5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Rockets

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The Miami Heat got a very impressive win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night to begin the road trip. It wasn’t pretty, since they struggled in the first half, and had trouble closing it out late in the fourth, but a win is a win at this point. Anyway, here are five takeaways….

#1: Well, Miami clearly loves the three point line.

Instead of going through different Miami Heat issues once again, let’s just take a look at one: shot-making. After three triples from Duncan Robinson to begin the game, Miami went cold. Real cold. And the only way to overcome tough shooting stretches is to get to the basket, but only Jimmy Butler seemed to realize that, and it even took him some time to do. They were 9 for 25 from beyond the arc in the first half, which proved the continued mindset to chuck up threes throughout. Kendrick Nunn, who I will discuss later, began to realize the need to attack the basket during these stretches. The most important part of the game for Miami was to survive the non-Butler minutes, and they did somehow hold it to a single digit game. And of course, the penetration resumed upon him entering.

#2: Jimmy Butler, the continued glue through tough patches.

Now, if there was phrase to describe Miami’s first half, it would be a tough patch. And there’s not a better player to have on your team to overcome tough stretches than Jimmy Butler. His continued ability to control the pace of the game, even when trailing, kept Miami in the game early on. On a night where Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro were out, it was known Butler would have even more on his plate, especially with the way Bam Adebayo was getting fronted. The point is that he can glue together certain units, even when they include guys who would probably be in the G-League right now in a normal season. It’s not just about getting to the free throw line 7 times in the first half, but the amount of times he got players open shots throughout. But as explained before, those shots just weren’t falling early on.

#3: Kendrick Nunn still finding himself as a player.

It’s clear that Kendrick Nunn is still finding himself as a player, since there are certain parts of his offensive game that are still growing. He’s shown to be an improving catch and shoot guy over the past few guys, but that definitely wasn’t the case tonight. But the important part about this game was seeing how he reacts to the continued offensive struggles. This led to him finding other ways to impact the game in the second quarter, such as being active on the glass, cutting off the ball for easy layups, and most importantly, taking guys off the dribble. This is the type of game where a player like him can find a real breakthrough. He’s only in his second NBA season, and has yet to figure himself out as a player. But when that day comes, it will lead to overall consistency, which is the one thing that has some questions at this point in his career.

#4: A Duncan Robinson shooting bounce back.

The reason I labeled this Duncan Robinson game as a shooting bounce back, is because through his past “struggles,” he’s been elite in every other usual part of his game. Offensive gravity, off-ball screen setting, perimeter movement. The only difference is that the shots were actually falling tonight, which as I explained after last game, wasn’t going to be long. As mentioned earlier, he knocked down three triples to begin the game to score Miami’s first 9 points. He continued that into the second half as well, since he hit some big shots to slowly expand the lead in the third quarter. And Coach Spo may have found something interesting, after he inserted Max Strus in with Robinson, and the lineup was very effective. The recent perception of Robinson has been a bit different as of late, but as he continues to adjust to the different coverages being thrown at him every night, he will begin to thrive as much as ever.

#5: A four game winning streak, a win to begin the road trip, and great momentum as players will begin to return.

Well, this Miami Heat win may not have been pretty, but it holds more value than you may think. It’s the longest winning streak of the season for Miami, and it came at a necessary time, since it’s the first game of Miami’s tough West Coast road trip. But that aside, they scrapped their way through a game without Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, which put even more weight on the starters. The key is that they’re beginning to find themselves as a team, or as the players like to say, they’re beginning to play for one another. Erik Spoelstra always discusses the need to find a true identity, and the current identity seems to be no matter the numbers on the scoreboard, it’s going to be a game that they’re going to battle and scrap their way through. And when the leading dog on the team is Jimmy Butler, that identity matches up perfectly.

Is Precious Achiuwa’s Role Actually Being “Simplified?”

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When Erik Spoelstra was asked a few weeks ago about Precious Achiuwa possibly playing next to Bam Adebayo, he mentioned wanting to “simplify” Achiuwa’s game as much as possible. But is it all that simple?

