricks. Whenever he attacks the rim off the dribble, he utilizes the backboard the exact way that Goran does. It’s no shock, since Goran is a mentor for his game, especially when attacking the basket. But seeing him really take a step in that area, as well as the ball-handling and passing, was a great sign in his development as well.

#3: Free agency acquisitions get some run, and both use themselves in different ways.

Many automatically labeled these two acquisitions as players that do one certain thing. Moe Harkless was labeled as the Jae Crowder replacement, but as I’ve been saying, is more like the Derrick Jones Jr replacement. And that is not a bad thing, it’s just that his size does not allow him to guard bigger guys like Jae Crowder did. Avery Bradley was labeled as a point of attack defender, which may be a bit of an overstatement. He can get in the opposing guards grill and be a disruption one-on-one, but where he really showed himself was in all of the small areas. He was a surprisingly impressive passer and a great facilitator on the offensive end. Obviously it’s not great to over analyze one pre-season game that they were involved in, but I believe adjustments will be made with them to make it an even better fit.

#4: KZ Okpala finally gets some playing time.

KZ Okpala was the most intriguing name heading into this game, since it’s been a long wait to see his game at this NBA level. An early corner three showed some great signs, but other than that he didn’t make much of an on-ball offensive impact. One thing that was shown though was his room to grow. He showed great flashes defensively and it’s obvious that there is still so much more room to improve. But what was seen most from him was his energy. If you’re following him on the court, he’s just constantly running. Coach Spo mentioned previously that it’s just about putting it all together, and that’ll come in time. But as of right now, he’s a very good perimeter defender who can be utilized right now.

#5: Precious Achiuwa enters in the second half, and looked like a rookie.

Miami’s rookie, Precious Achiuwa, got some run in the third quarter, and seemed to thrive when the ball was in the hands of Tyler Herro. I don’t know if those off-season workouts made it more fluid, but either way, they utilized the pick and roll well. Not to depict his game too much though, there is some work to be done with the dribble hand-offs. At this level, lazy under hand passes will not get the job done, but he will figure that out over time. His defense proved to look good, both down low and on the perimeter one-on-one, but on a tough night defending the perimeter it’s hard to totally dive in. Ultimately, Precious still has a lot of room to improve, but without a G-League this year, it’ll be interesting to see how that comes about.