The Miami Hurricanes were able to add to the 2023 recruiting class on Tuesday afternoon. Three-star tight end Jackson Carver committed to the program.
Carver is the 28th overall tight end in the 2023 class, and the third -ranked player in his class from the state of Indiana 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Carver had an extensive offer sheet. In addition to Miami, he also had offers from Auburn, Iowa, Florida State, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. He was recruited to the hurricanes by Stephen Feld.
What could Carver bring to the Miami Hurricanes? He brings all the qualities needed in today’s modern game of college football. He can get down the field quickly, and he has speed to do so. As soon as the ball is snapped, he is able to get out of his break quickly. It’s almost like he is a wide receiver at the tight end position, due to his playmaking ability.
One of the things that stuck out to me when watching his highlights was his speed. Measuring in at six-foot-six, 220 pounds, he has the ability to be a playmaker partly because of it. He is a matchup nightmare for corners, and I can see him really excelling with the types of quarterbacks the Hurricanes are trying to bring into the program.
The Miami Hurricanes are looking for pocket-passers, as evidenced by the types of quarterbacks they have recruited. They want players that can throw the ball down the field and quickly locate their first read. The best programs supply the cornerbacks with weapons that fit their play style. That’s exactly what the Miami Hurricanes are trying to do right now. Now, they just need a stellar influx of quarterbacks in the coming years.
This commitment helps continue to build an already-strong Miami recruiting class. Right now they are ranked 40th in the country. There is a solid base of talent there. Carver is the third overall recruit in the class, based purely off numerical rating.
In any event, this was a big get for the Miami Hurricanes. Carver fits the offensive identity that the program wants to put out moving forward. Perhaps more than that, he is a playmaker that should be able to make an impact, and subsequently become well-known in the ACC.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_2817.jpg13692048Danny Jaillethttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgDanny Jaillet2022-06-14 14:52:122022-06-14 14:52:12Miami Hurricanes: Jackson Carver brings vertical threat to program
The Miami Heat are in a pretty unique situation when it comes to the 2022 NBA draft. They do currently possess the 27th pick in the first round, but to be completely transparent, there doesn’t feel to be much confidence that they’re actually selecting a player in that spot for themselves.
As the Heat continue to lurk in the trade market, that draft pick will be one of the assets to throw into a specific package. But well, there’s still that small percentage they end up drafting someone, so we’re going to dive right into that.
Another funny thing, though, that points in the direction of them trading the pick is that all of the players that are coming in for workouts are in that second round range. If you’ve kept up with Greg Sylvander’s reporting from Five Reasons Sports, you would know the list of names.
And yet, some of those names are aligned with the ones I’m discussing here. So let’s get right into it…
#1: Justin Lewis (6’7, 245 lbs, Marquette)
If you’ve kept up with my twitter feed when discussing the Heat’s options in the draft, you would know that there’s one specific name that I’ve been pushing often: Justin Lewis.
Lewis isn’t the most flashy name or somebody that’s being discussed often, but when I began diving into some prospects, he stood out for the Miami Heat specifically.
Not only because that Marquette tag usually means good things, just ask Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, but he also fits the strong, quick, and tough wing build that I believe Miami will be searching for.
If you listened to Pat Riley’s comments after the season ended, it’s clear that any young player they bring in will have a high defensive motor to counteract this current roster. And well, Lewis has just that.
He’s both strong and laterally quick, meaning he can really bother opposing offensive players on the perimeter and the interior. Very great at contesting shots, and most of all, he’s pretty versatile for his age, which will get the Erik Spoelstra sign of approval.
I also believe he has a pretty fluid offensive games, just in terms of his jumper. A lot of guys in this range who can defend have slightly funky mechanics and form, which is another thing that allows him to stand out. It feels as if he can be a serviceable shooter on that side of the floor to be a 3 & D wing.
Lewis is also in the category of players that have worked out for the Heat, as Greg Sylvander reported. But this is a guy specifically I have kept some tabs on for some time for the Heat to grab. Maybe not with that 27th pick per se, but possibly if they buy a second rounder.
Keep an eye on him.
#2: Caleb Houstan (6’8, 205 lbs, Michigan)
Much like Marquette always seems to come up, the same goes for Michigan with the ties to Juwaun Howard. They’ve already worked out big man Moussa Diabatte from there, but I have a different Wolverine in mind.
If the Heat do stay in their first round slot, a lot of it will be based off “best available,” or sometimes a better way to phrase it: “most talented.”
Caleb Houstan is a guy that entered college as a lottery type talent, but things didn’t go as he probably planned his freshman year. Yet, he still has the high level mechanics and talent to be a valuable piece, specifically in the Heat’s developmental program.
It should be initially stated that he is an incredible shooter, both off the catch and on the move. He has a super smooth jumper with a good amount of length, which is a pretty good formula for his build.
In terms of the defensive stuff, he may not be as great as some of the others on this list, but his length means that he has some upside. He can bother shooters and I’d guess he would be gaining a bit more muscle as he enters the NBA.
If any team will know something, it’ll probably be the Heat with insider Juwaun Howard, which is why I think it’s a decent option for a late first rounder.
#3: Julian Champagnie (6’8, 215 lbs, St John’s)
Before even entering into some hoops talk, Julain Champagnie fits the build with his 6 foot 8 frame and 6’10 wingspan. But that’s not what caught my eye after it was reported that he worked out with Miami as well. It was simply his game, instead.
Lewis might be a bit more defense than offense. Houstan a bit more offense than defense. But Champagnie, on the other hand, feels to be a true two-way threat.
He has a solid jumper, but the fact that he can rise right over the top of you is his true gift. He can pull-up reasonably quick, since all he needs is to turn into face-up position, and he’s got you.
The defensive stuff is semi-aligned with some of the others I’ve discussed, since his physicality can really carry him at times. But when watching more and more of his defensive possessions, he really seems to have a high IQ on that end: knowing when to force left, when to dip off, when to explode.
So, if all of this is so great, why is he ranked so low on the boards?
Part of that starts with his abilities as a downhill threat, since there isn’t a lot of confidence in him at the moment as an attacker or finisher. He’s not an isolation, “I’m going to break you down” type of player, but in situations like Miami, he wouldn’t need to be.
Not that these type of players would be in their rotation anyway, but when you get picked up into a bad team, they let you off the leash to kind of go wild with your skills. With Miami forcing him into a certain role right out the gate, that fits his play-style really well.
I’m personally not of the mindset that the Heat need to lean guard by any means, which is why I’ve been heavily talking about certain wings, but if there was an exception: it would be these two.
The reason I packaged them together is they fit two different scenarios. Dalen Terry with the late first rounder, and Keon Ellis as the potential second rounder snag.
Terry is definitely in their pick range, and he’s definitely in their player history. When watching his game on the defensive end, I feel like I’ve seen this movie too many times to not include him. He’s lengthy with incredible on-ball skills to bother any ball-handler trying to push pace or get into the initial set.
He also has good play-making instincts and can attack quite a bit, but the only thing holding me back is team need. Yet I don’t think that’s how the Heat are looking at it, since if they believe he’s the best player sitting there, they will grab him.
Keon Ellis, on the other hand, is someone a bit lower on draft boards, yet equally as fiery. And by the way, he also worked out with the team recently.
In the same manner, he’s a high level defender specifically on the ball, yet I may lean in his direction in terms of my confidence in outside shooting.
