After Trevor Lawrence, how do the Jaguars Build?

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With the exception of the AFC Championship appearance in 2017, the Jaguars have had losing seasons every year since 2007. They hit rock bottom with a 1-15 mark in 2020.  After such a dreadful season, the team needs help across the board. Let’s take a look at the first few selections in a mock draft 2021.

 

Round 1: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Quarterback)

 

This pick is a lock. The Jaguars know that Lawrence immediately brings positive attention to the team as a player with star potential.  He’s far and away the best quarterback coming out of the draft.  Urban Meyer would not have taken the head coaching job if he wasn’t certain that Lawrence would be selected.

 

The numbers on Lawrence are mind-boggling. In 36 collegiate starts, he is 34-2 with his only losses coming in the College Football Playoffs.  Lawrence had a 90-to-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio for his collegiate career, threw for over 10,000 yards and rushed for nearly 1,000. In addition, he led Clemson to a National Championship as a freshman.

 

Round 1:  Christian Barmore, Alabama (Defensive Tackle)

 

Although he comes in without a lot of experience, Barmore is big on raw talent that can be easily worked with to developed into the type of player a team needs. He was a redshirt sophomore and only started one season. Barmore stepped up in the biggest of games, recording 15 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the SEC Championship and two playoff games. 

 

The Jaguars counted on Taven Bryan to be a big difference maker in the middle of the defensive line, but turned out to be a huge disappointment.  Therefore, the team could really use a great interior defensive lineman and Barmore could fit that description.

 

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Round 2: Rondale Moore, Perdue (Wide Receiver)

 

After coaching superior teams at the collegiate level, Urban Meyer knows how important speed is at the skill positions. Therefore, adding a player such as Rondale Moore makes sense. The wide receiver position isn’t as pressing a need for the Jaguars as other positions with the likes of DJ Chark, Collin Johnson, and Laviska Shenault on the roster. However, Moore could clearly play the slot and add depth.

 

At 5’ 9”, Moore doesn’t have the size NFL scouts look for in a first-round selection, but Moore possesses the elusiveness that the Jaguars currently lack.  He caught 113 passes in 2018 but then appeared in only seven games over the past two seasons, catching 64 passes.

 

Round 2: Tyson Campbell, Georgia (Cornerback)

 

After being torched most of last season in the defensive secondary, the Jaguars need an athletic corner such as Campbell. At 6’ 2” with good agility and talent, Campbell is perfect to add to the team’s limited depth chart.  The team is likely to add a veteran cornerback via free agency at some point, but Campbell is a solid selection for this pick.

 

Campbell has the size, strength and length to handle an outside receiver, so the Jaguars would likely look for a slot cornerback or allow Tre Herndon a chance to earn that position. Either way, Campbell is too good of a fit for the Jaguars to pass up with this late second round pick.

 

Round 3: Brevin Jordan, Miami (Tight End)

 

The tight end position is very thin for the Jaguars and particularly so following Josh Oliver’s injury. Coach Meyer always likes to use the tight end in his passing game, so selecting an athletic, pass catching tight end such as Jordan makes sense.

 

Jordan has great athleticism and the ability to gain yardage after the catch.  His skill set would fit in nicely with Lawrence, who has shown he can throw into the seams of the defense.  Jordan clearly would be an upgrade over Tyler Eifert and James O’Shaugnessy.

A Dive into Necessary Offensive Improvements from Heat Players

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The Miami Heat lost to the best team in the NBA currently, the Utah Jazz, on Saturday night in poor fashion. It wasn’t just that Utah was the better team, which they were, but Miami’s offense was just so out of sorts.

I’ve discussed the overall consistency, lineups, and game-plan following their performance, but let’s take a dive into the individual improvements that will be essential for this team’s success.

