Could KZ Okpala be the Starter on Opening Night?

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It is not a coincidence that there’s a similar process that the Miami Heat put certain players through to make sure they’re ready.

Playing in the G-League throughout their rookie year, going back and forth from the Heat roster to G-League, uncertainty if they will crack the rotation, and then as Duncan Robinson did it, starting by opening night.

If we just saw this play out last season, what makes you think the same thing won’t happen again?

For starters, there is clearly not a lock at that power forward position, especially with the questions regarding Moe Harkless.

As of right now, Moe is interchangeable, and as some have mentioned, he’s a place holder. And even if Moe does get the starting spot, he probably won’t be on the floor for long after a few reach in fouls.

But even forgetting the role of Harkless, KZ looked to prove himself and more in last night’s preseason performance against the Raptors.

One thing I mentioned all week regarding KZ is that he just needed confidence. He seemed a bit scared on Monday and passed up a ton of good looks, which is why I said he’d come out with a purpose last night after watching film.

Scoring 24 points and knocking down 6 threes on 60% shooting from beyond the arc should not be taken lightly. That is an incredible stat line, especially for someone who hasn’t seen much floor time at the NBA level.

And as much as everybody will continue to harp on his offensive play, his defensive presence should not be overlooked.

He clearly doesn’t back down from a challenge, as Erik Spoelstra said, since he started the game guarding Paschal Siakam, and even switched over to Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet at times.

There were nonstop discussions last season about finding that perimeter defender to plug some holes, and he was at the end of their bench the whole time. The scouting department knew he had it in him for quite some time, which is why they should get a ton of credit once again following that performance.

But was that performance good enough to propel him to the starting power forward position?

Well, just remember, Moe Harkless was completely healthy last night. I know it is preseason but there’s a reason he got plugged in there yesterday.

Duncan Robinson jumped into the starting lineup when there wasn’t even a clear opening.

And it seems as if things are opening perfectly for KZ Okpala right now.

The starting position is up in the air, so don’t be surprised if he’s starting in the season opener on Wednesday.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Preseason Game Vs Raptors

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Well, the Miami Heat had a picture perfect performance against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, mostly since their young prospects stepped up more than anybody could’ve expected. Since it’s preseason, it’s obvious that my takeaways begin there, so here are my five takeaways…

1. Well, KZ Okpala has been unleashed.

Many Heat fans have been so intrigued by the unknown of KZ Okpala. And well, now it’s known. Before discussing his offensive showing, his defense should not be overlooked. His perimeter defense is clearly a huge strength for him, and that’s been Miami’s weakness as of late, especially against a team like the Raptors. Seeing KZ put an immense amount of pressure on guys like Paschal Siakam was a great sign, mostly since he truly knows how to utilize his length to his advantage. Now to the offensive side of things, I don’t think anybody could’ve expected him to come out firing like he did, scoring 16 first half points with 4 threes. The corner three seemed to be there and he took advantage of it. I mentioned we’d see an aggressive KZ after he looked over the film, and that’s exactly what he did. He was confident putting the ball on the deck and driving to the rim. A confident KZ Okpala is a dangerous KZ Okpala.

2. Max Strus comes out firing.

Max Strus’ name was getting thrown around following Miami’s first preseason game, but in a very different manner. He struggled a bit early on Monday, but many seemed to forget that he was getting thrown into the fire. But well, it only took one game for him to get acquainted, going 3 for 3 from beyond the arc once subbed in. One thing about Miami Heat youth is that they have something to prove. Those are the types of guys that Miami targets, and it was clear he was ready to showcase his worth. As I’ve mentioned in the past, we’ve seen this story before with the Miami Heat. And when they begin to rave about their performances in training camp or practice, it should be no surprise that they are talented. Now it’ll be interesting to see how he is utilized moving forward.