He’s shown to be a comfortable catch and shoot threat this past season while playing in many different spots on the floor. Ellis is also very explosive and enjoys running the open floor, which means exactly what you’re thinking: he’s a strong finisher.
The Heat have been in these type of scenarios before, and it feels like they always lean in the same direction: if a late first rounder and a second rounder/undrafted prospect are similar, they will always go with the latter.
So, that’s something interesting to monitor.
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#5: Jabari Walker (6’9, 215 lbs, Colorado)
The last one I’m touching on swings right back in the direction of lengthy wings, which in this case is another guy who the Heat have worked out: Jabari Walker.
Defensively, he screams versatility with his ability to constantly switch all over the place, since that’s all he did in college, which is enticing to this current Heat group. Plus, he possesses a 7 foot wingspan to go along with the natural mechanics.
Something that differs from past prospects on that end is he proved to be equally as elite off the ball defensively as he was on it. Hitting passing lanes, tagging off the weak-side, recovering back to the corner shooter. He’s somebody that’s probably a bit more known than the other prospects, but he should still be on the board by 27.
Not to mention, he also has a good spot-up three like I’ve discussed with others, but ideally I don’t think you want him creating much off the bounce.
When discussing guys in this range, they all have some form of limitations at this stage, but the idea is to find the guy that can break-through those barriers the fastest.
And with so many guys to choose from, these are just a few of those options that I believe would hold a high level of interest to the Miami Heat’s organization with the NBA draft about a week away.
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It looks like the Miami Marlins have finally found their groove in the midst of the season. The Marlins have just won their second straight series as they won two out of three games against the Houston Astros.
In Game 1, the Marlins beat the Astros 7-4 with huge performances from second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and first baseman Jesus Aguilar. In Game 2, Miami shutdown Houston’s offense with their 5-1 victory. Unfortunately, Miami couldn’t get the series sweep and lost Game 3 by a score of 9-4.
It’s hard for any team to hold an offense like the Astros to so many runs in a series. The fact that the Marlins were able to capture a couple of wins against the second-best team in the American League says a lot about how much Miami has grown in the past couple of weeks.
Before Sunday’s loss against Houston, the Marlins had won five games in a row. That was their longest winning streak since their seven game streak back in April.
The Fish are hot and it’s going to be fun to see where they go from here.
Here are five takeaways from the series.
DON’T TRADE JAZZ
Last Tuesday, Marlins manager Don Mattingly held a team meeting to address some issues that players had in the locker room.
Apparently, the meeting was centered around Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the players were criticizing his work ethic and the way he dresses to the ballpark. Some might even think that the players were jealous of Chisholm and Mattingly knew he had to call a meeting before things spiraled out of control and the team chemistry would fly out the window.
Man, was that meeting one of the best decisions Mattingly has made this season.
Since Tuesday, Chisholm has hit four home runs and tallied nine RBIs. He had also stolen a base during that span which allowed him to join Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker as the only two MLB players to hit at least 10 home runs and have at least 10 stolen bases so far this season.
Another thing to take note of is that ever since the team meeting, Miami’s record has been 5-1.
Miami’s bats have come alive
The Marlins’ offense has finally woken up. In the month of June, Miami has averaged 6.5 runs per game. Those 6.5 runs per game are the second highest among any team in the MLB during that span. Miami has also managed to bring their team batting average up to .246, seventh-best in the National League.
During the series against the Astros, the Marlins’ bats came alive as they scored seven, five, and four runs in each game against an elite Houston pitching staff.
In Game 1, Chisholm and Aguilar each hit two home runs that helped give the Marlins a series-opening victory.
In Game 2, Miami had big performances from multiple players including third baseman Jon Berti, left fielder Luke Williams, and Aguilar. Berti was able to produce two RBIs and Williams had an RBI and a couple of base hits. Aguilar had two hits including a double.
In Game 3, Astros right-hander Justin Verlander had pitched six shutout innings and struck out five Marlins batters. Verlander has been incredible this season with a 1.94 ERA and a league-leading eight wins.
But just when you think that this was going to be another one of Verlander’s dominant outings, in the seventh inning, Miami was able to produce four runs that included a big three-run home run from right fielder Bryan De La Cruz that sent the ball soaring into the Crawford Boxes.
It’s great to see the bats come alive and hopefully, the Marlins can sustain the production on offense in the games to come.
The bullpen has been surprisingly solid
The main area of concern all season has been the quality and consistency of the bullpen. Miami has lost countless one-run games because of blown saves or missed opportunities to get out of situations by the Marlins’ relief pitchers.
The starting pitching has been lights out all season and to have their games ruined by the bullpen has been frustrating. But, there’s a glimpse of hope.
During the series against the Astros, Miami’s starting pitchers often found themselves out of the game early due to the rise in pitch counts. No Marlins starting pitcher ever made it to the sixth inning during the three-game set because of how hard it was to get Houston’s hitters out. From top to bottom, the Astros are loaded with talent, so it’s understandable that Miami’s starting pitchers couldn’t go deep into games.
The bullpen did a fantastic job in suppressing Houston’s batters as much as possible. Aside from Game 3’s outing from right-handed reliever Louis Head who gave up four runs, Miami’s bullpen had given up just two runs in the series.
Impressive outings from right-hander Anthony Bass, right-hander Cole Sulser, and left-hander Tanner Scott have played a huge part in Miami’s ability to come out with a series win.
Should we be concerned about the injuries?
Miami has been dealing with injuries for a large part of the season.
Guys like Brian Anderson and Joey Wendle have been on the Injury List for a couple of weeks, so they should be returning to action pretty soon. Then, you have a guy like starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo who hasn’t seen game action since early May. It feels like every day, there’s a new player getting put on the IL.
Right before Game 2 of the series, arguably Miami’s best hitter Garrett Cooper was placed on the IL due to COVID.
During right-handed starting pitcher Pablo Lopez’s start in Game 1, he was forced to come out of the game with what looked like an injury on his right wrist after he got hit by a line drive in the fifth inning. The good news is that x-rays came out negative and Lopez was diagnosed with a right wrist contusion. The bad news is that because he got hit on his throwing arm, how much is that going to affect his accuracy or pitch velocity? As of now, Lopez is day-to-day and should be able to pitch in his next start on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
There shouldn’t be any concern with Cooper, as he should come back into the lineup as soon as his 10 days on the IL are complete. As for Lopez, we’ll see how much he is affected by his wrist in his next start. But, Miami definitely dodged a bullet because this could have definitely been much worse than it was.
The NL East is the hottest division in baseball
Aside from the Washington Nationals, the NL East has been tearing it up in June.
The Marlins have been rolling and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Philadelphia Phillies had won nine in a row since June 1st before getting their win streak snapped against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Atlanta Braves have looked unbeatable and have won 11 in a row. Even though the New York Mets haven’t looked great as of late, they are still 39-22 and sit on top of the National League with the best record.
It will be interesting to see how the standings play out in the coming weeks because the Marlins have a series against the Phillies and the Mets this week. Those series are crucial for Miami if they want to climb the standings in not only the National League, but their division as well.
The Marlins have a three-game series against the Phillies that will be played in Philadelphia from Monday through Wednesday.
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When evaluating the Heat’s current off-season, the name Tyler Herro comes up a lot. Yet when you see that name pop up on the internet, you know it’s probably involved in a mock trade of some kind.