Bam Adebayo:

Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line

Adebayo’s mid-range jump-shot may have become harped on in his offensive package for quite some time following his 41 point night against the Brooklyn Nets, but that isn’t what makes him shine. The jump-shot will begin to fall much more as he goes along, but he’s becoming too reliant on it, instead of doing what he has done up to this point.

And well, that’s getting to the rim, which means getting to the free throw line. He has been doing this at a much higher rate lately, following the lead of Jimmy Butler, but it doesn’t seem to be a consistent route he goes to, while that is Butler’s primary objective. A player with the level of talent Adebayo has must attack the basket off the dribble, especially since he’s faster and more skilled than most opponents.

There was a bit of hesitance against Utah in that area, and rightfully so since he was facing Rudy Gobert. But once he overcomes that hesitance in his ability to get to the rim effectively, that will elevate the play of not only him, but the entire team.

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Duncan Robinson:

A different game-plan incoming

Well, it’s finally time to discuss something that has been approaching rapidly as of late. These constant offensive sets with Duncan Robinson getting the hand-off has become predictable, leading to him getting taken out of Miami’s entire offense. Adebayo discussed that after the game, saying “They’re trying to take Duncan out the game. The stuff we did with Duncan last year, we can’t do this year.”

So, that clearly means there will be a change in game-plan with players noticing it to this extent. Robinson does not have the luxury to do other things with the ball in his hands to create shots, which makes game-planning stuff a lot tougher.

As I’ve mentioned, his impact off the ball truly is valuable due to his gravity and off-ball screening to get shots for others. But now it’s time for him to worry about shots for himself. When Robinson gets up more triples, the offense is much more effective, which is why we will see some changes as soon as tomorrow against the Clippers.

Goran Dragic:

Health

Well, this is the only improvement that Miami needs from Goran Dragic at the moment. Some may think Dragic doesn’t make the difference in a game against Utah, but he does make the difference from the perspective of offensive effectiveness.

For one, he changes everything for Butler, both through minutes and his on-court play. The thing I’ve harped on a lot lately is not having him on the floor when Butler takes a break has really hurt Miami. Dragic has the ability to settle a group down while he takes a breather, which is exactly what Miami is missing right now.

But that’s not all they’re missing, since the minutes with Butler and company against Utah were very poor as well offensively. Even when looking back at the past bubble run, putting Dragic’s outstanding scoring run aside, he just hit the shots that were necessary. The shots to spark a run after the team goes through a touch stretch, except against Utah that tough stretch never ended, since Dragic wasn’t able to save them once again.

Tyler Herro: 

The confidence needs to return

The word confidence has been tied to Tyler Herro since his first NBA game, but now it’s being discussed in a different sense. He has been playing well this season, even showing more positive flashes yesterday in the pick and roll. He’s currently shooting 45% on mid-range pull-ups this season, which has seemed to be one of his best areas.

But there’s still that splash of hesitance. It’s not that he doesn’t have that trust in himself, but there seems to be a half-second hesitation at times before shooting, which alters his entire shot. He’s a natural scorer, and natural scorers thrive without thinking. I’m not sure if it’s trade rumors, the role change, or the constant Covid protocols he seems to have to go through, but that same confidence isn’t there.

And once that same confidence or enjoyment for the game fully returns, you will begin to see Herro’s best version of himself.

Kendrick Nunn:

Continue this offensive consistency

Well, I honestly didn’t expect to be saying this about this Heat team at this point in the season, but Kendrick Nunn has been one of Miami’s most consistent players, and sustaining that changes some things. For one, that has always been his downside, since his ability to score the basketball on any given night has never been in doubt.

This point refers back to Dragic being out as well, since having that consistent rock is necessary for this team, and Nunn has been that for them at times. He’s improved his catch-and-shoot abilities, he gets to the rim at a good rate, and most importantly, he’s made the slight improvements defensively to keep him on the floor even longer.

Now, the main reason for that is because he’s scoring the ball well recently, and defense increases when offense is flowing. This is why his offensive consistency is so important, since that is keeping everything else in tact.