3. Precious Achiuwa makes the necessary adjustments.

The things I mentioned were necessary for Precious Achiuwa to adjust were things involving the dribble hand-off and pick and roll. He came right in and began to set good, hard screens, which was clearly something they went over in film. That is a great sign for his ability to learn and adjust fairly quickly. Those hard screen then lead to easy points around the rim, especially when Goran Dragic is directing traffic. Goran set him up a few times, since Precious’ burst of energy after setting a screen is unmatched. And as discussed previously, he has great touch around the rim, which is something that you can’t teach. It’s obvious after evaluating Miami’s three young projects that the Heat’s development program deserves an immense amount of credit.

4. Bam Adebayo, playing at 20% speed, still looked impressive offensively.

Bam Adebayo definitely wasn’t a main topic from this game, mostly since he didn’t need to be. He clearly wasn’t playing at the same speed as usual, which is a good thing, but still showed huge strides of his offensive game involving his jumper. He displayed different variations of it, including the jab step, dribble pull-ups, and more. Once again, there’s not much to dive into when discussing Bam in this preseason game, but these flashes of his shooting ability is really a great sign. The confidence level when attempting them is what stands out most, since that’s been the question when talking about his full offensive package. And once again, there’s still so much more that we haven’t seen.

5. Just a friendly reminder that Jimmy Butler isn’t playing yet.

My main takeaway from this game is that their superstar, Jimmy Butler, wasn’t playing, and at times you may not have realized. One thing about Jimmy is that he has such a great impact when he’s on the floor, that he makes everybody better. And Miami getting some floor time without their leader may hold more value than you think. Duncan Robinson’s gravity is always being discussed, but what about Jimmy Butler’s gravity? When he begins to attack, it allows for Tyler Herro open threes or Bam Adebayo open dunks. So making Tyler and Bam have to create for themselves was important in these two games. Ultimately, Jimmy Butler will be returning on the first game of the regular season, which means every one of the players discussed will improve greatly.

5 Things to Expect in Heat’s Second Preseason Game

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The Miami Heat will be playing against the Toronto Raptors in their second and last preseason game. Now that they got a look at the raw talent of their young guys, there are now new expectations. Here are five things to expect tonight…

1. Goran Dragic getting some minutes, most coming with Avery Bradley.

Goran Dragic mentioned yesterday that he’s going to play tonight a bit, which most likely won’t be much. It’ll be good to see the exact level that his health is at currently, but if he’s playing in a preseason game, my guess is he’s fine. In those limited minutes tonight, I’d bet that Avery Bradley lines up next to him in most or even all of his minutes. For one, it’ll be interesting to see how Avery looks next to Goran, especially since we know how Goran plays next to the other guards. They will also be coming off the bench this year together most likely, which makes me think Spo throws that lineup out there. We will see what he does with these two tonight, but as I mentioned, the most important thing is the evaluation of Goran Dragic.

2. The young guys game-to-game adjustments.

As I’ve mentioned lately, I expect some adjustments to be made involving KZ Okpala and Precious Achiuwa. KZ Okpala seems to need a bit more confidence in his game right now, since he was reluctant in the first preseason game. If he tries to be involved a bit more offensively by attacking the basket, it would be huge for him. Precious Achiuwa, on the other hand, just needs to improve on the small aspects of the game, involving dribble hand-offs and picks and rolls. After him watching a bit of film, I think we see him begin to set some good, hard screens on the pick and roll, while giving better hand-offs. This is something the coaching staff definitely brought up heading into tonight’s game, which is why I’m interested to see if he fixes it right away.

3. A Kendrick Nunn possible bounce back.

I expected a better first game performance from Kendrick Nunn on Monday night, mostly since he’s the one guy whose role is unknown. After his struggles in the bubble, he needs to show people once again that he can make an impact on this team. One thing I noticed on Monday was that spacing was a bit of an issue when he was on the floor. And after some missed opportunities early in the game for him, that usually means it’s hard for him to bounce back. But if he comes out tonight with a purpose, and has confidence in his game to score the basketball, we may be having a different conversation heading into the first game of the regular season. But first, he needs to show the coaching staff and team that his scoring abilities can help this team right now.