For starters, the idea over the past few games that he’s getting his minutes cut down is not the whole story. The real reason for that is because Miami beginning to get healthy, means Coach Spoelstra wants Adebayo to be on the floor as much as possible. And every minute he is on the bench, Achiuwa is on the floor.

It seems as if his role though is not as simple as being the Adebayo relief guy. It’s a complicated role for a rookie to play since his minutes come in spurts, without having time to actually get into a rhythm.

This hasn’t seemed to be very problematic, since he adjusted so well for a guy with such little experience. But as seen lately, that extra few minutes of floor time can go a long way in Achiuwa’s short term and long term success.

Taking a look at Achiuwa’s basketball past, in both high school and college, he’s never been in a position to be effective in short spurts, since he’s been a high level starter in his recent past. He has always been in the Adebayo role, where he can just flow with the pace of the game, which is when he truly excels. He’s a high energy guy who can read the pacing of the game perfectly, but it’s a little less useful without fans.

From a coaching perspective, there aren’t many options involving an increased role, other than siding him next to Adebayo. It was seen in a very short spurt before, but as Adebayo continues to expand his range and improve his jumper, that option becomes more and more viable.

The point is that Achiuwa’s current role may be looked at as trying to “simplify,” but for him it may be the complete opposite. There’s a certain trust level with him compared to other guys, since he’s not an out of control young player who doesn’t know his role.

He actually knows his role better than most, but he seems ready to be pushed in the direction of a new role, not to complicate, but for him to thrive.

MLB Has Problems

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The Issues

MLB used to be the pride of American Sports, but since its days of the steroid era where fans kept up with what was happening, it has been losing its “attractiveness”. MLB may still be bringing in over $10 Billion dollars in revenue (2019) but make no mistake, it seems to be a dying sport. MLB’s outreach to fans has been terrible over the last several years and its marketing of players and the league itself has been horrendous. MLB is having an attendance problem, fewer and fewer people were going to games in person before the pandemic hit.

Attendance

Some people attribute this to the scheduling of games being when the majority of people are still at work when it’s not summertime. I, however, attribute this to the length of the season. It’s not hard to realize that a majority of MLB’s fans are casual fans, meaning they enjoy the game of baseball for the time that they are watching it, but they don’t engage in the fandoms or keep up with what is happening around the league consistently. The 162 game season is too long of a season for most people to truly pay attention to consistently or become truly engaged with the sport.

There’s a reason why the NFL and the NBA didn’t have attendance issues before the pandemic hit and it doesn’t have to do with the pace of play of individual games… I’m referring to you, Manfred. The NFL and the NBA have significantly shorter seasons than MLB and their attendance is always high *for the average capacity of their arenas* and their viewership is always consistently high.

Marketing

I can tell you with absolute certainty that if Mike Trout, who is the undisputed best player in baseball, were to walk into a random subway, the majority of people wouldn’t recognize him, and that’s an issue. The NFL and the NBA do a TREMENDOUS job of marketing their players to the point where their players intentionally look for the camera after scoring a touchdown or hitting a three pointer. Before games when players are walking through the tunnels, they showcase the clothes that they’re wearing, and then it’s showcased all over the media. Unless an MLB player makes a 5-star catch, you won’t see any MLB coverage on platforms not called MLB Network.

MLB has said in the past that their goal is to grow the game all over the world and all over the country, well you can’t do that if you have blackouts of games for people who pay for MLB TV who want to watch their local team now can you Commissioner Manfred… as a whole, MLB has completely whiffed on its marketing “goals”. They paid too much attention to wanting to speed up the pace of play on a game that doesn’t run on a clock and not enough time appeasing their fans.

Solutions

If MLB wants to get back into the national spotlight of the major US sports they absolutely need to make changes on how they operate. Starting with the length of the season. Shortening the season to 120-125 games wouldn’t be the end of the world for those who are die-hard 162 game fans but it would make teams more competitive throughout the season and retain fan interest.

