4-star QB Kaden Martin commits to Miami Baseball, may play football

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On Wednesday afternoon, both the Canes baseball and possibly football team received a commitment from Kaden Martin. The son of former San Diego Chargers QB Tee Martin, he plays outfield and pitcher for Knoxville Catholic on the diamond and is also a QB on the gridiron. 

He’s ranked as the 7th-best dual-threat QB in the country and #341 overall according to the 247Sports’ Composite. 

 

According to sources in Coral Gables, his commitment is more so for the Canes’ baseball team with a chance to also star for the football team, but he is more likely to suit up for the former than the latter.

 

Martin alluded to Canes’ baseball head coach Gino DiMare and his recent success of sending multiple players to the big leagues as well as developing a relationship with former Cane John Jay.

 

 

However, there is a possibility that he may not suit up for either as he is a highly-regarded baseball prospect who may be selected in the early rounds of the 2021 MLB draft. 

 

IMPACT

 

I personally did not know how hard Miami was recruiting Martin initially, simply because it was no secret that Miami was hot on the tail of Lowndes QB Jacurri Brown. 

 

Martin would be nice to have in our class for insurance and he’s no fluke for a gunslinger, but all signs still point to the 6’4”. 205 lb. Brown as their #1 target on the QB board. 

 

Now that I mention Brown, I feel confident assuming that Miami’s interest in the 5th-ranked dual-threat QB  is reciprocated as he did include Miami in his top-5 along with Florida, Auburn, Arizona State, and Texas A&M.

But Rhett Lashlee’s been on his tail nonstop and they should be considered the favorites for him.

 

Stay tuned to @SixthRingCanes and I (@PaulAustria_) on Twitter as we keep you updated and get you ready as the Canes begin spring camp next Saturday, March 13th. 

 

That includes a new episode of The Sixth Ring, which you don’t want to miss.

 

What Does a Jimmy Butler Return Mean for Miami?

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Jimmy Butler made the trip to New Orleans for Miami’s final game before the All-Star break, but he’s still listed at questionable. But it’s clear that he wouldn’t have gone with them if there wasn’t a very good chance he was going to suit up.

With that being said, it’s necessary to discuss the meaning of Butler playing tonight, other than the obvious elevation that occurs when he’s on the floor.

The team currently sits at 17-18, which means this is ultimately a pretty big swing game for this team mentally. Getting a week off with a record of 18-18 or 17-19 are two majorly different things, which is why I feel a win against Atlanta on Tuesday would have led to Butler not making the trip.

But, that’s not the current situation. The current state is that this team wants to get back to .500, so they can return from the All-Star break with a clean slate.

Bam Adebayo is listed as questionable for tonight’s game as well, due to left knee tendinitis. But knowing his track record, I think it’s pretty clear the team is preparing for him to play.

The reason that is important is due to recency bias, since Adebayo had a rough night against the Hawks, mostly because of his lack of aggression. That means a bounce back game against New Orleans to finish off the first half of the season holds much more than many may think.

The terms and phrases that have been used time and time again between players are “playing together” or something along the lines of “confidence.” And well, 18-18 puts you right in the mix around the four seed in the East, which is quite impressive considering the roller coaster of events that have occurred throughout their first 35 games.

Boston’s currently 18-17 while facing the Toronto Raptors tonight, who are 17-18. The New York Knicks have a winnable game against the Detroit Pistons to push them up to 19-18, while Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee are comfortably out in front.

So, that being said, Miami’s not in a terrible spot at the moment. They get a week off, without dealing with All-Star Weekend

A Look into Bam Adebayo’s Offensive Aggression vs Atlanta

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After Miami’s rough loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, it was clear that eyes would turn to the Heat’s young centerpiece, Bam Adebayo. It wouldn’t be a big deal if he just struggled offensively, but he didn’t even put himself in position to take that chance.

He lacked aggression in two straight games without Jimmy Butler, which is a bit alarming at the moment since he’s the second guy on this team, who should be able to take charge when needed.

So, here’s a look into Adebayo’s lack of aggression last night, in comparison to his offensive explosion against Brooklyn earlier in the season, since it’s essential to evaluate the major differences.