Jimmy Butler:

A Supporting Cast that shows up

And finally, the improvement from Jimmy Butler doesn’t even include Jimmy Butler. Of course he didn’t shoot or score the ball very well against Utah, but everybody expected Butler to have one of these games after exploding offensively since his return from Covid.

But even after that performance, his supporting cast is what is necessary for him to thrive. Butler can carry the weight on his shoulders at times, but he needs others around him to play their role for him to be completely effective. And the recent poor spacing and execution in their usual offensive sets have forced him to alter some individual ways of offense.

The previous points that were made about other players all lead to an improved Butler, and it’s clear he will be letting them know about specifics any chance that he gets. This one loss should not be harped on very long, since they played the hottest team in the NBA, but some of the signs that were shown led to these conclusions. And until these improvements occur, those offensive struggles will continue.

Panthers fall to Lightning in physical rematch

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At the end of the first period, the Florida Panthers were probably at least satisfied with their performance. They were scoreless, but so were the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

At the end of the second, the Panthers were down 4-0 en route to a demoralizing 6-1 loss on Saturday night at the BB&T Center. 

The Lightning suffered an embarrassing 5-2 loss on Thursday night to the Panthers, their Central Division rivals. Apparently, they had had enough. Even without captain Steven Stamkos, Tampa was able to put together a litany of scoring chances in the second period that Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was simply unable to stop. Conversely, the Cats couldn’t find a way to get past Andrei Vasilevskiy, who totaled 33 total saves for a .971 save percentage. 

The lone Panthers goal of the night came in the third period when Brett Connolly and Frank Vatrano teamed up to slide one past Andrei Vasilevskiy. But the celebration was short-lived. Less than a minute later Tampa’s Alexander Volkov scored the Lightning’s fifth of the night, effectively squashing any desperate hopes at an unlikely but not completely impossible comeback for Florida.

“We lost our composure when they got ahead,” head coach Joel Quenville said. “The game just got away from us.”

Both Radko Gudas and Patric Hornqvist made their own attempts to turn the tide by dropping gloves with Blake Coleman and Yanni Gourde respectively but all efforts fell short. MacKenzie Weegar also scuffled with Killorn late in the first and the two exchanged words even after moving to the box. 

The loss keeps the Panthers (8-2-2) at the second position in the Central Division behind the Lightning (10-2-1). They play the third game of the series in Tampa Bay on Monday.

5 Takeaways from Miami’s Loss to Utah

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The Miami Heat faced the hottest team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz, on Saturday night and came away with a loss. That snapped their four game winning streak, since Miami’s stagnant offense allowed Utah to pull away fairly easily. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Miami’s three point defense was needed against Utah, and came out clicking.

The Utah Jazz are a very dangerous three point shooting team, mostly since they have four shooters on the court at all times. It was needed for Miami to make that part of their defense a priority, and well, it looked like they did. The Jazz were 3/21 from beyond the arc in the first half, and that wasn’t all a product of just missing shots. The Heat were closing out very well on shooters, even some of their weaker defenders. Kendrick Nunn has been making some strides in that area, while also hitting passing lanes at a much higher rate. It’s important to see Miami’s capability to tighten up in a certain area of weakness when they make it a priority, but there’s just not one particular area.

#2: Just missing offensive consistency.

As much as we can look at certain things from this game, it’s important to look at Miami’s early offensive struggles. Instead of evaluating exactly what went wrong, it’s necessary to look at it big picture. They are just clearly missing a level of consistency on that side of the floor. Even with players being in and out of the lineup, it’s an issue to go through stretches where not only shots aren’t falling, but also when sets aren’t clicking. And when this is occurring in spurts offensively, it’s just not ideal to turn the ball over at a high rate to give easy buckets to the opposing team. This probably begins with Jimmy Butler being on and off the floor, which will be discussed next.

#3: Coach Spoelstra making rotation adjustments.