If MLB wants to increase their average attendance of games, they need to schedule games when fans are more often available to attend. Noon games and games that start before 4:15 pm are not helping to get fans into the ballpark. Want more fans at the ballpark? Start games at 6:05 pm and later, no one wants to sit in the hot sun during a three-hour game anyway.

MARKET YOUR PLAYERS. Show off their clothes when they’re walking in, let them wear custom cleats with designs on them, let them wear custom-designed gear in general consistently, we as fans love the custom gear, have one on one interviews with them, promote them nationally, and not just locally for the team they play for. There are so many ways to market players and MLB is doing a terrible job in virtually every way possible.

Make mic’d ups a consistent thing, hearing what the players talk about among each other while on the field and hearing how managers and umpires argue is media and fandom gold. New camera angles would be a fantastic edition, having umpire/catcher cams would 100% make the game more fun. As fans, most of us don’t know what it’s like to go up against 100+mph or 90mph sliders and changeups, while seeing what the umpire sees and actually see how close of a call it would be.

Lastly, just stop blacking out games to paying customers who can’t even watch their favorite team who they’re paying to see.

 

How is Duncan Robinson Being Defended?

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Duncan Robinson is probably the most misunderstood player on this Miami Heat team. Even after struggling for this long stretch, there still isn’t much of a drop-off in his usual three point numbers. He went from making 3.7 triples a game on 8.3 attempts last season, to making 3.3 triples a game on 8.3 attempts this season.

Robinson may be looked at as a one-dimensional three point specialist, but there are some things that aren’t seen in the natural flow of the game off the ball. So, here’s a look into how Robinson is being defended lately, and the impact he has even when the shot isn’t falling.

– Non-stop off-ball screening

As Mitchell Robinson began to drop back on the driving Jimmy Butler, Robinson set him a hard screen to allow Butler to get to the cup and draw the foul. This is something I will point to a few times throughout this piece, since it’s one of his most underrated attributes.

When he sets a screen, it rattles a defense a bit since he’s a threat to pop out to the perimeter for a three pointer. This then allows Miami’s two stars, Butler and Bam Adebayo, to do what they do best, which is get to the rim and draw fouls.

– “Good looks” for Robinson aren’t “good looks” for many

The idea that many of his shots are “good looks” seems to be a bit confusing. The reason a lot of them seem this way is because his elite abilities to shoot over the top of people make it seem pretty easy.

But the truth is, these shots are far from being easy shots. He has a 6’8 Julius Randle contesting his shot in the best way possible, leading to a missed triple.

Once again, the 6’10 Nerlens Noel stays on Robinson off the Adebayo dribbe hand-off, leading to a smother three at the end of the shot clock. And although I used words like contested and smothered in these two plays, both shots had a chance at going in, which makes the overall shooting impact so interesting.

There were two shots in the fourth quarter that were actual “good looks” and didn’t fall, but the last thing you should be worried about is Robinson making wide open triples.

– The Butler- Robinson drive and kicks are essential for Miami’s flow

At this point in the game, Miami’s only offense was Butler getting to the free throw line. And the way he was getting to the charity stripe was by charging toward the basket right into defenders.

The defense was clearly waiting for this to occur again, which led to Elfrid Payton turning his head to look toward the driving Butler, which is something a defender never does when guarding Robinson. Although he missed the shot, these drive and kick moments prove to be most effective when Butler has it going when attacking the basket.

And as mentioned previously, those shots won’t be missing for long.

– More screen-setting impact

Giving Adebayo just enough room to put the ball on the deck and get to the basket is exactly what Miami wants. But when you realize who is usually giving him those opportunities, it’s Robinson.

The dribble hand-off sets are clearly beneficial to Adebayo when two defenders fly high on him, but even normal pick and pops grant him that room. If Adebayo didn’t lose control on this possession, it would have led to a wide open Robinson three, and it would have been generated by his own involvement off the ball.

– Finding other ways to get shots for Robinson

On this play, Robinson slips off the screen for Tyler Herro at the end of the first quarter, and slowly slides to the corner. As Adebayo comes up to set the screen, he just chose the wrong guy to pick. If he set the screen on Derrick Rose who was guarding Robinson, he would’ve had a wide open three in the corner.