– Early reliance on Goran Dragic generating offense

Before diving totally into Bam Adebayo’s offensive play, the early tone must be noted. Without Jimmy Butler, Miami lacked a guy who can get downhill. Kendrick Nunn is capable, Tyler Herro has a crafty ability, and Dragic can attack pick and rolls, but there isn’t a consistent ability as when Butler is playing.

Although this play ends with a Duncan Robinson three point make, the spacing issues early are clear while Adebayo is doing his nightly off the ball screens. A crowd formed as Dragic got to the basket, and Clint Capela altered his focus onto him, putting his back toward Adebayo.

It’s obvious that Butler makes Adebayo’s job a lot easier in the offense, but there must be a change in mindset when he’s out, instead of just handing the keys to the 34 year old veteran.

– Open space not being utilized

As Dragic clears to the corner early in the play, take a look at the amount of space Adebayo is given to operate. More importantly, look at the wide open space at the free throw line, which is his favorite spot to dribble toward for a pull-up jumper.

In the first quarter, a major issue was getting Adebayo his touches, since the offense was not working through him in any way. But as the game progressed, they began to feed the ball to him in his spots, but he didn’t look to take advantage of it, leading to Kelly Olynyk kick-outs in a crowded space.

Now, take a look at this play on the same side of the floor. Do you see anything similar? Do you see anything different?

Well, I do. The similarities I see is that there’s wide open space at the free throw line, as the team clears out in any way possible for him to operate. The only difference is that he actually attacked that spot in this game.

There are a lot of factors to this overall situation other than his personal aggression, since some can point to game-plan. In this Brooklyn game, it seemed as if the offensive plan was to give the ball to the best player on your team, and allow him to play freely in open space.

But not only did that game-plan not occur yesterday, Adebayo didn’t seem to want it that way either.

– Lack of aggression leads to careless turnovers

It’s never important to just highlight a single turnover during a game, but it is essential when evaluating the reason for the turnover.

The reason this occurred is due to Adebayo’s passive ways late in games. 7 minutes left in the game, down by 2, 12 seconds on the shot clock. And yet, he’s still trying to create offense for others in these offensive sets.

The pass was clearly careless, but the pass isn’t the issue here. It’s the fact that he’s facing the Hawks bench at this point in the game without Jimmy Butler.

– Late game initiative non-apparent

Take a look at the end of this play, when Gabe Vincent clears the ball out to the wing with 7 seconds left on the shot clock.

Adebayo had a chance to call for the ball to make a play, while Vincent could clear out, but instead he looked indecisive if he wanted to set the screen or get the pass. Although Herro almost converted on that reverse layup, your two-way player shouldn’t be the one attacking to make a play late in the game.

One more time, let’s take a look at what happens in a game where he has a scoring mindset. He gets a cleared out side of the floor here as well, and takes his defender off the dribble, leading to a converted tough jumper.

This just shows that he’s capable of making plays like this when it matters, but that indecisiveness kicks in at times and throws everything off. There’s a reason that on nights when the jumper is falling, he makes a bunch. It’s because when he sees one go in and realizes what he is capable of, he is a hard guy to stop.

But it’s clear the only guy that can stop Bam Adebayo is Bam Adebayo.

– Once again, watching the offense instead of being the offense

Lastly, just watch Adebayo on this play. Atlanta just went on an 11-1 run, so it seems like now is the time for Adebayo to step up and try to create offense. Except, the complete opposite occurred.

He sets a screen for Dragic, then fades to the opposite baseline. For the next 10 seconds, he stood in place in that exact spot, while Andre Iguodala, Dragic, Herro, and Nunn ran in circles to find open space.

This play pretty much sums up my entire point about his aggression this game. When it’s a game without Butler, dribble penetration late in games fades away, but that shouldn’t lead to Iguodala post-ups into contested dribble hand-offs.

Once he realizes it himself in game speed, instead of post-game media sessions, it’ll be the biggest leap in his game to this point. The weaknesses in his game are very limited, which is why this final barrier is the part many people are awaiting to be broken.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Hawks

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The Miami Heat lost to the Atlanta Hawks this time around, in an absolute nightmare of a game. Erik Spoelstra has discussed playing games in the mud this season, but they played this game in something much worse than mud. Anyway, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Miami’s offense no where to be found early.