4. A true Moe Harkless evaluation.

It’s hard to truly evaluate Moe Harkless from that first game, especially on the defensive end. He’s not going to be guarding Zion Williamson every night, since he’s just a unique player who can overpower his opponent once he gets the ball inside. Now Moe will get to match-up with Paschal Siakam, which will be a much more interesting defensive assignment, since he can showcase his perimeter play instead of his interior defense. The main thing that has been discussed when Miami signed him was that he can truly help guard the perimeter, since it was a need on this Heat team last season. The Raptors were one of the main teams that Miami struggled in that area against, due to their offensive perimeter play, as well as the two point guard lineups. This game will be a great one to evaluate Moe’s overall game.

5. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro play off each other offensively.

One thing that has never been discussed much with Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson is their impact together, mostly since the lack of defensive abilities are hard to play together. But one thing I noticed on Monday was that they played off each other a lot more, utilizing the pick and pop frequently. Tyler has greatly improved his ability to attack the basket, which is why they’re able to use this a lot more. And when Duncan is on the floor, most defenses make it a priority to follow him wherever he goes. Consequently, Tyler’s improved passing abilities allow Miami to create a lot of offense out of this. We may not see it a lot tonight, since there’s no reason for Spo to show it in a preseason game, but what you can expect is these two guys playing off each other quite a lot.

Tua Tagovailoa made his debut in a brief appearance, but the big story of the Miami Dolphins is their rise as a playoff contender.

Five Reasons, Martin’s NFL Best Bets: Week 15

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Previous Week’s Record:  1-2
Overall Season Record:  23-15 

 

Note:  Martín had been posting his NFL plays since Week #1 for the Canadian betting site point spreads under the pseudonym of “El Hombre” (that clearly took a lot of imagination on his part). Most importantly, though, is the fact that he has been racking up the profits and now he is able to put his name on his picks (no pressure, we know). Now he makes his Five Reasons gambling debut with three games left in the regular season, he’s hitting about 65 percent winners – wow, not bad for free analysis! – Here is his latest on this week’s games and his three best bets. 

 

All odds are based on the lines from Yahoo! on Friday afternoon. 

 

MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-5) vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-7) 

This game is tricky, because my brain is telling me two very different things.

The first is that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is the venom that poisons opposing rookie quarterbacks. He is 21-5 in his career against them, and he hasn´t lost to one since Geno Smith defeated him in 2013 (???). His latest victim was Chargers sensation Justin Herbert, who had a big slice of humble pie in a 45-0 drubbing by the Pats. Tua is not playing better than Herbert this season, even though he did show flashes of his potential against Arizona and most recently mounting a comeback against Kansas City.

On the other hand, these were the coaches of the rookie QBs that Belichick faced since that loss to Geno: Anthony Lynn, Pat Shurmur, Sean McDermott, Bill O´Brien, Jeff Fisher, Tony Sparano.

Brian Flores is better than all of them. He not only knows Belichick´s defensive tendencies after working for him, but he now also has seen what Cam Newton can do as Patriots QB (not much). That was a luxury he didn´t have when the Dolphins lost to the Patriots 21-13 in Week 1 with Fitzpatrick as quarterback and little to no offseason work.

Miami´s defense is leaps and bounds better 14 weeks later, and Tua is brash enough to end Belichick´s streak.

My pick: Dolphins (-2.5) 23-17 Patriots 

 

DALLAS COWBOYS (4-9) vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (5-8) 

 

Dallas has a worse record, but more to play for in a must-win game for them to stay alive in the NFC East race. However, they haven´t been able to win two games in a row all season, and that is just sad.

Meanwhile, the Niners are 4-2 on the road with a defense that sits in the top half of the league allowing 23.9 points and didn´t allow an offensive touchdown in last week´s  23-15 loss to Washington.

Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton´s winless playoff record shows us he isn´t known to rise up to the occasion in must-win situations, and they really can´t count on the worst defense in the NFL to do so either.