The reason I bring this up is because there needs to be a bit more diversity at times with offensive sets for Robinson. He’s being figured out in a way because the same things are being run on basically every possession. The dribble hand-off between Robinson and Adebayo was so effective before since it was sprinkled in unpredictably, so they need to find that offensive upper-hand once again.

– Giving Miami many options

Here’s another example of Robinson being utilized in these offensive sets. He sets a pick to allow Adebayo to get the ball on the baseline, then immediately screens for Andre Iguodala as he cuts back door. Adebayo then has the option to hit him in stride, or immediately go into a DHO with Robinson in the corner.

If Obi Toppin didn’t foul Iguodala, it would have led to a layup, which further showcases the different things Robinson does for a free flowing offense.

– A main attribute that must be added

There have been some things that I have discussed involving ways to improve Robinson’s effectiveness, such as a one-dribble pull-up, but it’s time to look at ways to evolve his catch and shoot game in particular.

And there’s one thing that can do that: A pump-fake to catch defenders in the air to draw the foul. Foul calls and Robinson don’t really seem to go hand in hand, but that’s just in the normal shooting motion. Defenders constantly overplay and swarm him, which means that pump-fake can definitely get them out of position.

He uses the pump-fake a lot, but usually follows it with a side-step into a shot. But instead of avoiding the defensive aggression, he must embrace it, and once he begins to draw those fouls, it will give him much more room to operate on the perimeter.

– A natural feel for spacing and cutting

Robinson is once again being denied as he runs around the floor, but what he does next must be noted. He has a very good feel for spacing and timing, which is showcased on this very play.

As Iguodala drives baseline, he notices that he’s about to get stuck in the air, which leads to him instinctively cutting to the basket. And due to the many Knicks players in the area, he dumps it off to Adebayo for an easy layup.

These types of plays prove that comments involving him not making shots means he’s useless are just absolutely untrue.

Marlins Sign Duvall

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The Miami Marlins finally did something meaningful this offseason. Throughout the months after a surprise playoff berth, the newly designed front office has been relatively quiet. They have silently filled holes in the bullpen, but as time has progressed it looked more and more unlikely that a prominent move would be made. Today the “Bottom Feeders” signed prolific power hitter Adam Duvall for a cheap $2 million this year with options in the upcoming years for up to $7 million.

 

This move makes the most sense so far and here’s why:

 

The Marlins Lineup HAD No power

 

Last year, the Marlins were at the bottom of the league in home runs. This has been the case for many years, and signing a guy who hit 16 homers in a 60 game season won’t fix everything, but it will provide stability. The Marlins thrive with guys on base, and with a bat that pitchers now have to be consistently wary of, the likes of Starling Marte and Jon Berti will provide more value (aka more runs). Duvall bats from the right side where he slashed .248/.301/.532 in 2019. He has been a consistent force in every lineup he has been a part of, so don’t expect that to change in Miami.

 

Duvall Becomes “The Guy”

 

The Fish have had their “guys” over the past years. Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich come to mind, and although Duvall is not on their level, he outclasses every other hitter on the Marlins (except for Starling Marte) in almost every category. If he continues to put up the numbers he is capable of, he could help to ignite a young lineup towards a successful 2021 campaign.

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He Fills the Outfield Hole

 

Debates have arisen recently as to who would be in RF on Opening Day. With Duvall there is no question. Not only is he offensively sound, he is extremely competent in the field, posting high defensive stats that overshadow other potential signings. 

 

Overall for Marlins

 

Adam Duvall is the perfect fit for this Miami roster. For months, I have consistently talked about how this lineup lacked the power to compete. This is finally a first step in the right direction.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Victory Over the Knicks

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The Miami Heat came out with a win in a close one against the New York Knicks. After a late Tyler Herro three, followed by more Jimmy Butler scrappiness, the Heat extend their winning streak to 3 games. Here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Miami’s first half roller coaster caused by Jimmy Butler’s minutes.