Well, there’s not much to dive into when discussing the Miami Heat’s offense in the first half, other than shots just not falling. Good looks were being generated throughout beyond the arc, but somehow Miami ended up with 37 points in the first half. The biggest reason for Miami’s offensive struggles was the lack of a guy who can consistently get downhill. Jimmy Butler is usually that guy, but in a game where he was watching from the sideline, that issue became more apparent. This type of offensive play early says a lot about Butler as a player, but it also says a lot about this team. It’s clear they rely on Butler a bit too much at times, since it’s a lot of standing around until he generates offense. Goran Dragic helps that a bit, which was the only type of flow that they had, when he was attacking and kicking.

#2: Bam Adebayo needs to step up amid big time struggles.

When something is going wrong for a team, it’s natural to look toward the best player and leader for that particular night. It was obvious Bam Adebayo wasn’t having his best game in the first half, but 2 shot attempts through 16 minutes of bad basketball should never be the case. As I mentioned previously, dribble penetration and rim pressure was a big issue tonight, which is why setting screens for more pull-up jumpers should be altered a bit. The Clint Capela match-up favors Adebayo from an offensive perspective due to quickness, but that advantage was never really looked to. Butler definitely makes Adebayo’s job a lot easier in most of Miami’s sets, but when Adebayo has to carry a lineup come playoff time when Butler takes a breather, there must be a high amount of trust.

#3: Andre Iguodala may be the only reason things stayed close.

Andre Iguodala is the only guy on the current roster who can replicate some of the things Butler does, mostly from a facilitating perspective. Even though he was directing traffic, shots still weren’t falling, but his continued activity on both ends sparked them in some spurts. That Iguodala-Gabe Vincent tandem continues to impress many on the defensive end, due to both of their extremely aggressive mindsets to get on the ground for loose balls, pick up full-court, and more. A couple stops began to get Miami into transition offense, which seemed to be the only efficient offense early. There’s an immense amount of confidence when Iguodala is running the break, due to his high IQ play-making abilities, which was the only reason Miami trailed by 7 at the half, after a horrific performance early on.

#4: Duncan Robinson sparks third quarter run.

Duncan Robinson found a good time to get free on the perimeter for some three point makes, since it was the spark Miami was waiting for. But it wasn’t just Robinson finding space out of nowhere, he actually generated it himself. He put the ball on the floor a little more to begin the third quarter than he usually would, which was necessary in a game where shots weren’t dropping. Although he wasn’t scoring off the dribble, it gave the defense something to think about, and surprisingly they were thinking about it. Those triples weren’t the traditional dribble hand-off either, since he even utilized some pick and roll sets in which he’d pull up off the dribble. Seeing Robinson have the ability to score in a variety of ways when not being absolutely swarmed, is a healthy reminder after the recent defenses he’s faced.

#5: Tyler Herro finally flips a switch late in the third, but it wasn’t enough.

Tyler Herro stepping up late in the third quarter, after Robinson played a big part early, was all Miami needed to find any type of offense. As I discussed after last game, Herro has an ability to flip an individual switch, leading to increased confidence and more aggression. On a night that he struggled, one shot going in the basket is all it took for him to get back to himself, which led to him straying away from his passive ways early. Those passing abilities made an appearance in the fourth quarter once again after he had a quick scoring run, but that’s when play-making is most effective for him. Herro is not a natural play-maker, he’s a natural scorer. But he can be a trusted facilitator once defenses begin to target his scoring time and time again. Even when he attacked, though, play-making can’t be harped on when the players around him were struggling with uncontested jumpers.

Six tricks to becoming a better golfer

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Golf is such a wonderful game and completing 18 holes has so many great benefits for health and happiness. Golf is a fantastic exercise, enables players to spend time in nature, and is a great way to hang out with friends. Even though golf is so fun, it is also among the most difficult of all sports to play. Even the best players in the world are constantly looking for ways to improve their game and iron out any mistakes in their swing or stance. Every golf fanatic has a tip they just heard in the clubhouse which they are eager to share and so it can be hard to know which will have legitimate benefits and which won’t.

To separate the facts from the fiction, here are 6 tricks to become a better golf player.