My pick: Cowboys 20-24 49ers (-3) 

 

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK 

 

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-2) vs. CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-10-1) 

 

The formerly undefeated Steelers are pissed off after consecutive losses and face a Bengals team that is averaging…10.0!? points per game during the five-game losing streak that began when Joe Burrow got injured.

Watch that romantic comedy your girlfriend has been begging you to, stop procrastinating on your Christmas shopping, call your grandma…do anything but watch this game.

My pick: Steelers (-13) 30-10 Bengals 

FiveThirtyEight Makes NBA Standing Predictions

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FiveThirtyEight put out their 2020-2021 NBA predictions for the standings, which had Miami finishing tied for 4th in the East with the Raptors.

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks were predicted to tie for 1st in the East at a record of 46-26, only two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the West.

The third team in the East was the Philadephia 76ers, surprisingly, finishing with a record of 45-27. It seems as if FiveThirtyEight is trusting the process, or maybe they’re assuming the 76ers make a trade for James Harden, since having them four games above both Miami and Toronto seems a bit odd.

Phili has definitely made some upgrades, by adding some shooting to their starting lineup with Danny Green and Seth Curry, but is that enough to make Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid work together? Well, I don’t think so.

The Miami Heat being ranked at 4 in the East isn’t much of a surprise, since they always seemed to be ranked in that area. But coming off of a Finals appearance, you’d think they would at least be given the respect of a top three seed.

I wouldn’t be shocked if they end up finishing there though, and run the table once again upon arrival to the playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors were tied with Miami at 41-31, which makes sense since I believe Toronto will still be a very solid regular season team. And the playoffs, I think will be a different story.

Although we can dive into their predictions of the regular season, the playoffs are clearly what matters. And well, this is where things get a little questionable.

They have Miami at a 9% chance to make the Finals, behind the Celtics at 27%, the 76ers at 24%, the Bucks at 22%, and the Raptors at 10%.

As much discussion Giannis Antetokounmpo has gotten as of late about the low chances of winning a championship in Milwaukee, there’s absolutely no way they have a lower chance than the Philadelphia 76ers.

And for a Miami Heat team to have a lower chance than a Raptors team who just lost Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, just seems a bit off.

Well, like Jimmy Butler said the other day, “I don’t give a damn.” This entire team doesn’t care what anybody thinks of them.

They aren’t thinking about making the finals, they’re thinking about winning it.

Precious Achiuwa Making Game-To-Game Adjustments

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Much like the adjustments I mentioned KZ Okpala will need to make, the same goes for Miami Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa.

There are two totally different changes that each player will be making, but they are equally important.

Precious showed many flashes of his defensive versatilities that many have raved about, as well as great feel once he gets the ball around the rim.

But there are some minor fixes that I believe we see tomorrow night, involving dribble hand-offs and pick and rolls.

Passing definitely isn’t his best attribute, but that’s something that will slowly develop over time. Bam Adebayo had a natural talent involving those types of things since he’s basically a guard trapped in a big man’s body, which is where Precious differs.

There were many instances on Monday night where Precious would give a lazy underhand pass on a dribble hand-off, which obviously needs improvement since it’s something Miami uses religiously.

And when discussing his activity on the pick and rolls, he did a great job of slipping off the screen to try and get a bucket. But the issue is that all he did was slip off the screen.

I think the coaching staff will want to get a glimpse of his screen setting and rolling in tomorrow night’s game, since now that they got a look at his talent level in his first NBA game, it’s time to see how he reacts to the film.

And I’m very positive he adjusts well, mostly since he has mentioned quite a few times that he wants to learn the game and dive into film as much as possible.

We’ll see what he does in the last preseason game tomorrow, especially since Coach Spo will plug him in different spots to see where he works best.

Garcia commitment helps Canes round out Top-10 recruiting class

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The 2021 recruiting cycle is like no other. Once COVID-19 took its course in mid-March, spring practices were cancelled, no 7-on-7 tournaments, no combine-like showcases, and recruiting essentially entered a dead period that is still in place to this very moment. 