Erik Spoelstra has made a few essential rotation changes lately with the constant injury report changes, but the one with Goran Dragic out has been essential. As I’ve mentioned quite a few times, the non-Butler minutes are sustainable when Dragic plays, since he can also calm an offense down to take charge. But without Dragic, Spo has had to change some things up a bit. He’s began to stagger Butler and Adebayo’s minutes throughout, so Miami can have a trusted player to work the offense throughout. And since Precious Achiuwa has struggled lately with offensive limitations, Coach Spo doesn’t have many other options. Another small rotation change has been the Max Strus substitution for Duncan Robinson throughout, so Miami can try and sustain that shooting gravity the entire night. If there’s ever a time to discuss coaching adjustments, it’s this season with the constant twists and turns with Covid protocols.

#4: Tyler Herro returns, but not enough with Goran Dragic still out.

Discussing Miami’s offense seems to be the hot topic in this tough showing on that side of the ball, but there are positive flashes at times, which points back to that consistency. Tyler Herro returned after missing the last game due to a false positive, and showcased that scoring ability that the Heat have missed. He can bring some of it, but he’s missing his veteran co-pilot with that unit to completely control the offense. Now, this isn’t to say Goran Dragic changes everything for Miami’s offensive struggles moving forward, but it does shift some things other than added scoring. It alters the role of Herro in a positive manner, while Butler can have his backbone on a night that he struggled. On a night where offensive pacing was an issue, Dragic would’ve been useful to calm the team back down, per usual.

#5: It can’t always be waiting for Jimmy Butler to create offense.

Although I discussed offensive consistency previously, it’s important to evaluate the offense itself. The overall theme is that Jimmy Butler can’t always be the offensive savior. The obvious evaluation is just making shots that are open, but it’s much more than that. When shots aren’t falling on this team, offense always becomes stagnant with players standing around waiting for that to change. And the only time it seems to even remotely change is when Butler begins to charge the basket to kick out for continued open looks. Adebayo had a good amount of good looks in the mid-range area throughout, but as mentioned before, they weren’t dropping. Tyler Herro had some nice moments in the pick and roll, while finding his spots on pull-up mid-range shots, but that just isn’t enough. Miami’s offense can’t just be a product of made jumpers.

Jimmy Butler: The Definition of Impact

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When you hear the name Jimmy Butler, there’s a lot of things that may come to mind. Grit, hard-work, overcoming the odds. But well, the word impact seems to outshine any of those descriptions.

Butler has been in and out of the lineup for pretty much this entire season, but after missing some time with Covid, he has played the last seven games and has been absolutely rolling.

For starters, he’s averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists a game since he returned from that unfortunate break, leading Miami to a 5-2 record in that span.

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And yet, nothing compares to the outstanding changes that he brought on the defensive side of the ball. There are players that are just absolute great individual defenders, there are guys who can protect the rim, and there are people who are great team defenders.

But great defensive impact is when you alter a team’s overall image.

Miami went from being one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, to being second in defensive rating since Butler returned. This has a lot to do with his overall presence on the perimeter, as well as deflecting passes and being a disruptor. But the biggest reason is the level of leadership he brings to the game, and that is not an overstatement.

Hearing about on-court leadership may seem a bit cliche at times, but with Butler it’s far from that. This team constantly discusses holding each other accountable while not taking anything personal, and that’s exactly what has changed as of late. If somebody makes a late rotation on a certain possession, they will hear it from Butler right after the play or in the huddle.

And that right there is defensive impact. That right there is a leader. That right there is Jimmy Butler.

The key for Miami moving forward in this West Coast road trip is sustainability while Butler takes a breather on the bench. Surviving the non-Butler minutes is always essential, but it’s even harder when Goran Dragic is out.

The offensive rating with Butler on the floor since his return is 115, while it drops down to 94 when he’s off the floor. So as much as his defensive impact has been apparent, his offense has been just as great.