But that’s pretty much what the off-season is for. Fantasy trades, predicting possible outcomes, and trying to pinpoint the direction of a team a couple months in advance. Except, nothing can be predicted in this league, since you can only control what you can control.
With that said, if a star does present themselves, you go for that guy, which Pat Riley pretty much noted in his presser after the season.
But there also must be some perspective and realism: Tyler Herro isn’t just a trade chip. He’s a valuable player to this current Heat build, and has a good chance of being the team’s starting 2 guard by game 1 of the 2022-2023 NBA season.
So, that gets me back in my element of discussing specific developments, instead of the constant jersey swaps that are popping up on the daily. What will be the focus of Herro heading into next season?
The initial answer would include adding some extra muscle to become stronger as an attacker and finisher around the rim. Gaining that also could gradually improve his defensive abilities, since strength just slightly piles onto everything in a positive manner.
Yet that isn’t the main focus heading into next season.
This entire discussion must be based around Jimmy Butler. He’s the superstar of this team that the front office is trying to build around, whether that be internally or externally. And if it ends up being the internal route, a lot of weight will fall onto Herro’s shoulders to fill the gaps that are necessary to counteract Butler.
A primary way of doing just that: isolation, isolation, isolation.
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It’s a true statement that the “playoffs tell,” but that doesn’t mean you have to always throw away the things you learned in the regular season. Herro grew in so many major areas of his game this past season on his way to winning the 6th man of the year award, including his shooting from deep, control in the pick and roll, play-making, and much more.
Yet the only slot of his game that didn’t stand out in the category of pure improvement was his isolation game. In his rookie season, he scored 0.69 points per possession with a 3.4% frequency. That jumped up to 0.84 points per possession in his second season on a 5.2% frequency, yet declined back down to 0.78 PPP this past season while simultaneously shooting up to a 9.3% frequency mark.
He was so skilled off the screen that it almost wasn’t noticeable. No matter if it was the high pick and roll, a dribble hand-off attack, or a set that landed him in catch and shoot position, he just continued to shine and prove to be a high level offensive player.
So, if that’s the case, why is the isolation stuff so important?
Well, here’s your answer…
The injury restricted him in the Eastern Conference Finals from being effective, but the constant blitzing and doubling was the cause in the second round against Philly. He became the decoy which opened up Butler on their way to a series win, but when discussing internal improvements next to Butler, a decoy isn’t the current need.
Back to the original point, this is where the isolation need comes into play. We can talk all we want about “beating the blitz,” but the next layer is not allowing the opposing team to blitz you from the jump.
The need for the screen fell right into the 76ers’ plans to stop Herro.
Now, you mix in a good amount of isos into that shot profile, and it could be an entirely different ball game.
His usual go-to when going one-on-one can vary. If it’s a big that’s guarding him on an iso, a pull-up triple of some kind is always the outcome as he shoots over the top. If it’s a regular match-up, there’s a good chance a step-back mid-range is the answer, since he found a lot of success in just shooting over the top of guys when gluing them to the floor. Then the last option is when he knows a weaker defender is the match-up, in which he will get into his crafty finishing bag around the rim.
The issue with that above: being able to pinpoint a player’s upcoming move in a game of one-on-one is problematic.
It felt like at times teams know what’s coming in those spots, and when that transitions into playoff ball, the half-court offense shrinks, the strong-side corner shades over, and left handed skip passes are required.
A lot of this is viewing stuff under a microscope, which is necessary with players of Herro’s caliber, but it just illustrates how a little bit of 1-on-1 polishing could shift his entire scoring menu.
Once again, top tier players could force their way out of their respective teams, meaning Pat Riley begins picking up the phone, but that just doesn’t seem like a very likely scenario in my personal opinion.
Changes will be made around the edges, but it still comes back to patching up the holes in the boat. Butler is the boat, and Herro would be the hopeful patch.
Isolation will never, and shouldn’t, be anything close to his base. But it must be available to him when needed, since that’s the next step. He’s only gotten better the past 3 years in a Heat uniform, and I don’t believe that’s plateauing now.
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The legendary coach John Wooden once said “The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself.” While many are turning their attention to transactions after the Heat’s disappointing loss to the Celtics, let’s look within and provide a focus for each of the current Heat players for this summer.
Javonte Smart
Entering his second summer with the Heat, Javonte needs to put his strengths on display to have a chance to make the Heat’s roster next season. In his final year at LSU, he led the SEC in 3 point shooting percentage. He also scored nearly 22 points per game with Sioux Falls this season. He’s proven to be a scorer, but at 6’4” he needs to show his ability to be a playmaker at point guard while being able to defend at a high level.
Omer Yurtseven
Omer shined last summer, and previewed flashes of excellence this season especially on the glass, but the leap to regular rotation minutes is enormous. He must improve his foot speed to stay on the floor in today’s NBA. He also must improve his finishing, where he was below league average finishing compared to other bigs at the rim and in the mid-range. With a big summer, Omer could be in line to overtake the backup big minutes behind Bam.
Haywood Highsmith
Similar to Javonte, this could be a make or break summer for Highsmith – especially with the Heat having a contract guarantee deadline in mid-July. After shooting nearly 40% from behind the arc this season in the G-League, Haywood has proven his ability to shoot but his path likely requires him to prove that his 6-7 athletic frame and 7-foot wingspan can be impactful on the defensive end of the floor. The path for Highsmith to make the roster and find meaningful minutes seems difficult, but it’s also hard to doubt the Heat’s ability to develop shooters.
Mychal Mulder
The Heat called up Mulder in March from Sioux Falls, after he averaged 18-5-3 with the Skyforce. Mulder is 27 years old (2017 NBA Draft) and so his window to land in the NBA permanently is slowly closing. He needs to show the shooting potential that we spoke about with Highsmith, but at only 6-3, his ability to defend both guard positions is critical to keeping his two-way contract next season.
Tyler Herro
After gains last offseason, Tyler needs to have another offseason getting stronger. He’s still only 22 years old, but his body still hasn’t matured to that age. With his added strength, he
should be able to add more physicality to his game. He’ll never be Jimmy Butler – but the ability to be more physical on drives, absorb contact and still finish (or create more free throw opportunities) will boost his scoring output. The strength will also help him survive better on defense when teams look to hunt him. His continued development as a playmaker is going to elevate his game from the 6th Man of the Year to a star talent who is a threat to score 25+ nightly while also recognizing opportunities to set up teammates. Finally, continuing to sharpen his strengths in shooting while creating a quicker trigger on his jumper (especially off the dribble) will take his game to another level.
Bam Adebayo
While many point to Bam needing to add a three point shot, I tend to disagree (for now). You have to learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. Bam first needs to become confident in shooting from the 14-16 foot range. Adding the threat of a jumper from the short corner, elbows, and nail puts the defense on notice. This would keep Bam within one dribble of the rim to layer counters with simple shot fakes, or back down smaller defenders. In that range, he can continue to also utilize his comfort zone of the DHO to initiate offense. According to Cleaning the Glass, Bam showed growth in the 2020-2021 season, shooting 14% more mid range shots (9% more long mid range) and hitting 16% better on those long mid range while shooting 7% better from mid range. However, this season Bam saw a 4% decrease in mid range shots (5% decrease from long mid range) and his accuracy dropped 3% from mid range and a significant 7% drop from long mid range. Add a 14-16 foot jumper to 24 year old Bam and you’re invested in a perennial All-NBA player for the rest of this decade.