1. Adjust Your Grip Until it is Totally Comfortable

The golf grip is the vital connection between your body, your club, and your ball, and so finding a grip with which you are totally comfortable is very important. One of the biggest problems that many beginner golfers have is their shots not going straight, and this is usually due to an incorrect grip. Make sure your palms, fingers, and thumbs are all in the right position and that you are holding the club at the right angle. Never rush your grip. Every time you hold a club, go through every step of forming your grip one by one and your accuracy will dramatically improve.

2. Buy Clubs that Suit Your Game

The second thing you need to do to improve your play is to buy clubs that actually suit your game. Many players, both beginners and more experienced players make the mistake of just buying the most expensive clubs or the brand which their favorite players use. You need to try out every kind of club, from Titleist Drivers to Ben Hogan Edge Irons to see which clubs feel best to you. The most important thing you need to check is the weight of the clubs. If a club is too light or too heavy it can negatively impact your balance, swing, and final shot. Borrow clubs from friends to try them out and test which provide you with the most control and power potential. You may find your club needs to change as you progress and develop as a player so never stop being curious when it comes to golf clubs.

3. Make Sure your Stance is Perfectly Balanced

Alongside the grip, a golfer’s stance is a critical part of an effective golf swing, and the perfect stance all comes down to balance. If you have secure foundations, you will then be able to perform a smooth swing, a clean connection with the ball, and a powerful and accurate shot. Even a slight imbalance can throw you off as the imbalance will pass through your body and arms into your club. As with your grip, go through each stage of your stance systematically before committing to your swing.

4. Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Despite all the tips and tricks out there (notwithstanding these ones, of course) golf is actually very simple. If you make clean contact with the ball on each shot, you are going to get a good score. Where this simplicity falls down, is that consistently hitting the ball cleanly is far from easy. The most important thing is to make sure you are hitting the ball dead center on the head of the club. If the contact is off to one side, the ball will almost certainly travel off center. While you won’t be able to see exactly where on the club head you are striking the ball, you can work it out based on the flight of the ball. If you are constantly slicing your shots, you need to tighten up your swing. If the ball goes off to random sides on every stroke, you need to spend more time lining up the shot, reduce the power a bit in favor of more control, and make sure your stance is firm.

5. Make a Video of Your Swing

One pro trick for checking everything from your stance to your contact is to video your swing in its entirety. You don’t need anything fancy to do this, just the video camera on your smartphone is sufficient. You will then be able to look at every minute stage of your swing frame to frame. It can be hard to know exactly where you are going wrong when you are the one making a shot. By watching a video of yourself back, you will be able to identify mistakes and then drill them out through practice.

6. Practice All the Time

Speaking of practice, last but not least, the single best way to become a better golf player is to practice all the time. At its simplest, this means just getting a round in as often as you can. The more golf you play, the better you are going to get. From NBA basketballers to PGA Tour golfers, professional sportsmen put in hours of practice every day. As well as playing 18 holes regularly, you should dedicate time to focusing on specific aspects of your game where you are weakest. Set aside some time every practice session to just work on your short game, set up a chipping net in your garden, and hit the driving range once or twice a week. By working on each element one by one, when you bring it all together on the course the next time you play a full round, the difference will be enormous.

 

Becoming a better golfer takes a lot of practice and hard work and dedication, but most importantly, you need to recognize your weaknesses and work on them every day. Making sure you use the right clubs and that you have a firm grip and a balanced stance will ensure that you have the right foundations for your swing. Never rush a shot, keep your eye on the ball, and hit the links as often as you can. Try out these tricks and you will be knocking shots off your handicap in no time.

Step-by-Step Guide for Online Sports Betting

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Online betting, before the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, was already incredibly popular. A year later, online betting is the only way many people are even able to bet, which has seen a massive surge in the industry. Experts predict that online betting will continue its run long after the lockdown has ceased and casinos and betting shops reopen again, the reason being that people are now comfortable with online betting, find it more manageable, and do not have to spend hours bent over a slot machine. Online sports betting is convenient, simple, easy, and without a doubt, fun.

In this article, we are going to present to you a step-by-step guide for online sports betting. Navigating the online world can be incredibly difficult, we know, especially when it comes to subjects as expansive and vast as online betting. However, mastering the world of online sports betting can be done, and with this article, it’ll be more comfortable than ever.

It is important to add in; please gamble responsibly. With so much time at home, you may be spending money out of boredom; if you cannot afford it, then do not bet it!

Here is a step-by-step guide for online sports betting.