 

Nevertheless, Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz and the rest of his coaching staff still found a way to conjure up a well-rounded recruiting class with lots of talent and most of them either from South Florida or having ties to the area.

Wednesday was the first day of a three-day period known as the Early Signing Period where senior student-athletes can sign their National Letter of Intent with the school they choose to enroll at versus waiting for the customary National Signing Day in early February. Let’s break down what the Canes are getting on each side of the ball.

 

OFFENSE

 

You could even say that this was Diaz’s least drama-filled since he’s taken head coaching duties, with Diaz noting on Wednesday that 85% of his signees were locked in with the Canes before they even played a game this season.

 

But then the drama came at 6:30 PM, when Miami already had their first 20 commitments officially signed but they awaited the final decision of four-star QB Jake Garcia. Garcia hails out of Grayson High in Lowndes, GA but is originally from La Habra, CA.. A premature announcement by his head coach followed by Garcia stating he would resume his Instagram Live session when it was really his time to announce his actual school of choice, he was officially a Cane an hour later as he flashed the U at a ceremony hosted by Grayson High in front of friends and family. Coaches and fans collectively let out a sigh of relief as Diaz and OC Rhett Lashlee finally put the cherry on top. 

For the second season in a row, the Canes sign the best running back in Broward County. Last year, it was Deerfield Beach’s Jaylan Knighton and for this class, it’s Thaddeus Franklin out of Chaminade-Madonna High in Hollywood. Franklin is ranked as the 11th-best running back in the country as a four-star prospect and will be a great change-of-pace/bruising back for the Canes as he is more built than the speedier Don Chaney and Knighton at 6’0”, 225 lbs.

 

Miami’s bringing a great group of receivers and tight ends a lot of credit goes to WRs coach Rob Likens and TEs coach Stephen Field. Likens helped Miami sign three four-star receivers, all bringing playmaking abilities to the current corps. At 6’2”, Romello Brinson (Miami Northwestern, #25 WR) combines a good blend of speed and size and was a vital part of Northwestern’s offense the past few years. Jacoby George is a bit skinnier (5’11”, 161 lbs.) but he’s arguably been the best receiver in Broward County this season as he’s had a number of multi-touchdown games for Plantation High.

 

Despite being the shortest of the bunch at 5’8”, you won’t find many players that play with as big of a chip on their shoulder as Miami Palmetto’s Brashard Smith. Don’t let his height fool you, but he’s already at 190 pounds and along with being a threat to score whenever he has the ball, he’s been versatile enough to even line up at QB for his team in the state playoffs.

 

Tight End U adds two more to the lineage in this class. 4-star Elijah Arroyo (#10 TE) has been nothing short of unstoppable for Frisco High this season no matter where they lined him up on the field, whether it’d be at tight end or wide receiver. Arroyo was born in the South Florida area and was always a Canes fan at heart. Kahlil Brantley, Brinson’s teammate at Northwestern, also signed with Miami and is ranked as the 41st-best tight end in the country.

 

Miami’s woes on the offensive line the past couple of years have been no secret to the media and fans alike and OL Garin Justice is getting some solid reinforcements in this class. The Canes’ longest tenured commit is OG Laurence Seymore from Miami Central, who’s ranked as the 10th-best guard in the country and has been a member of this class since March of 2018. Michael McLaughlin (Stoneman Douglas, Parkland, FL) not only made a move from Indiana to South Florida for his senior season but also switched positions from tight end to offensive line. He’s ranked as the 27th-best offensive tackle in the country and is very lengthy at 6’7”, 290 lbs.

The Canes also have their center for the future in Ryan Rodriguez, who’s listed as the 7th-best center in the country for Miami Columbus.

 

DEFENSE

 

The two highest-ranked (and not to mention five-star) signees of this class both play vital positions that Miami has had lots of previous success with in terms of grooming and player development.