Gabe Vincent
Like most young guards, Gabe can afford to add strength that will make his improving skills more effective. He could also continue sharpening his ball handling especially against pressure. He’s more of a combo guard than a true point guard, but the added experience, strength and improved handle will make his ability to initiate even easier. After only hearing about his shooting abilities, Gabe put all the doubters on notice this season shooting a career-best 37% from behind the arc. With his improved shooting, he should expect defenses to adjust to his strengths moving forward. Adding a mid range shot that can be utilized as a counter to teams running him off the line, but also to add another weapon to DHO and ball screen actions that he often passed up on during the playoff run.
Caleb Martin
Another gem for the Heat’s scouting and player development, Caleb proved this season that he belongs in the NBA. His defensive versatility is his definite strength and should not fade anytime soon at only 26 years old. His two-way ability should be highly sought after in the free agent market, but the price he commands is most determined by what he can provide on offense. He improved 15% from behind the arc to 42% from his previous season. His shot mechanics won’t be part of any instructional videos, but more important than the visuals are the
efficiency and consistency. In addition to his outside shot, adding to his offensive toolbag beyond relying on his elite athleticism seems to be the path to more consistent minutes.
Strus seized his opportunity shooting 42% and making 130 more three point field goals from the previous season. As we’ve seen around the league, the one dimensional shooter is being pushed away for guys who do “more”. Max said himself that his goal this summer is to “be more complete” which would assume he plans to add more playmaking and counters to teams limiting his opportunities behind the arc. Similar to the conversation last summer with Duncan Robinson, adding a shot fake and 1-2 dribble pull up would serve Max very well. He also could improve as a playmaker creating off the dribble and when using his athleticism to get into the paint. In addition to his offense, Strus needs to continue the growth on the defensive end of the floor.
Duncan Robinson
After a historic season shooting 45% from behind the arc in 2019-2020, Duncan has seen negative regression in each of the past two seasons. Over that time, he has shot 8% worse and made 36 less threes (on 30 more attempts). In the context of the entire league, 37% and 226 3PTM is very, very good – but what has lacked is consistency. On nights when he’s on, he can drop eight threes, but on nights that he’s not, he is unplayable at times. Most importantly, Duncan needs to restore his own confidence in what is undeniably an elite talent. If his shooting is restored, you can then look at counters (shot fake, 1-2 dribble pull up) when defenses try to take him away. With his defensive struggles, you could point to lacking strength, but that added muscle has to come without hampering his shooting or slowing him down even more.
Victor Oladipo
Of the entire team, Victor’s offseason program might be the most interesting. Because most of his time was spent rehabilitating rather than developing, this might be the first time that Victor can focus on sharpening skills and adding to his game since 2018. While strength and conditioning will certainly still be part of his summer, continued development on the offensive side of the floor is crucial. He shot better than his career numbers behind the arc this season, but can that last over the course of an entire season? His playmaking as a combo guard is apparent, but can he be more efficient in that role and reduce turnovers.
Jimmy Butler
After a dominant playoff run and an All-Star season, even Jimmy has summer work to improve his game as he ages. As we saw with an aging Dwyane Wade, the ability to create and make mid range shots will be important to extending Jimmy’s star play. You can extend that out to behind the arc, but it’s such a small part of Jimmy’s game that I don’t know if it warrants a
summer focus. Part of extending Jimmy’s window is going to be treatment for his knee, which could require surgery.
Dewayne Dedmon
After being a productive addition to the Heat, Dedmon’s effectiveness faded this season. At 32 years old, Dedmon likely isn’t adding major facets to his game at this stage of his career. This season Dedmon shot a career-best 45% from behind the arc on limited attempts, and that could be something as he ages that could keep him relevant as a back up big. You could also focus Dedmon’s work on developing better touch around the rim. If the Heat intend to bring him back, the summer work should revolve around how Miami intends to use him behind Bam.
Markieff Morris
Similar to Dedmon, Morris is at a stage in his career where he likely isn’t adding major facets to his game and his return to Miami is questionable. Missing much of the season after a flagrant shove by Nikola Jokic was unfortunate and his role never recovered. While focusing on strength and conditioning, Markieff needs to be an effective stretch big to have a role in this league. Enhancing his shooting from 16 feet out to behind the arc is the key to his ability to find minutes. Without it, he’s likely spending the end of his career nailed to the bench.
Kyle Lowry
The first and foremost priority has to be his conditioning. The time away for personal reasons certainly impacted his conditioning during the season, and you could argue it never really recovered and may have played a role in his hamstring injury during the playoffs. As Kyle moves into the summer, the Heat should challenge him to come back into training camp in the best shape of his career. That will not only allow Kyle to thrive in his role, but provide the team the point guard they desperately need. As should be expected as he ages, Lowry saw career-lows in attempts in the paint this season. This makes his efficiency in the mid range and behind the arc most important to his scoring especially with the amount of opportunities he gets from DHO and ball screens.
PJ Tucker
Tucker shot a career-high 41% from behind the arc this season. If Tucker can continue to shoot at that clip and continue his consistent toughness, win-now teams will be lining up for his services. Beyond shooting, we saw flashes of playmaking from PJ that many did not know even existed. If he’s back in Miami’s system, the counters he can bring to DHO and short rolls make him a bigger offensive threat than most expected. Finally, being 37 years old, PJ clearly must maintain elite fitness to maintain his level of play as he ages.
Udonis Haslem
You don’t send the soon-to-be 42 year old with summer homework. Udonis knows to continue to be an active player, he must continue to maintain excellent fitness and there is no doubt he’ll live up to that expectation. Keep that short corner jump shot polished, hold players accountable, and be ready for one more season as the standard-bearer of Heat Culture.
When you are new to the world of sports betting, it can be a bit easy to get lost in some of the detail that comes on different apps and websites. One of the main difficulties that can come with betting on sports is how to actually understand what odds you are being given for a certain outcome. It is very important that you understand this and know what it means as it will play a large part in your online betting experience.
How Are Odds Presented?
Online sports betting sites and the best online sportsbooks tend to present their odds in different ways. This can come down to a number of factors such as personal preference of the site owner and also the country in which the site is based. As such, it is important that you have an understanding the different ways that betting odds are shown. Some of the most common include the following:
Fractional Odds
Some of the most common kinds of odds are fractional odds. They are (predictably) displayed as fractions, so will come up as 3-1 or 6-4. The way that you can work out how much you will get back on these odds is easy, as all you need to do is multiply the amount of the bets you place by the fraction. For example, if you were going to place a bet with £10 and the odds were 3-1, if that bet were to come in then you would be the winner of £30 profit and you will also get your £10 back too.
When the odds aren’t as straight forward then you need to multiply your bet by the first number and then divide it by the second. As such, if you were to make a bet with £10 and the odds were 7-4, then you would get £17.50. Work this out by taking the 10 and multiplying it by 7 (70) and then divide that by 4, which comes to £17.50.
You are going to be able to tell whether a bet is a favorite or not depending on whether the first number is bigger than the second. If the second number is bigger than that bet is a favorite but if the second number is smaller than that bet is an underdog.