But as much as we can discuss role players playing their role, imagining certain guys healthy at the current moment, or waiting for a certain player to emerge right in front of our eyes like Max Strus, it doesn’t really matter when you have a superstar carrying the load night in and night out.

Now, him having to carry this weight this early in the season may not be what many wished for, but it’s the current situation that Miami will have to continue with.

And although Butler getting that short layoff to prepare for that outstanding bubble playoff run was important, this is a different season. So getting into an early flow for a late regular season push may not be the worst thing in the world.

Butler is taking it game-by-game, and he will do whatever it takes to win each night. No matter the weight on his shoulders, no matter who is in the lineup, no matter the opponent. Jimmy Butler’s impact will be felt on this Heat team.

Marlins Trade for Dylan Floro

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Coming off a solid signing of Adam Duvall, the Marlins continue their recent activity by trading for RHP Dylan Floro from the defending champion LA Dodgers. They pitched LHP Alex Vesia and a prospect for Floro in an attempt to cement a floundering bullpen. With one of the few consistencies in the 2020 bullpen, Brandon Kintzler, signing with the Phillies, the Marlins hope Floro can fill a similar role. 

 

Floro had a 2.59 ERA last year over 24.1 innings with the Dodgers and also brings even more Postseason experience to a young roster. Statistically, Floro is an above average pitcher with a career FIP of 3.23. He most likely will not be the closer of this team, but Floro adds even more depth to a bullpen trending upwards.

 

Here’s a few things to like and dislike about this trade:

 

Floro is an elite groundball pitcher

 

Floro’s main success is rooted in his ability to get hitters to put the ball on the ground. He boasts a strong 52.7% groundball rate over his career and as baseball trends towards the fly ball, this style becomes more and more important. Groundball pitchers are often overlooked due to their low K/9 rate (in Floro’s case: 7.8 K/9); however, they provide under the radar stability to bullpens and starting rotations across the league due to their consistent nature: think Charlie Morton. If Floro’s style isn’t disrupted in favor of pushing up his K’s, he will provide value to this bullpen in a similar way that he did in Los Angeles.

 

Marlins can use Floro/Bass/Garcia in the 7th,8th, and 9th

 

The Marlins won a lot of close games in their 60 game run. Regardless of how poor the early bullpen was, they had consistency in the 8th and 9th with Yimi Garcia and Brandon Kintzler. This signing, along with Anthony Bass, will provide them with an electric 7th-9th. If the starters can average 6 innings per game, the pitching may be able to carry the Fish on most nights. Because we know the hitting won’t.

 

Marlins Front Office making confusing decisions

 

Throughout the start of this offseason, Kim Ng and Derek Jeter continually pointed to staying true to a longer plan. This means developing their top prospects to a point of contention. Trading Alex Vesia, who has low MLB experience but lots of success in the minors, seems premature, especially if the Marlins don’t believe they can win now. Floro is most likely going to be a Marlins for a few years at the minimum, but I don’t believe the younger guys will be ready in time.

 

Overall

 

The Marlins are acting like they are also in the middle of rebuilding and playoff chase at the same time. I understand making positive trades for the present moment, but if this team is to see long term success, they need to prioritize one plan. Maybe I am an extremist, but I’d prefer to see one or the other. The Floro trade, although positive for the present, leaves questions of the future to be answered.

A Breakdown of Max Strus Against Houston

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Well, the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets to begin their West Coast road trip, and somehow Jimmy Butler putting up a stat-line of 27, 10, and 10 wasn’t the biggest story of the night. The actual story of the night was Max Strus getting some unexpected playing time, and absolutely shining. He scored 21 points off the bench, while knocking down 6 triples.

So, let’s take a bit of a dive into Strus’ performance last night…

– Oh, so this guy can shoot.

In the first half, Houston didn’t seem very afraid of the two-way guy who hasn’t seen much playing time in the NBA, but that changed quickly. Jimmy Butler was getting a lot of attention at this point in the game, for obvious reasons, which allowed others to get going.