What’s Your Game?

Online betting is a vast industry. Are you into sports betting? Slots? Roulette? What’s your game? Figuring out your game will help you move forward with online betting and find your home there. Most platforms will offer you the ability to play games as well as perform sports betting, so you needn’t worry too much, but it is worth knowing which way you are inclined. Some platforms excel in sports betting, while others’ games. Give some serious thought to what your game is so that you can find the right platform for you.

Find a Platform

When you have established which game it is that you want to play or what you want to bet on, you can go ahead and find a platform. There is an almost infinite number of betting platforms on the internet – like we said, it is a huge industry – but you must find the platform right for you personally. This may mean that you have to try a few out before you find the right platform. When you do find the right platform, you will immediately know that you are in the right place.

Register On Your Platform

Once you have a chosen and favoured platform, go ahead and register. Registration is quite simple and very straightforward; simply fill in your personal details, attach a bank card, and upload a form of identification for verification. Registration on one of these platforms is usually instant, though it may take some time for your verification to return, so you may not be able to bet or go live until you have done so. Registration is not particularly difficult, so we will not spend too much time on it. Go ahead and get registered as soon as you are ready.

Multiple Platforms?

By this stage, you may have several platforms you want to use. Here, our advice is that you should just use one until you are comfortable and experienced with online sports betting. You can definitely use multiple platforms quite effectively, providing you are experienced, but if you know very little about online sports betting, using various platforms will just be a thorn on your side and overcomplicate things. For the time being, while you find your bearing, use one good platform rather than several at one time. Trust us – you will thanks us later.

Image Source: Pixabay

Tips, Tips, and More Tips!

If you are considering sports betting, then you will want to find as many tips and insider suggestions as you can. Finding sure win soccer tips is not as hard as some may think; the internet is absolutely filled with them! Using tips to make more informed and better bets is definitely something we encourage that you do. Tips and tricks to help you win can prove to be a very effective way to ensure that every single bet is a winning bet. Read journals, magazines, and websites dedicated to helping you come out on top with every bet you make.

Spread Out

When you are betting, the best way to win is to spread your money out. If you concentrate all of your money in a single place, you are more likely to lose everything than to win a fortune. Spreading your money out into multiple different places can be an excellent way for you to make a fortune on bets. Do not spend everything in a single location, but instead, bet on multiple different things at once, and use multiple different games and methods of betting, from roulette to soccer; soccer to rugby!

Start Betting

By this point, we have covered virtually everything that stands between you and making a bet. Now you have registered, found some tips, spread your money out, and do some research, and you can start betting and making some money. Betting is very fun – very addictive, too, so bet in moderation. Many international sporting events are still going underway, notwithstanding pandemic, so you should have no problem finding things to bet on. Start betting today – stop wasting time. There could be a fortune waiting for you right now! Whether it’s football, rugby, cricket, or tennis, get going!

Bet Responsibly

A final word. When you bet, please bet responsibly. So many people throughout this pandemic have bankrupted themselves through irresponsibly betting. Betting is not something that is to be taken lightly. Yes, it is fun – yes, you can win a lot of money, but it can also be very NOT fun, and you can lose A LOT of money! Betting responsibly is something most platforms encourage. Set a stop loss on your bets, meaning that you cannot exceed a spending cap. Putting a cap up will help you to not spiral out of control and haemorrhage money.

Betting is fun – a lot of fun – but bet carefully. We hope that, armed with this article, that you will be able to conquer the world of online betting. Thank you for reading; please come back and visit us again soon.

A Breakdown of Precious Achiuwa’s Two-Way Play

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After not getting any playing time on Friday night in the win over the Utah Jazz, Precious Achiuwa made a huge impact on both ends of the floor against the Atlanta Hawks. He’s an intriguing young player, since he battles every step of the way in his limited minutes.

So, let’s take a look into Achiuwa’s two-way play against the Hawks…

– Switching onto small guards effectively

Achiuwa entered late in the first quarter, and made his defensive presence felt. Rajon Rondo is always searching to find the mismatch, but he quickly found out that Achiuwa covering him might not be a mismatch.