There were clear ups and downs in the first half for Miami, and it was all due to the playing time split involving Jimmy Butler. Jimmy came out early with an offensive purpose, which was to get to the free throw line. But other than that tactic, Miami had no other effective early offense. They shot 33% in the first quarter, which allowed New York to climb back into it. As Butler exited after that, it seemed like Miami simply fell apart, which caused Miami trailing by 13. But once again, Butler enters and changes the entire dynamic of the team, leading to easy buckets for teammates due to his downhill gravity. It’s a pretty obvious topic to discuss overall impact with Butler, but it needs to be noted when he controls the pacing of a game for a half when nothing was being generated.

#2: One of those Kelly Olynyk shooting nights.

When Kelly Olynyk’s name gets mentioned in one of these takeaway pieces, it’s either a very poor shooting night, or an elite shooting night. And well, it was one of those nights for Olynyk where everything is falling. One of the most important shots of the game for him is the first one, since there’s usually a sense of the direction in which he’s heading the rest of the game. He shot 5 for 6 from beyond the arc in the first half, which basically kept Miami afloat to finish the second quarter. He also wasn’t bad defensively tonight, since he had a pretty favorable match-up that didn’t involve a lot of movement. When Miami gets this type of Olynyk, it opens a lot of things up for others, especially since opposing teams have to make decisions to continue to hound Duncan Robinson, or key in on Olynyk for a bit.

#3: Kendrick Nunn improving in necessary offensive areas.

I discussed recently the different areas of Kendrick Nunn’s game that has improved, but one that was on display tonight was as a catch and shoot guy. Being a spot-up guy was not a part of his game that he was very comfortable with last season, but the continued confidence over this past stretch has allowed him to thrive in this area. Nunn has found himself on essentially every one of these pieces as of late, and the reason that’s important is because consistency has been his area of worry. Not consistency throughout a game, but consistency from game to game. And he’s proven since his first opportunity this season that he can do just that, but the starting position has truly elevated that point even more.

#4: There’s still a lack of rotational clarity.

Other than Miami figuring out that Kendrick Nunn being the starter and Tyler Herro playing off the bench works so well, there’s still a lot of uncertainty with the overall rotation. This doesn’t have anything to do with Gabe Vincent filling in for Goran Dragic off the bench, but more about the fit with the other guys. As I’ve mentioned with Andre Iguodala, he fits well with one of Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler, and Coach Spo seems to notice that as well. But him going to that more means increased lineup complications. Another player that falls under the category of rotational clarity is rookie Precious Achiuwa. All of his minutes come when Adebayo needs a break on the sideline, which means he has no time to get into any sort of rhythm. These small personnel things will be altered as the season progresses.

#5: Bam Adebayo learning the ways of Jimmy Butler.

Adebayo and Butler are basically the only two players worth discussing in that second half, but it’s about the way that they were scoring their points. When I asked Adebayo about Butler after Sunday’s game, he discussed learning things from him, such as drawing fouls at certain parts of the game. And well, we began seeing that tonight, since both of them lived at the free throw line all night. Although Butler utilized it to generate offense and momentum for the team, Adebayo used it for a self boost in his offensive game. It’s clear that is when he can bring on-court intensity and energy, but it also channels his aggression. If he can continue to get to the free throw line as a natural part of his game, that changes a lot of things on nights when he struggles a bit getting into a rhythm.

A Breakdown of Andre Iguodala’s Defensive Presence

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When discussing certain NBA players who do all of the small things to help their team win a basketball game, Andre Iguodala is probably one of the first names that would come up. It’s clear that most of those big time impact plays take place on the defensive end, especially in Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks.

Here’s a deep dive into some of the moments that stood out from Andre Iguodala on Sunday afternoon…

– Interior Presence to Perimeter Presence leads to a Forced Shot

Andre Iguodala is widely known for his ability to wreck havoc on the perimeter, but there has been major improvement on handling the inside with bigger guys.

As seen here, Iguodala is battling with Julius Randle as he fights for the post-up, and Iggy gives him absolutely zero room to get into a comfortable shot. He buys just enough time for Jimmy Butler to come for the double, leading to a pass out to the perimeter.