Decimal Odds
A decimal odd is shown as one number and this number is the amount that someone would win based off of a £1 stake. For example, if the odds are listed as 6 then you would get £5 profit and the original £1 bet. You tend to find decimal odds don’t get used as much as fractional odds purely because of the fact people find fractional odds a bit easier to navigate. It will simply depend on the website you decide to use.
Conclusion
Sports betting is incredibly popular and done all over the world. If you want to get involved, then you should start learning about how to read odds as this is going to be very important when it comes to placing your bets.
The NFL is all about passing these days, and wide receivers have been benefiting big time from the rules in today’s NFL. Wide receivers are easy to come by these days in terms of talent, but the quarterback needs to be good enough to get them the football, though. There are so many of them, and some teams have as many as three good wide receivers.
Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams led the NFL in receiving yards last season with 1,947 yards receiving, and he was not far from 2,000 yards receiving. There will be those that bet on the NFL receiving yards leader at an online casino, so, What are the odds, and who will be the favorites to be the receiving yards leader in the NFL this upcoming season?
Justin Jefferson and Cooper Kupp +800
Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams both have the best odds to win the receiving yards title this season. Jefferson is more likely to get it this time around than Kupp is. Justin Jefferson was second in the NFL in receiving yards last season with 1,616 yards receiving.
The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a deep receiving core behind Jefferson. Adam Theilen is a very good number two wide receiver, but they don’t have a bonafide number three. Kirk Cousins will be throwing passes to Justin Jefferson this season.
As for Cooper Kupp on the Los Angeles Rams, some of his yardages might be taken away by Allen Robinson and Van Jefferson. The only thing for him going is that Matthew Stafford is his quarterback.
Kupp is also one of the most reliable wide receivers in the NFL. He may have a lot of catches once again this season, but don’t count on him getting that much yardage again this season.
Travis Kelce and Ja’Marr Chase +1000
Travis Kelce, tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals, both have the second-best odds to be the NFL’s leading receiver in 2022.
Kelce will be Patrick Mahomes’s number one target this season now that Tyreek Hill is no longer with the football team after being traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Travis Kelce will be by far the best offensive tight end statistically this season, but the question will be how many games does he get double teamed and how many games does he have boom or bust kind of performances in fantasy football?
Kelce finished with 1,125 receiving yards last season, which was 14th in the NFL.
Ja’Marr Chase was fourth in the NFL in receiving yards as a rookie last season at 1,455 yards receiving. He is already one of the best wide receivers in the game. Chase’s size and body build, along with his physicality, is a nightmare for defensive backs.
Ja’Marr Chase is a game-breaker and also had five touchdowns last season over 50 yards. The Ja’Marr Chase-Joe Burrow connection was on point last season as it was back in the LSU days.
Despite going to the Super Bowl last season and falling short, the connection can even be better this season because they will have a much better offensive line.
Davante Adams +1200
Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders has the third-best odds to win the 2022 NFL receiving leader. Adams is a wide receiver and is one of the best in the NFL. He finished with the third-most receiving yards last season, with 1,553 yards receiving with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Davante Adams will be catching passes this season from his old college football teammate at Fresno State, quarterback Derek Carr. Carr was one of the reasons why the Las Vegas Raiders made it to the playoffs last season, and he will make sure that Davante Adams gets the ball often this year.
Coming off a disappointing series against the Colorado Rockies earlier in the week, the Miami Marlins looked to bounce back and defend their home field against the visiting San Francisco Giants over the weekend.
Miami won the first and third games of the series, but failed to close out the series win on Sunday as they lost 5-1 and ended up splitting the four-game series against San Francisco.
The Marlins don’t play the Giants anymore in 2022, with the exception of a miracle postseason berth, and finish 3-7 against them.
It was a very up-and-down series for the Marlins which also fittingly sums up their season so far.
Here are five takeaways from the series.
Sandy Alcantara throws another gem
Does this really come as a surprise? It seems like every start, starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara racks up eight or so strikeouts and gives up no more than one run.
In the series-opening game against the Giants, Alcantara tallied eight strikeouts and pitched a shutout in seven innings.
After his phenomenal performance, Alcantara’s ERA sunk down to a staggering 1.81 which is fourth in the MLB and second in the National League.
Elieser Hernandez pitched his way out of the rotation
Starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez has really struggled this season. His 6.75 ERA is the worst among Miami starters and he has given up a total of 18 home runs all year, the most in the MLB.
Hernandez’s outing against the Giants was probably the worst in his career. In the second game of the series, the Marlins opted to go with an opener to start the game.
Left-handed relief pitcher Richard Bleier opened the game for Miami and didn’t pitch great. Bleier looked uncomfortable because he had been so used to coming out of the bullpen throughout his career, so opening a game was not what he had in mind.
Hernandez would then come out of the bullpen in the second inning and he didn’t have an answer for shutting down the San Francisco hitters. Hernandez gave up eight hits and eight earned runs through 4.1 innings of work. Miami lost that game 15-6 and Hernandez was sent down to Triple-A.
“He hasn’t been able to gain any traction through the course of the season,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said about moving Hernandez to Triple-A. “I felt like the best thing for him is to get him down, get reset, let him get refocused, and let him work on things without the pressure of being in a big league game.”
Garrett Cooper is heating up, but where’s everyone else?
First baseman Garrett Cooper has been the lone bright spot in the Marlins’ offense during the series and was a big part in Miami’s come-from-behind 5-4 victory in game 3.
During the three games he played in the series, Cooper went 7-for-14 and hit an opposite-field solo home run during the series finale.
Cooper has been starting to get it going offensively and it’s been great to see.
As for everyone else, the bats have been fairly quiet during the series. There’ve been too many strikeouts and not enough production with runners in scoring position. Also, where has the long ball been? Just one home run through four games. I know the ball flies at Coors Field, but even in Miami, the Marlins haven’t had a problem hitting the ball into the stands.
Giants had too many extra-base hits
It felt as if every hit the Giants had in the series was an extra-base hit. Doubles, home runs, and triples were being sent all around the ballpark.
Over the four-game series, the Giants had a total of 17 extra-base hits.
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford even recorded a triple in the third game and if you’ve seen Crawford run, he’s not exactly Rickey Henderson out there.
Sure, LoanDepot Park is a big ballpark and it’s easy to get a triple if you hit the ball deep enough into the corner like Crawford did. But also, the pitcher has to make sure that those types of hits don’t happen and the outfielders need to be quick to react to the ball.
The Walk-Off Helmet
In the third game of the series, the Marlins beat the Giants in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off sacrifice fly by outfielder Jesus Sanchez that was deep enough to score third baseman Luke Williams with ease.
In typical walk-off fashion, the players chased Sanchez around the field and showered him with sunflower seeds. But, is that a football helmet on his head?
We’ve seen crazy walk off celebrations over the years but the football helmet has to be a first.
Do I get it? No. Do the players look like they’re happy? Sure. And that’s all that matters, right?
Up next for the Marlins is a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
That series will be played from Tuesday through Thursday at LoanDepot Park.
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Photo by Tony Capobianco
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/CAP_2461-scaled.jpg17642560Aidan Gallardohttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgAidan Gallardo2022-06-06 08:20:112022-06-06 08:20:115 Takeaways from Marlins’ Series Split vs. Giants
In order to enjoy any golf game to the maximum, you must focus on enhancing your skills. Now, a vast majority of seasoned golfers will tell you that one of the best ways to boost your game is through golf lessons.