On the first play, he switches onto Rondo while Kendrick Nunn slides for the double. Rondo looks to pass it for an easy bucket, but Achiuwa’s active hands deflect the ball, leading to transition offense for Miami. The second possession was a similar thing, except Rondo looked to take him off the dribble this time. He utilizes his well-known ball fake, which got Achiuwa up in the air, but he somehow recovers.

Achiuwa’s energy and heart will be highlighted throughout a lot of these plays, but he also has natural defensive mechanics like quick recovery speed.

– A Precious move

This is a part of Achiuwa’s game that hasn’t been seen much, since most of his points come from put-backs or alley-oop dunks.

He utilizes a gather dribble after receiving the ball from Andre Iguodala, and goes right into a spin for an and-1. For starters, his footwork is highlighted here and proves to be pretty polished at this stage of his career. He also has a very solid left hand around the rim, which is why he has such flexibility around the basket, making it hard for defenders to block his craftiness.

If Miami can get consistent offense from him like this, it makes his Adebayo relief play even more realistic.

– The never-ending battle for offensive rebounds

When evaluating Achiuwa’s above average ability to locate offensive rebounds, it’s more than just his high energy. It has a lot to do with timing, since as seen here, he waits for the ball to fly off the rim and immediately runs to the front of the rim to grab it.

And take a look at how this play ended. It went from an empty possession to a Kendrick Nunn three, which is important for this team specifically since extra possessions are so crucial for them.

Here’s another example of that fight on the offensive boards. For one, he notices he’s battling with a guy that is his size, so he utilizes his right arm across his body to tip it up in the air.

This allows him to get possession of the ball, and take a look at how quickly he went back up with it. Quick decisions are important for young players, even if they’re not always the right decision. It led to another trip to the free throw line, which may come a lot for him due to his aggression down low.

– An ability to readjust

An interesting part about Achiuwa as a lob threat is his ability to read a team’s pick and roll defense.

Kendrick Nunn created a 2 on 1 opportunity, which John Collins slid up leading to the lob. Trae Young dropped down on Achiuwa, which means he could’ve clearly rushed the catch and laid it in. Except, he knows he can land and take it back up on the smaller Young, which is exactly what he did.

Once again, many young players without experience aren’t readjusting on that play. But Achiuwa knows his role so well at this point, that he can read situations by the rim pretty easily.

– Plays much bigger than he is

Achiuwa only being 6’8 does not seem to be the case most nights, since he plays as big of any center he matches up with. He’s powerful, physical, and well, isn’t afraid to throw it down.

On this play, Nunn’s improved play-making must be noted for a second. He draws two defenders when driving baseline, and instead of getting stuck, he throws a great bounce pass to Achiuwa under the basket.

He utilizes yet another gather dribble, which seems to be his safety net, and rises right up for an impressive slam. And once again, did not look like a guy that is only 6’8.

– Running the floor, playing above the rim

Another thing that must be discussed is Miami’s bench unit once fully healthy. Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro being in the back-court will be quite the offensive push, while Achiuwa always seems to thrive with them on the floor. But a name that hasn’t been linked to Achiuwa a lot is Iguodala, and he should.

Iguodala runs a lot of Miami’s offense, while a fantastic play-making ability means more opportunities for Achiuwa. These four guys complete Miami’s 9 man rotation for now, and it’s quite the mix of play styles.

On this play, though, take a look at Achiuwa to start the play. He’s way behind Iguodala, who is bringing the ball up the floor, and immediately turns on the burners to get straight to the basket. It seems as if Collins just gave up on the defensive possession for Atlanta, even when Achiuwa created the 2 on 1.

Of course, it led to an easy alley-oop finish for him, and there are more to come when that bench unit gets into a rhythm together pretty soon.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hawks

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The Miami Heat expand their win streak to six after a win against the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat were without Jimmy Butler, which meant a close game down the stretch was going to be a bit different. But Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo all hit needed shots to spark a 10-0 run late in the game. Here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Gabe Vincent becomes an unexpected spark, occurring on a surprising side of the ball.

Well, Gabe Vincent fell onto this takeaway piece in an interesting way, since it usually means he had a great scoring night. His impact was actually felt on the defensive end, which seems to be the reason for his jump in minutes. Coach Spo trusts the 2-3 zone and full court press when Vincent and Andre Iguodala are at the top of it, which is an interesting duo. The clear point was to disrupt Trae Young on constant blitzes early, then team trapping in the sets that I just discussed. Vincent is a physical defender, which means fouls obviously come along with that, but the spark he brought for Miami in that first half was the reason the lead was as big as it was.