Iguodala then switches onto RJ Barret, although it seemed as if it was an unnecessary switch, leaving Kendrick Nunn guarding Randle. He immediately goes for the help, as Randle kicks it out to the corner late in the shot clock, leading to a great defensive possession for Miami, mostly due to the constant movement from Iguodala.

– Active Hands means Constant Disruption

Iguodala’s active hands are probably the most unique part of his game, but picking moments to use them is even more impressive.

One thing you don’t want to do in a pick and roll with Iguodala defending is pick up your dribble, since he will swarm you in an instant. On this play, he doubles Alec Burks as he picks up his dribble, and Iguodala immediately gets his hand on the basketball. The ball then rolls out of bounds off of Burks, as Miami gets the ball back.

Another reason plays like this are so important is because it’s obvious the intensity that is generated from this type of play. It’s one of the small reasons for Iggy’s overall importance to this team.

– Anticipating Passes Points to High IQ

Being able to anticipate passes off the ball is one of the major defensive things that points to high IQ.

Iguodala is on the left block as Randle spreads out to the corner, while Iggy is totally focused on the developing pick and roll at the top of the key. As he sees the lob pass get thrown, he times it perfectly to get the steal, and gets Miami right into their fast-break offense.

Teams notice when a guy like Iguodala is on the floor lurking, which leads to natural discomfort throughout.

– Coach Spo Finds a Perfect Iggy Lineup Fit

It’s necessary to take a quick second to evaluate the offensive side of the ball with Iguodala in. There has been a clear spacing issue with certain lineups, since defenses go for constant doubles to force an Iggy three ball.

The way that can be fixed is by going to certain lineups that fit him. When he shares the floor with both Butler and Adebayo, there’s limited ways to overcome that spacing burden. But playing Iguodala with only one of Butler or Adebayo cures that automatically. Surrounding those two with three shooters is all that is needed to have a functional offense in spurts of the game, but all three may be needed to close.

When these three have shared the floor this season, they have an offensive rating of 82. While when just Butler and Iguodala share the floor, they have an offensive rating of 97, and Adebayo and Iguodala have an offensive rating of 104. The eye test has proved this to be true, and so have the numbers.

– Physicality and Quickness means Uncomfortable Screener

Iguodala has been a screener’s nightmare this season, since he’s been playing a lot of power forward. As mentioned previously, he has the physicality to handle you down low, but the lateral quickness to stop you on the perimeter.

On this possession, Miami is in a 2-3 zone, and the clear offensive goal is to take Iguodala out of the equation from the top of that zone. The only issue with that plan is that he won’t be eliminated easily. Iguodala fights through it, leading to an offensive foul on Taj Gibson.

– A Superstar’s Safety Net

There is a certain comfort level when Iguodala is on the floor, especially for the young guys. But it seems important to note the role he plays for Adebayo every single night.

Adebayo loves to defend out on the perimeter, but it makes it harder for him since he has to worry about what is happening on the back side. Except there doesn’t seem to be any worries about the interior when he realizes Iguodala is controlling that part of the floor.

After Adebayo doubles, it leaves Iguodala covering both Gibson at the rim and Obi Toppin in the corner. As soon as they find the open man, Iguodala sprints out to contest, leading to a missed shot.

– Late Game Stops Leads to Iguodala on the Ball

With under a minute to play, Miami leads by one and clearly needs a stop.

Randle tries to take Iguodala off the dribble, but his lateral quickness allows him to cut him off fairly easily. Randle then dumps it off to Burks as Iggy switches onto him, and it led to a very tough fade-away triple with Iguodala in his face.

These moments at the end of games show how necessary it is for Iguodala to be on the floor, no matter the offensive spacing issues that may occur.

Marlins Ng

Marlins Missing More FA Opportunities

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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Chasen Shreve to a minor league deal today. Shreve is a crafty left that utilizes a devastating splitter to his advantage, which led to a solid 3.96 ERA over 25 innings with the Mets last season. The Miami Marlins had an interest in Shreve throughout this offseason, but couldn’t seal the deal.