You will frequently stumble upon people advising both more and less experienced golfers to try them and avoid seeking professional instructions. That’s because precisely these lessons can be of huge help.
On the other hand, there are people who have never had any lessons before and have done just fine. Now, if you’re not of those rare birds, and you need some guidance, then check out these tips below.
Practical Ways To Improve Your Golf Game
Set Your Goals
If you want to enhance your game, the first thing that you should do is set certain goals for yourself. They can be both short-term and long-term. Why does this matter? Well, they will help you figure out exactly what needs to be done to take your game to the next level.
First, start by writing down measurable, doable goals. At some point, you can look back at these notes to see how far you have come.
Search The Web
It is widely known that Google has the answer to every single question, hence, you should browse the web to see if there are any golf-related websites that are loaded with useful information. Avid golf lovers at www.golfah.com want to remind you that a high-quality, thorough golf-related site is supposed to feature beneficial guides and tips that will help you improve your game. So go ahead and see whether you can find an educative online handbook.
Focus On Your Mental Approach
It is safe to say that golf is one of the most difficult sports in terms of mental aspects in the world and a vast majority of experienced golf players will tell you that golf can oftentimes play havoc with the brain.
Namely, due to the scoring system, every golfer must face up to having failed on practically every hole. Sadly, a lot of golfers have a tendency to lose focus and quickly get stressed due to the numerous rules that this sport brings.
And that’s precisely one of the reasons why you must work on your mental approach and start accepting the fact that you’ll be dealing with various challenges during your game and that you won’t be able to play perfectly every single time.
Therefore, you should have a more relaxed and laid-back approach, otherwise, you will completely lose your mind. Furthermore, accept the fact you will most likely hit bad shots frequently, and that there’s no point in beating yourself up because of that.
Don’t Forget To Implement These Tips As Well!
Good Posture Before You Hit The Ball
Before you even start thinking about striking the ball, you should first take other factors into account that are going to help you get the ball exactly where you want it. Distance between body and club, the width of stance, overall body posture, bend in your knees, all these things play a huge role.
Check Your Eyes On A Regular Basis
You might think that your vision will always remain perfect, but sadly, that’s not the case. Namely, the report that has been given by the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics has stated that one out of ten people older than 18 in the USA have reported some issues when it comes to their vision.
This refers even to the ones who are wearing glasses. Golfers have the tendency to joke about their eyes, stating that it’s much better when the ball is a blur, but the truth is, if you do not have a regular eye checkup, you’re not going to be able to enhance your game.
Bear in mind, that in order to play golf smoothly, you must have a solid vision for aiming, enhanced coordination between the club and your hands, and probably the most important thing, eye teaming.
What does eye teaming mean? Namely, it represents a visual skill that enables both eyes to work together in an accurate and coordinated way.
Experiment With Your Swing
Oftentimes, golfers obsess over a single approach, doing everything they can to enhance their swing, that they forget to try out other interesting techniques. The point is to try out something you haven’t tried before with your golf shots and you can always schedule a less with some more experienced golfers at your club.
As you can see, you do not need to join any club or hire a professional in order to take your game to the next level. All you have to do is give some of these tips a chance, and you’ll make significant improvements to your game.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-cottonbro-6256836-scaled.jpg17072560Five Reasonshttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgFive Reasons2022-06-06 08:02:472022-06-13 14:40:52A Full Guide to Becoming a Better Golfer
Looking back over this season for the Miami Heat, they finished as the first seed in the Eastern Conference, yet capped out in the Eastern Conference Finals in game 7, one win, or one shot, away from another NBA Finals appearance.
So, now that it’s officially off-season time, it’s time to project forward. But you can’t fully look ahead until you evaluate the past, so let’s take a brief look throughout the roster to establish both what happened and what’s next…
Jimmy Butler:
What happened?
When talking about the Miami Heat, you must start out with the headliner, which is clearly Jimmy Butler. Sometimes a season is remembered by how you start, and other times by how you finish. And in Butler’s case, he capitalized in both of those fields.
From MVP ladder rankings to begin the year to a 47 point masterpiece in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals facing elimination, it’s no doubt that it was a terrific season. We all know about his defensive excellence when surrounded by strong defenders, but carrying the offensive load yet again to this degree was eye opening.
Y’all can have fun with NBA player rankings, but Butler cemented himself as a clear top 10 player in today’s league.
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Seasons like this need more than just the numbers to be remembered in the history books, they need something to remember. Many teams and fans have begun using Custom Challenge Coins as unique keepsakes to commemorate iconic moments, honor players, and commemorate memorable seasons.
Whether it was Butler’s heroics in Game 6 or the team’s resilience in the playoffs, custom coins are a unique way to honor the journey. With personalized designs featuring team logos, player numbers, or milestone dates, these coins have become a lasting symbol of excellence and dedication, encouraging Butler and his teammates to keep working hard and creating more brilliance.
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What’s next?
When talking about the next steps for individual players, I’m going to do a lot of talking about simple on-court improvements or the next stage of a contract/trade possibility. Yet for Jimmy Butler, it’s about just the opposite.
It’s just building a roster to get him that ring that he so very deserves, which was one of the primary reasons he landed in Miami in the first place. Watching him put it all out there in this post-season showed one thing that we probably already knew: build fully around Butler to get this group over the hump. Basically the playoff motto for the Heat in this recent run: get Jimmy Butler some help.
Bam Adebayo:
What happened?
Offensively he may have his ups and downs on picking when to go and be aggressive, but his impact was felt from game 1 to game 100. One of the league’s best defenders, even if the voters couldn’t recognize that. Games 3 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals showed flashes again on the other end, mostly about the hope of what he would look like as a full-time third option on the offensive end.
In the mix of things throughout the season, Adebayo receives a lot of blame from the public. When they lose, it’s easy to look over at his stat-line and make that the reason it occurred, but it truly isn’t the full story. There’s no doubt the aggression will have to pick up in a more consistent manner, but Adebayo did his job this season, and that game 7 proved the focal points of this Heat group.
What’s Next?
Clearly Adebayo is locked into contract and isn’t going anywhere, so what’s next for him is much more game-based. His defensive traits are here to stay, meaning the offense will always be the primary focus in an off-season.
When players talk about that specific focus, it’s usually prefaced by “perfecting my all-around game.” But when it comes to Adebayo, I don’t believe that to be the case.
The next step for him: a go-to offensive move that we’ve discussed for quite some time. Is it a post-up move? Face-ups? Jumper? It’s tough to say, but it comes down to his comfort level in certain spots.
Something to watch for though: Bam Adebayo loves that baseline. No matter if he’s in position for a post-up or a face-up, the end result is most likely going to be a baseline dash or a post spin down that line for position under the rim. So I’m thinking they’re going to find a way to maximize his skill down there.
Tyler Herro:
What happened?
As I stated earlier, the way you finish a season is usually remembered much more than the main chunk of your production in a certain time frame. And for Tyler Herro, he wasn’t even lucky enough to actually “finish” his season correctly after dealing with that groin injury in the Eastern Conference Finals.
But to zoom out a bit, he grew a ton this past season as an offensive player. Aside from winning the sixth man of the year award, he was right up there at the top of the scoring list with Butler in the regular season.