 

Let’s start with 5-star DT Leonard Taylor out of Miami Palmetto, who is ranked as the best DT in the nation and 10th overall. At 6’4” and 285 lbs., Taylor possesses a scary combination of relentless pressure and speed that will give ACC quarterbacks fits for the next few years. 3-star Allan Haye plays a vital role on Chaminade-Madonna’s defensive line and his addition should not be overlooked.

Rounding out the defensive line, Miami also added Jabari Ishmael, whose father is an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Canes in Victor Ishmael. Ranked as the 17th-best weakside defensive end in the country, Ishmael hopes to continue the success that Greg Rousseau, Jaelan Phillips, and Quincy Roche have had in the past couple of seasons. 

 

Miami’s also bringing in a very skilled group of linebackers, starting with Tyler Johnson out of Miami Killian. Johnson is the younger brother of ex-Miami safety Jaquan Johnson and is the #31 OLB in the nation. Throw in a great leader as well as a hard-hitting cannon in three-star Deshawn Troutman out of Edgewater in Orlando. Troutman is currently the size of a safety (6’1”, 205 lbs.) but as the film shows, he does not shy away from physicality. Considered more of a tweener, three-star prospect Thomas Davis is also a little undersized at 6’1/2”, 235 pounds but he played for a Georgia powerhouse in Lowndes High in Valdosta. Miami may opt to have Davis in all kinds of pass rushing spots as he also played defensive end for Lowndes.

The lone commit at the striker position is Chase Smith out of Melbourne High in Melbourne, FL. He is listed as an athlete on 247Sports’ database and that is because of his versatility at 6’3”, 190 lbs. When word of his original commitment got out, it was actually unclear what position he would play because he also lined up at wide receiver when he played for Palm Bay Bayside for his junior year. Smith is also a legacy Cane, as his father Willie was an All-American tight end in the 80s.  

 

This is the part where you’re probably going to let out a long sigh. If you’ve watched the Canes this season, you would’ve seen that cornerback play was all over the place and while the team is down to only 5 scholarship corners, they’ve only been able to add one corner in the Early Signing Period and that is Fort Myers Bishop Verot speedster Malik Curtis. While Curtis is a 3-star prospect, his electric playmaking ability is extremely hard to miss on film and there were rumors that he’s so fast, he could be moved to offense. Miami missed out on three targets on Wednesday and it’s likely that Manny Diaz will have to resort to the transfer portal once again.

One non-portal cornerback prospect to keep an eye on is former Auburn commit Tar’varish Dawson, who hails from Lehigh Acres, FL. He’s solid in coverage and his speed is like no other, having been recorded at 10.58 in the 100m dash. Dawson will wait to sign on NSD in February.

 

Not to leave you with a cliffhanger but the other highly-ranked standout in this class is none other than American Heritage safety James Williams. Miami might have the best safety class in the nation for 2021 and much like Taylor, Williams is considered the best player in the nation at his position and he also has an interesting story behind him. Manny Diaz started Wednesday’s press conference with an anecdote about how he discovered Williams when he was a freshman at Monsignor Pace High in 2017 and knew that he resembled the type of player that Miami needs to get. One commitment, one decommitment, and one re-commitment later, he’s back in the fold. Williams is a physically-imposing menace wherever you place him because of his 6’5”, 230 pound frame, but he also has solid speed to keep up with most receivers.

I personally feel like four-star safety Kamren Kinchens does not get enough love. Much of the spotlight is focused on Williams because of how special he is, but Kinchens is an absolute baller for Miami Northwestern. He’s ranked as the 23rd-best safety in the country but in all honesty, you won’t find more than three or four safeties better than him. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if both Williams and Kinchens compete for playing time in 2021. 

Last but not least, it’s so nice to say that the replacement for Jose Borregales, who’s having one of the best seasons ever for a Miami kicker statistically, is none other than his little brother, Andres. Andres is ranked as the 3rd-best kicker in the country and he recently transferred to Hialeah Champagnat Catholic for his senior season due to his former school (Chaminade-Madonna) not allowing players to graduate early. 