Shreve Loss is not the issue

This is not a devastating loss, but Shreve offered another cheap option for the Marlins to bolster their middle of the road bullpen. As Kim Ng mentioned in her latest press conference, this Marlins team looks to be what we will see on Opening Day. Reports have led me to believe the Marlins are still looking for bullpen pieces this upcoming season. Names such as Brandon Kintzler continue to pop up, but with less and less time to pull the trigger, the Marlins may settle for what they have. 

Is the Marlins bullpen enough as is?

The bullpen, especially the backend, provided stability last season for the Marlins that allowed them to close out close games as most of their games were decided by a few runs. With less and less options on the market, it is hard to believe that the current bullpen will be enough to sustain a playoff run in a 154 game season. On the same end, it is unlikely any single addition would boost this bullpen to the next level. 

Overall

As more time passes and more names fall off the list of potential additions, Marlins fans may have to accept what we are seeing now is exactly what we are going to get. Nothing about this roster stands out to me as a playoff roster, but then again, neither did last year’s.

 

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Knicks

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The Miami Heat faced off against the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, and came away with a win after a late Tyler Herro three to ice it. Here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Kendrick Nunn hops into starting lineup, and continues to thrive.

Kendrick Nunn jumped into the starting point guard position with Goran Dragic out, while Tyler Herro can continue his bench dominance. It’s clear that Nunn gives Miami the exact type of offensive play that they were missing in the starting lineup, since he’s a guy that can just get a bucket. He was basically the guy who kept Miami afloat in many of the early stretches with that lineup, especially since his catch and shoot abilities out on the perimeter were working. That’s the one part of his game that comes with some question marks any given night, since his ability to get to the basket has been pretty consistent as of late. He has proved himself in every opportunity he has been given this season to this point, and it seems that now he is here to stay.

#2: The new Tyler Herro role is what Miami has been missing.

There are a couple of elements to this new Tyler Herro role making sense for him as a player. For one, it allows him to play with a bit of freedom with the second unit, especially in the non-Jimmy Butler minutes. He is given the necessary spacing, along with a rolling big in Bam Adebayo or Precious Achiuwa. Erik Spoelstra has talked about “simplifying” the game for Achiuwa as much as possible, but why not do the same for Herro? He’s had a lot on his plate lately in the starting position, mostly since his biggest strength is playing with a scoring mentality. And well, that’s exactly what has been seen the past two games, while sprinkling in some lob and skip passes when attacking the basket. This role makes sense for both Herro and this Heat team, which will make even more sense when Goran Dragic returns.

#3: Defending the three continues to be an issue.

Now to some of the issues with this Heat team at the moment, Miami’s perimeter defense on three point shots continues to be problematic. Instead of getting into the exact specifics for these issues that I’ve discussed over and over, it seems necessary to discuss how can they overcome it with the current personnel. One way is by transitioning to a complete offensive team, since most of their one-way players are offensively sound, but that just does not seem like a viable option at this point. Not only would a Miami Heat team not do that, but their offense has been choppy in spurts this season as well. Also, a very known thing is that when shots are falling on offense, the defense begins to elevate slowly. So if Miami can just figure out that side of the ball consistently, there will be gradual improvement as long as the current team can stay healthy.

#4: The Andre Iguodala effect.

Andre Iguodala stood out in today’s game in a way that he usually does, not by tremendous stats, but through all-around impact. In a game where Miami’s defense was the biggest weakness, he fills a lot of those holes as soon as he enters. Obviously his defensive abilities and movement contributes to the team feeling much more comfortable, but his leadership and vocal abilities on that end seem to do the job as well. There seemed to be some clarity about specific lineups to utilize Iguodala, since the lineups with him, Butler, and Adebayo limit offensive spacing. But when he shares the floor with one of Butler or Adebayo, everything comes together slowly on that end. He wrecks havoc out on the perimeter on a regular basis, but also showed his ability to control the interior against bigger opponents, which is important for Miami to realize moving forward.