But it isn’t about the numbers, he grew as a creator in terms of finding healthy step-backs and fade-aways to get his shot off against good defenses. He even grew to the degree that teams through the entire playoffs threw different defensive coverages at him since they were so worried about him. Those obstacles slowed him down a good amount, but there’s no doubt he made strides this year as a scorer in this league.
What’s next?
When hearing what is next for Tyler Herro at this time of year, I know what you all are thinking. Donovan Mitchell. Zach LaVine. Damian Lillard. Probably even LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo. The point is that he’s going to be thrown into any conversation for those stars to improve the team, and I mean rightfully so. Everybody is pulling that trigger to land a star in this league next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
But the realistic element: it’s not that likely. Yes top players always move around every off-season, but this is totally out of the Heat’s control. It’s 1) on the specific player to ask out and demand Miami and 2) the opposing team has to actually like the trade package you’re offering.
Aside from all of those fantasies, there are clear areas for him to improve on the basketball court. The first step is his driving game, which did make strides throughout the regular season, but the physicality of the playoffs blocked the rim off for him to attack.
He must find ways to draw contact on those stop signs standing in the lane, which may develop with his focus on adding some extra upper body strength.
The last thing is a combination of a live dribble and his play-making skills. That’s another thing that was peaking late in the regular season, but the constant blitzing and doubles he faced found ways to stall out both him and the team’s offense. Working on those quicker passing triggers will be key for his off-season development.
Oh, and the last thing to note, the next step for him personally is becoming a full-time Heat starter.
Kyle Lowry:
What happened?
I feel like the Kyle Lowry section is one of the hardest to sum up into words. He had a strong regular season in terms of carrying the team when guys went down, which was pretty much what the Heat needed when they acquired him.
But the other thing they needed was the two words he used pretty often in the regular season: “real season.” His ramp up process was hitting new levels late in the regular season, which Erik Spoelstra joked recently that they wished the playoffs could’ve started then. But well, they didn’t.
Lowry started off the “real season” pretty well with some strong performances at the beginning of the Hawks series, but the fall-off came a little after as injuries struck. In and out was his story-line the rest of the way, as that hamstring never truly allowed him to look right. He had a big game 6 in the ECF next to Jimmy Butler, but it capped off there.
I feel like he exceeded some of the regular season expectations with the hot pockets throughout the year when guys went down, but the playoffs plummeted quite a bit. Was it simply derailed by injuries? Was that usual burst to the rim and pull-up shooting gone? I’m not sure, but I do know that hamstring situation didn’t help.
What’s next?
Kyle Lowry is locked into a decent sized contract with this Heat team moving forward, meaning “what’s next” seems to be characterized by a potential trade for some. But let me just say this in simple terms: Kyle Lowry came to the Heat because of Jimmy Butler. Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler are close friends. Jimmy Butler isn’t allowing Kyle Lowry to be traded.
Maybe that last sentence has an exception if it’s grabbing a top tier star and he needs to be packaged, but even then it gets a bit cloudy. The point is that Lowry is a part of this current build, so the focus on what is next is how to maximize him.
And this isn’t young player development like improving on a specific skill, this is honing in on his body and physical build. Something Spoelstra danced around in his exit interview presser was the idea of Lowry getting into Heat shape, finishing the convo off with “I think Kyle will come back next training camp in the best shape of his career.”
That fixes a lot of what we’re discussing. He needs to be in great shape, preserve himself in the regular season, and be fresh by the time the playoffs roll around. That’s what Butler did this past year, and that’s what Lowry will need to do.
PJ Tucker:
What happened?
PJ Tucker simply exceeded all expectations in everybody’s eyes from the front office to teammates to fans. We knew he was a defensive dawg, but increasing the offensive display of a 37 year old isn’t easy. Speolstra talked about how he was surprised of this ascension, as he even carried the load of the front-court when Bam went down with injury for a month and a half.
Tucker told Spo that he used to play some point guard, and he didn’t believe him. When he reassured, Spo tweaked the December game-plan of giving Tucker some more play-making reps, which included a hot stretch of running some post-spits and different sets for him for a good chunk of time.
We also can’t just say he was great defensively while not punching that point home. He made Trae Young’s life horrible in the first round, handled both James Harden and Joel Embiid off switches all series long, and didn’t allow Jayson Tatum maximum comfort all 7 games. He was the rock of everything they did, and every Heat player has made sure to point that out all year.
What’s next?
Contract wise for Tucker, he’s one of those flexible off-season pieces to watch as he has that $7.4 million player option at the moment. I’m not the guy to fully project forward on what he will do with that, but it’s clear no matter if he opts in or out, the Heat will be very focused on bringing him back.
Yet as he isn’t getting any younger, the enticing part about his return would be making his life a bit easier with some type of front-court addition. More than anything though, he just wants to be out there and play, and it’s clear he fits Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler, and this organization to an absolute T.
Duncan Robinson:
What happened?
As Tucker may have exceed many expectations, it’s pretty clear that nobody saw the Robinson season coming at all. After receiving his healthy bag, he endured some shooting struggles to begin the year.
Spoelstra and the Heat stuck with him all the way through, yet he could never really find his usual comfort and consistency from deep, while it felt like the offense was being restricted at times to get him going.
One Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra fight and a 4 game losing streak later, a change was made. The Heat shifted the starting lineup and rotation to have Max Strus start at the 2, trying to find a spark in anyway possible. And that was exactly found.
Robinson then began to trickle down the Heat’s rotation little by little, eventually finding himself on the outside looking in by playoff time.
What’s next?
The next stage for Robinson is unclear, but the next stage for the Heat with Robinson is a bit clearer. As I pointed out earlier, yes, he’d be included in the big time deals for the star-powered players in Heat jersey swaps on social media. But the Heat’s off-season isn’t going to consist of waiting around for something that probably won’t even happen.
So, could a Robinson deal be done on its own to patch up some holes in the roster? Very much so. Talking about Tucker possibly needing some front-court help on the surface, the question becomes: who could Robinson get you as a potential stretch big?
We have a full off-season to talk about that now, but the point is that’s the next outlet for Robinson and the Heat. There are clearly teams that can use the shooting gift that Robinson possesses, and the Heat may need to shift in another direction.
Gabe Vincent:
What happened?
Entering this season, there was one hole on the Heat’s roster according to many Heat observers: back-up point guard. Gabe Vincent was going to be a fine third string point guard, but they needed a trusted back-up.
Not only did Vincent emerge into that, he progressed into a solid starting point guard for many slots of the regular season and the playoffs.
Not enough is said about the strides he made in his all-around game. Many were eyeing his shooting from deep since that’s what landed him on the roster in the first place, and that began to click as well. But more importantly, he became a big time defender, his play-making skills grew more than expected, and they transitioned him from a small 2 into a solid 1. In terms of production and progression, Vincent was one of the true success stories from this year.
What’s next?
Some may call Vincent or Max Strus sweeteners for a potential star-powered trade, but I don’t think it gets much sweeter than two highly productive rotation players on minimum contracts next season. That is just incredible value from a contractual perspective.
On the other side of things, I truly believe Vincent’s off-season development approach will be the cliche “improving in all areas.” It’s working on the consistency of the outside shot, the effectiveness of the pull-up, a tighter handle, and most importantly, quick play-making attributes.
Max Strus:
What happened?