Strus runs a slip screen for Butler at the top of the key, which catches Victor Oladipo staying put instead of switching. He knocks down his first triple of the night on a pretty wide open look from Butler, which isn’t surprising since Strus mentioned Butler constantly telling him to shoot the ball when he gets it.

– Physicality over everything

If there’s one part of Strus’ game that is like no other, it’s the level of unexpected physicality he brings on both ends of the floor.

As seen here, Strus gets the ball in transition and doesn’t hesitate to rise up on Oladipo to draw the foul. He’s had limited playing time this season, but probably has hit the floor like this more than anybody on the team.

Sometimes players that are trying to prove themselves need a bit of an X-factor. And that X-factor being grit and physicality on a Miami Heat team is the perfect fit.

– Speaking of X-factors

This part of Strus’ game has been on display in his limited minutes as well, which is something not many could’ve expected.

Instead of analyzing this very impressive and unexpected throw-down from Strus in itself, let’s look at the importance of it for his overall game.

He doesn’t have the tightest handle, which is normal for a catch and shoot guy, but being able to get downhill at this rate elevates that weakness. As mentioned earlier, he’s a physical player who will put his shoulder in your chest when attacking the rim. So, putting even the slightest second thoughts into a defender when having the shooting ability that he does, leads to a very intriguing attribute in his game.

– The Duncan Robinson effect

Now, there’s a couple things to discuss in this play regarding Duncan Robinson. For one, Strus showing the ability to run the usual Robinson sets through dribble hand-offs with Bam Adebayo was great to see. As the defender went under the screen, it gave him just enough room to get into his normal shooting motion for a three.

But also take a look at what Robinson did on this play. They ran a set where Robinson screens off the ball to get Strus running around the perimeter, while the defender can’t leave Robinson’s hip even across the court.

That’s the part about Robinson and Strus that can’t be compared. This notion that Strus can replace Robinson in his role is just false at this stage. Although he can replicate three point makes, the things Robinson does off the ball every single night cannot be easily replicated.

– The Strus-Robinson lineups look good

To take a break from people discussing Strus and Robinson from a comparison perspective, let’s take a look at them together.

This was the most intriguing part about yesterday’s game, since the lineups with Strus and Robinson were very effective offensively. As seen here, there’s not a moment on this play that Robinson isn’t covered by two defenders. After trying two consecutive times to find open space for a three, he passes it inside to Adebayo, who can make the decision on the weak side to pass to the open man.

Andre Iguodala was the one who got covered on the box, which led to yet another Strus triple. These are the reasons these lineups work so well, since Robinson’s gravity allows more opportunities for Strus. And before long, teams won’t be able to just focus on Robinson in these lineups.

– Perfect shooting balance

The first thing to look at when evaluating a catch and shoot guy is the consistent balance that they shoot with. And well, it’s been clear since Strus first stepped on the floor early in the season that he’s polished in that department.

As seen here, it’s yet another dribble hand-off from Butler. If it was Robinson in this situation, he would allow his body to carry him into his shooting motion on the move before releasing. Strus, though, doesn’t lean or continue momentum when running a DHO, since he grabbed the ball and already had his lower body set to release it.

Obviously both ways of doing it are difficult to do and effective to use, but it’s just interesting to look at certain ways guys are comfortable.

Once again, Strus gets the ball running up the floor, and is already in his stance before releasing. Did you notice anything between these past two plays?

Well, it’s that no matter if it’s a pull-up catch and shoot opportunity, a dribble hand-off, or something else, he shoots the exact way every single time, which just showcases the well known thing that he’s just a natural three point shooter who doesn’t get rattled easily.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Rockets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#4: A Duncan Robinson shooting bounce back.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MLB Has Problems

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The Issues

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

Attendance

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

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

Marketing

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

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

Solutions

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

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

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

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

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