#5: Bam Adebayo making end of shot-clock jumpers with pure confidence.

Bam Adebayo had a few moments in today’s game where he got into the shooting motion in the mid-range area after noticing a low shot-clock. The reason this is important is because there’s a common theme with those exact jumpers. The ones he shoots without hesitation, lead to a much improved shooter. It seems as if this has been said for quite some time now, but he has that ability in his offensive package already. It just comes down to him finding the right times to utilize it, possibly with a full shot-clock. I’ve mentioned the importance of attacking the basket to draw fouls, as seen on Friday night, but as we continue to see him expanding his range, the timing of his attempts seem more essential than the efficiency.

A Breakdown of Kendrick Nunn’s Scoring Abilities

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Kendrick Nunn is one of the most interesting players for this Heat team moving forward, since he will have an even bigger role with Avery Bradley and Goran Dragic out. There’s a possibility he could be the starter on Sunday, due to the natural fit, while Tyler Herro can control the second unit, but only time will tell.

Here’s a look at Nunn’s offensive package against Washington on Friday night…

– Nunn attacks poor defenders, which Miami needs to do more

If there is any team that knows about attacking poor defenders, it’s this Heat team. Opposing teams constantly hunting favorable match-ups hurts them, but Miami must play the same game.

Kendrick Nunn seemed to be the only one to attack Washington’s weaker defenders. As seen here, Kendrick begins to breakdown his defender out on the perimeter, leading to a blow by for a layup at the rim.

These are the types of things Miami has been missing as of late, since not only was an offensive spark necessary, but utilizing the spots of the floor that have been problems.

– The jab step equals natural shooting flow

The jab step technique is something I’ve mentioned when breaking down Bam Adebayo’s shooting abilities. When he faces a defender up, it’s not always about using a jab step for separation, but using it to get into a natural shooting flow.

Nunn, on the other hand, utilizes it for both reasons. He uses it for slight separation as seen on this play, since Rui Hachimura turns his body just enough for Nunn to immediately pull. But it seems that jab step allows him to get into the jump-shot in the most comfortable way.

Some players utilize a step-back, others may utilize a crossover. But this small technique for him holds much more value than it may appear.

– Dragic-Nunn minutes effective when this occurs

The Goran Dragic and Nunn minutes have been the one combo that has been a bit of a worry. There was some concern that they don’t fit well together offensively, and both struggle on the defensive side of the ball as well.

The one way that they can work together, though, is Nunn attacking the way he did here. He’s a very explosive player, while Dragic bases himself off craftiness, so them working off each other in this fashion seems to be the only effective way.

If Nunn continues to prove himself over this next stretch while Miami is loaded with injuries at the guard position, Coach Erik Spoelstra may need these two to work on a nightly basis.

– Major improvements with quick decisions on shot attempts

Now, after looking at Nunn’s offensive game in a deeper way, this was easily the biggest improvement that was seen. He knows how to utilize his body for a sliver of space to get into his shooting motion, for either a jumper or floater.

As seen here, he blows by his defender, and gives a slight bump to allow him to get his shot off against the grain as a lefty. Another thing that stood out here was his decision making on personal shot attempts. Instead of the past uncertainty between going into a normal jumper or floater, he makes those choices much quicker, which is necessary for a natural scorer.

These small mechanical adjustments that he has made will allow him to be a much more trusted player, and can contribute to the uncertainty involving consistency.

– The Butler-Nunn duo makes starting him much easier

As mentioned previously, there’s a chance Nunn could end up as the starting point guard for the time being, but the offensive connection with Jimmy Butler makes that much easier.

The first play was an inbound play, which the primary option is to pass out to the wing to Dragic as Adebayo sets the screen. Butler notices Nunn on the cut, and gives it to him by the basket, since he has a clear size advantage. The following play, Butler runs a dribble hand-off with Nunn, as he pulls with zero hesitation.

If there was any certain offensive need to plug into that starting lineup, it would be what Nunn gives them, while Herro can be given the keys to the second unit to do what he does best, as I broke down as well.