As illustrated in other areas of this piece, Max Strus emerged this season from out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s not about fully jumping onto the scene, but just arriving at the right time. As much as we group Vincent, Strus, and Caleb Martin together in that young undrafted branch, many Heat observers compared them often.
Why is that? Well, there were only so many rotation spots, so the question continued to be ‘who was going to be the odd man out?’ For a good stretch of time with Vincent and Martin’s offensive game surging, that guy seemed to be Strus. But well, you know how that story ended up going.
Robinson struggled, changes were made, and Strus found himself in the starting lineup on the biggest stages. In the same breath as Vincent, he was a major success story for this Heat developmental staff who just continues to do it again and again.
What’s next?
Not to be too repetitive, but as described previously with Vincent, his contract is just an insane amount of value heading into this next season. But as much as that’s a thing, they’re going to be playing for even bigger pay-days next season heading into free agency.
For Strus individually, the shooting is clearly his staple. He had some flashes of strong attacks and defensive stops, but those will need to improve heading into this next season.
But since he’s going to be a part of this Heat offense yet again, he’s going to need something out of Duncan Robinson’s book from previous years: effectiveness off dribble hand-offs.
Strus is a tough shot maker and a clear movement shooter, but a lot of his shooting stretches came off slip screens or ghost screens into a spot-up jumper on the wing. Or just the usual catch and shoot from anywhere on the floor. But the smoothness of a Robinson hand-off would be crucial for Strus as the “best shooter on the team,” as he proclaimed with semi-air quotes.
I can say that he works on it a ton in practice after watching a ton of his post-practice shooting drills this season, but that’ll be a primary focus in the Summer.
Victor Oladipo:
What happened?
Victor Oladipo’s season consisted of an incredible comeback story and extremely small sample sizes. He made his return late in the season showcasing some high level defensive moments, yet the offensive insertion slowed down the Heat’s strides late in the year.
They shelved him for some time for that very reason, but when Lowry went down in the playoffs, his number was called again, and he answered the call. He did a very good job as a shot creator when they needed him to be, and a second half against Jaylen Brown and the Celtics in game 1 will be on his career highlight tape.
We know he’s a high-level talent, but the question was how he’d round into shape. He did a good job responding to that, but now the attention turns to what the title of his next chapter will be…
What’s next?
Oladipo is currently a free agent at the moment after he took a chance with the Heat earning the minimum, but now it’s about what his market looks like. The Heat do hold his Bird Rights, so they will have some level of control, but it’s much more on the rest of the league.
Personally, it feels like there’s a good chance he finds his way back onto this Heat roster, which quickly transitions into what is next in his production.
As much as I’ve highlighted individual improvements for much of the Heat’s roster, it’s more about role for Oladipo. Trying to blend him into their game-plan on the fly this season wasn’t the easiest thing to do, since a lot of his play was either standing in the corner as an off-ball threat or going isolation mode.
Once the Heat find out his plans in free agency, they’re going to jump on that pretty quickly. Dissecting what his job on the offensive end will be for this team, so the outline is totally understood by opening night.
Caleb Martin:
What happened?
I feel like I could just copy and paste the story-line of many of these undrafted players who climb up the ladder, since Caleb Martin falls right under that category as well.
Betting on himself by signing a two-way contract with the Heat after being cut by the Charlotte Hornets, then turned into a key rotation player who finished the season on a regular contract with Miami.
A big time game early in the year against the Milwaukee Bucks showed his abilities under the bright lights with so many guys out, but one major defensive run around January capitalized on his effectiveness. A point guard clamping tour from Steph Curry to Chris Paul to De’Aaron Fox to Fred VanVleet. The way he was able to size down proved to be very helpful, and he just fit the build of this team.
What’s next?
Martin is also a free agent, but they will throw him the qualifying offer as Miami can match outside offers if necessary. But after Martin spoke in the exit interviews on Tuesday, he voiced over and over again that he wants to come back to Miami.
So, to continue on what’s next for him personally, I’d like to retreat back to a point I made about Oladipo. When I asked Martin about his focus in improvements and role next season, he kept bringing up one guy’s name: PJ Tucker. The focus won’t be on an individual attribute, even though he noted his shooting consistency will be big, but instead his role is going to be laid out on the table from day one.
Screening, rolling, play-making off the slip. Martin wants to be that dirty work guy that can be relied on regularly much like Tucker has been this past season. This team had a lot of depth this past year, but now they need assigned roles to that depth. And Martin accepting that type of stuff can do just that.
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Dewayne Dedmon/Omer Yurtseven
What happened?
Yes, I’m going to merge two very different players who only share the same position, since both of them are in two totally different spots.
Dewayne Dedmon is coming off a year as the team’s trusted back-up big, while Omer Yurtseven was in an evaluating state as the third string big, who popped into the lineup when needed during Adebayo’s absence.
Dedmon had a strong showing early on, but the minutes declined rapidly in the playoffs as his production slowed down. Spoelstra began going smaller, which is always his most comfortable area, leaving Dedmon on the outside looking in.
Yurtseven, on the other hand, was a garbage time killer. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but his biggest moments came when he’d enter with 3 minutes left and come away with like 6 rebounds out of nowhere. That’s definitely a skill, and he has a good amount of skill while being very young,
What’s next?
The reason I grouped them together was much more about this section. Dewayne Dedmon will be a free agent with the Heat holding Bird Rights, but it pretty much feels like Miami got everything out of him that they needed. The next stage for him in terms of contract could be the end with his Heat tenure.
Omer Yurtseven on the other hand could have a bit more responsibilities. I still believe that the Heat grab some extra front-court pieces either in a possible Robinson trade, or low level free agency options, but Yurtseven will have a fighting chance.
He will have another run in Heat Summer league, now as more of the focal point after Strus dominated the last time around. He’s been working majorly behind the scenes with the coaching staff, so I’m interested to see the way he’s grown by the time Summer league actually starts.
Either way, the back-up big slot feels to be the one area of speculation to kick off this off-season.
Lastly, we can’t leave anybody off. Markieff Morris had some moments to begin the year, but one Nikola Jokic shove in the back basically ended his role on this Heat team, since his time of recovery kept being extended.
Guys like Haywood Highsmith, Javonte Smart, and Mychal Mulder didn’t really have any major impact on this Heat group, but they’re always important to keep an eye on in this Heat organization.
One moment they’re just some guys in Summer League, and the next thing you know they’re starting 12 games in the regular season. More than anything, the developmental group deserves all of the credit.
What’s next?
Morris will be a free agent as well after earning the minimum, so it feels like it could be the end of the road there, unless no other reserve 4’s come available in free agency. (I’m eyeing Thaddeus Young possibly.)
Haslem just never seems to be done, as his exit interview every year seems to go the same way. He said he will think it over in the off-season, which will probably mean he will be back breaking up bench altercations again next year.
And as I said before, Highsmith, Smart, and Mulder will have some chances in Summer League to show what they’ve got.
(Yes, that’s everybody on the current roster. No, I won’t be addressing the Kyle Guy’s and Mario Chalmer’s from earlier 10-days.)
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https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/25DFE854-DDD6-4F5C-B36D-5C3371989072.jpeg7301117Brady Hawkhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgBrady Hawk2022-06-02 12:42:392025-04-27 15:37:42The Miami Heat’s Roster Season Review + What’s Next
