5 Main Comments from Media Availability with Spoelstra, Dragic, Adebayo

The Miami Heat had an early practice on Friday, a day after a loss to the best team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks. There’s also some injury statuses in question as we get closer and closer to the post-season. Here’s what was said on the call…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Erik Spoelstra on Devin Booker: "We really liked him. I think everybody knew that. He worked out, had a really good meeting and lunch with him. His game has grown."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 7, 2020

Since Miami is set to play Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, Erik Spoelstra spoke a little about him. He said, “We really liked him.” This was referring back to the 2015 draft where Miami had a chance to select Devin at pick 10. Erik also adds, “His game has grown.” The Miami Heat have definitely seen his game continue to grow, which is why they wouldn’t pass on this type of player twice. Tyler Herro has also been looking closely into Devin’s game, since he watches a great amount of film on him. Devin Booker is what all Heat fans want Tyler Herro to become, which can hopefully make up for the 2015 draft decision.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Spoelstra on Kendrick Nunn: "He just needs more time, similar to Bam. I'm not making excuses for either one of them, but it takes time to regain your rhythm. Before the hiatus, he was playing really good basketball for a couple weeks before that."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 7, 2020

Erik Spoelstra also talked about the recent struggles from point guard Kendrick Nunn. He said, “He just needs more time, similar to Bam.” He also adds that it takes time to regain your rhythm and reminds everybody of how good Kendrick was playing before the break. Something that should be taken into account with these struggles is the recent virus that they contracted. There is still so much unknown to it, that it may impact their bodies even though they were asymptomatic. Bam also mentioned that his body isn’t responding as quickly as it usually does. If this is the case, Kendrick Nunn may be given the ultimate trust from this coaching staff to bounce back from this shooting slump. And as Spoelstra said, “We need him because he provides something that is different.”

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Dragic says "I was a little bit concerned, I was painful, I did it twice in that game."

"Then when I walked it off a little bit, it felt better."

"It's day by day. Today I started shooting a little bit. It's a little bit sore, but going the right direction."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 7, 2020

Goran Dragic also spoke with some media about his injury status. He said, “I was a little bit concerned, it was painful, I did it twice in that game…It’s day by day.” Although this team needs Goran Dragic on the floor to be successful, the most important thing is that he is totally 100%. It’s already a risk to play a 34 year old on a back to back, especially when they play a ton of minutes. Goran also mentions that he started shooting today and it’s a little sore, but he thinks he’s going in the right direction. With this injury information pretty clear, there’s still some other unknown injuries on this team, including Heat’s star Jimmy Butler.

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Asked Bam if he would like to play through fouls: "It depends on the situation and the game flow. If we're moving and scoring and we are facilitating and playing together, I would encourage coach to keep me in."

Says if they are not, like yesterday, it is a hard decision.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 7, 2020

Bam Adebayo talked about yesterday’s foul situation and if he’d like to play through it. He said, “It depends on the situation and the game flow.” He says that if they are in a good rhythm than he would encourage the team to let him play through it, but in a situation like yesterday, “It’s a hard decision.” On a night where Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic are out, you need an offensively active Bam Adebayo, But since he got in foul trouble early, it definitely turned the tide. Bam Adebayo seems to thrive with his co-star, Jimmy Butler, out on the floor, which is why there shouldn’t be too much worry about this situation.

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Spoelstra on Leonard: "These are tough decisions. In a perfect world, I wanted to go with that lineup. That lineup was one of the most successful lineups all season long."

Says now nothing is normal, and "I had to treat that situation with an open mind."

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 7, 2020

Erik Spoelstra made a decision at the beginning of this NBA restart, which was taking Meyers Leonard from a starter to out of the rotation. Spoelstra said, “These are tough situations…I had to treat that situation with an open mind.” This decision seemed to be made for versatility reasons. This team’s roster is filled with versatile wings that can defend, which has seemed to fix the defensive problems. But, it definitely was surprising that he wouldn’t be getting any minutes off of the bench. He also mentions that Meyers “helped us win” this season, but feels this is best for them right now. He says he’s open to change if necessary as time progresses.