#2: Precious Achiuwa showing why he deserves consistent minutes.

Precious Achiuwa didn’t hear his name called on Friday night against the Utah Jazz, which was a bit of a surprise, even though Coach Spo made it clear he just wanted an extra perimeter defender on the floor. And well, Achiuwa had his name called tonight against the Hawks, and proved why he deserves minutes. You can question Achiuwa’s weak ball-handling skills at this stage, or his below average passing ability, but the one thing that can’t be questioned is his heart and constant battle on both ends of the floor. He was huge on the boards throughout the game, against a very active rebounder in Clint Capela. He’s always been an offensive threat on the roll above the rim, but he showed other abilities in his offensive game. He has a great feel for a defense, which means he can readjust a lob pass, take that one dribble, and go back up for a dunk. And that is not something a lot of young bigs have in their arsenal.

#3: Kendrick Nunn, the consistent piece once again.

Some people may be getting sick of hearing Kendrick Nunn’s name in every one of these takeaway pieces, but he absolutely deserves it and must be noted. He’s becoming the one consistent piece on the team for their offense, meaning the team knows what he will give them every single night. The intriguing part of his offensive game that I’ve noted a lot in the past, is his catch and shoot improvements. That may have something to do with an increased confidence that has been instilled in him, but wide open kick-outs to K-Nunn should worry a defense as much as anybody on the Heat. It’s been discussed that a huge reason for Nunn’s success over this stretch is Jimmy Butler, but tonight proved he’s just in a great rhythm individually. Also, the play-making attribute is beginning to take that big leap. It’s not about the assist numbers as much as it is the comfort level with setting up offense for Miami, and that will keep him on the floor, even if scoring tails off a bit for a stretch.

#4: A John Collins showcase game against Miami.

It seems necessary to stray off from Miami Heat analysis for a moment, to take a look at a guy Miami could be linked to in the near future, John Collins. Some may label this game as a bit of a showcase for Collins, who is a South Florida native, and if that was the case, he took full advantage of it. When evaluating certain power forwards to slot next to Bam Adebayo, Collins seems to fit that description pretty well. He proved that offense can work through him in any spot on the floor, and he’s definitely not just an above the rim threat. He has an ability to take guys off the dribble and get downhill, the mid-range pull-up and turn-arounds were falling, and the three point shot can clearly be utilized. He has some work to do defensively, but that can be tweaked upon arrival. This is the type of game that the organization will remember for some time when they’re looking to make a certain move.

#5: Tyler Herro struggles early in return, but gets into a rhythm in the fourth.

Tyler Herro definitely didn’t have the greatest start to his return, which is normal since it takes some time to get your legs back under you and get into any sort of rhythm. But well, it only took three quarters until he turned that around in the fourth quarter. There’s always a moment with Herro in which he flips a switch to retain offensive confidence, which is when his normal body language returns searching for a bucket. Goran Dragic getting inserted into the starting lineup meant that regular bench unit wasn’t seen once again, but it’ll clearly elevate both of their play by bouncing off one another, with an explosive big man reserve in Achiuwa. Herro may struggle with finding consistent one-on-one separation without an Adebayo screen, but he’s still young and improving in his strongest areas. If he can find a way to get consistent play after the All-Star break, barring no Covid contact tracing or injuries, that growth will be displayed the more he gets into a natural rhythm.

Jazz Chisholm led bomb fest in Marlins 2021 Spring Training debut

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It only took two pitches for the Marlins to get ahead in their first game of the Spring Training against the Houston Astros.

Jazz Chisholm was swinging on a 1-0 fastball and took Brandon Bielk deep to start the party early for the Marlins.

The battle for the second base starting position is one of the main attractions of this spring. Chisholm started at shortstop (his natural position) today because Miguel Rojas did not travel with the team.

Isan Diaz started at second, and did not have the same offensive output as Chisholm, but both combined for a couple of double plays, in what could be the middle infield couple of the future for the Marlins.

Brinson and Bleday homered as well

In that same first episode, both Garrett Cooper and Lewis Brinson, took advantage of the Astros starter.

Lewis Brinson continues to rake in Spring Training. His moonshot was well over the left field grass and into the Astros offices, showing how good he can be, especially, for some reason, in this time of the year.

The Marlins took an early 4-0 lead and never looked back. In the fifth, when all the starters went out, J.J. Bleday showed some of his pop as well, with a rocket to the left-center gap.

Bleday is one of those young pieces the Marlins are so excited about, and he should be getting some MLB action at some point this season.

Marlins pitchers review

Daniel Castano struggled after inducing Jose Altuve into a groundball that turned two. After having nobody on, with two outs, the lefty allowed one run in the bottom of the first. The only run the Astros scored.

After that, only Thompson, who started the fifth with two walks, had any complications.

Cody Poteet and Tommy Eveld worked the sixth and the seventh, respectively, without allowing any runs either to finish off the Astros and give the Marlins their first win on the Grapefruit League this year.

 

 

By Alejandro Villegas | @Alejandrovg32 on Twitter

A Breakdown of Goran Dragic’s Offensive Impact

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Goran Dragic’s second game back from his injury proved his overall importance for this Heat team. He shouldn’t be looked at as a 34 year old veteran, but instead the one piece that makes the entire offense flow.

So, here’s a look into what Dragic did well in their win over the Utah Jazz.

– Controlling the mid-range

Tyler Herro being out and Kendrick Nunn fading slowly away from his mid-range game means Dragic needed to find those spots more often. And that’s exactly what he did.

On this play, he ran the usual pick and roll with Bam Adebayo, while pulling up immediately against the favorable drop coverage. If Miami didn’t have Dragic to find these dead-spots throughout the game, they wouldn’t have sustained their lead, since Miami made it essential to get to the rim early in the game.

Once he began to set the tone on plays like this, easy opportunities from beyond the arc began to open up for the role players.

– Well, his legs are back.

When a veteran player returns from an injury, the jumper is usually a bit of a worry right away since it takes some time to get your legs back under you. But, it didn’t take Dragic much time to get back to normal.

These two plays in the second quarter prove that to be true, and it also shows the importance of his three point shot for a guy like Duncan Robinson. There haven’t been many consistent three point shooters lately, other than Kendrick Nunn, which is why both Dragic and Herro returning is so important for the overall success of Miami’s offense.

Dragic is a three level scorer, who can get to any of the three levels when he really wants to, which will be displayed next.

– Finding his spots on the court

As mentioned previously, being a three level scorer is one thing, but getting to any of the three levels consistently is when that label is truly important.

The way Dragic can control his defender on the drive is truly like no other. On the first play, he cuts off Donovan Mitchell when getting downhill, while Mitchell switches to the roller. Dragic noticing his only defender is Derrick Favors deep in the paint, he fades away for an easy bucket.

The second play is similar, except Dragic utilizes a snake dribble when Mitchell switches, and goes right into a floater over the top of Favors with zero hesitation. Once again, this type of offense is what Miami has been missing majorly.

– Setting up the offense

It’s never an easy offense to dissect when Rudy Gobert is the one you’re facing in the drop coverage, but Bam Adebayo found a way. He found the spots slightly away from the rim to force Gobert to edge away from the rim.

The reason Dragic is being highlighted here is due to the overall situation. Miami has missed a guy to set up offense while Butler is off the floor, and that’s exactly what he did. Nunn has improved majorly as a play-maker, but there’s still a difference between a good passer and setting up offense.

Dragic finding Adebayo and others in their spots during these minutes were essential for Miami sustaining a close score before Butler returned.

– The thing Miami has missed most

And finally, the third level of being a three level scorer. There’s a difference between a guy that can get to the rim and score, like Tyler Herro, and a guy who will take it right at your chest at the basket for an easy layup, like Goran Dragic.

As I’ve mentioned many times, the Heat have missed that on-ball guy who can explode to the basket and get downhill in situations that it’s truly necessary. And in the fourth quarter, it was truly necessary.

On the first play, he took it right up on the best rim protector in the NBA, leading to a not so easy bucket. A few minutes later, he explodes by Joe Ingles and takes it up on the rotating Gobert once again, except this one was a tad bit easier.

Once Miami has a fully healthy roster, the offensive spacing will look better and better, meaning Dragic can get to the rim more and more while Butler gets some rest on the sideline.