 

There you go. The Canes are welcoming a total of 21 signees and around 15 are expected to enroll early in January in time for what hopefully is spring practice. Manny Diaz and his staff have absolutely made the best of a very topsy-turvy recruiting cycle when it was imperative that the Canes take advantage of a South Florida area that was even more prosperous than usual. Miami has three spots left in this class and expect to hear some smoke about a lot of late bloomers as well as players from the trusty transfer portal.

 

Keep it locked with @PaulAustria_ and @SixthRingCanes on Twitter for the latest in Miami Hurricanes news and recruiting. Check out this past Wednesday’s episode of The Sixth Ring, where we discussed our thoughts on this class and stay tuned for another episode soon, while we have special guest and South Florida recruiting guru Larry Blustein on to give us his thoughts.

 

Also, sign up for an account on Prizepicks.com, where you can pick the over/under on fantasy projections on some of your favorite players. There’s no better time to sign up than now as the NFL season starts to wind down while the NBA season is right around the corner. Enter the promo code “five” to double your initial deposit.

 

The Dolphins' Xavien Howard makes a one-handed grab for his ninth interception of the season.

Why do teams keep throwing at Xavien Howard?

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It’s no mystery that cornerback, Xavien Howard, has proven himself to be the Dolphins (8-5) best player this season, and one of the best players at the position in the franchise’s history, up there with Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and others.

Before last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs (12-1), Howard already had 8 interceptions.

Then he got another. He was guarding Tyreek Hill, and mossed him Odell-style with a one handed interception, leading to an offensive touchdown catch by Mike Gesicki.

The Dolphins overall have had a takeaway in their past 19 games straight and have had 26 total takeaways on the year. Howard’s now 9 interception has obviously been a huge part of those two stats.

While Howard has given up a good amount of yards, he has taken the ball away enough to largely contribute to the Dolphins’ eight wins, playing opposite free agent Byron Jones, who finally got his first interception.

The 27-year-old attended Baylor University and was picked by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2016 season.

In 2018, Howard had 7 interception to tie the league for most interceptions. This was enough to get him a pro bowl spot and get him onto the All-Pro second team.

With 20 career interceptions, Howard has been a great addition to the Dolphins defense over the past 4 years. As many say, defense wins championships, so let’s hope Howard and the rest of the Dolphins defense can bring home the trophy.

And maybe a Defensive Player of the Year along the way, if teams keep taking shots at him.

What is the Next Step for KZ Okpala?

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After finally seeing KZ Okpala hit the floor with the Miami Heat for solid minutes in the first preseason game, the question now becomes what is next.

The topic with KZ has continually been what is the first step, such as evaluating his overall game and abilities. And well, now it’s time to see how he adjusts.

One thing that stuck out in his first performance was hesitance. There were plenty of times that he seemed almost scared to have the ball in his hands or put it on the floor, which obviously needs to change.

Once again, this is not to over analyze Okpala’s first game, since confidence is something that will slowly increase over time. But I believe Miami’s coaching staff is telling KZ one thing heading into Friday.

Play loose.

The reason he had such great impact in the G-League was because he played so freely. He wasn’t afraid to grab the ball off the rim and take it coast to coast.

This is the time to just leave it all on the floor, since showcasing the level of potential is essential.

It was good to see him knock down that corner three once he came in the game, but I have a feeling we see a much more attack heavy KZ Okpala on Friday.

There are not many preseason games to really get a good look at him, so utilizing these two were going to be important, since although training camp may improve his game, there is nothing like real game speed.

KZ is still one of the most intriguing players on the roster, so it’ll be interesting to see him take the training wheels off a bit on Friday.

Jimmy Butler: “I Don’t Give A Damn”

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Jimmy Butler spoke with media this afternoon, which was headlined by the usual “I’m just here to win.”

He began speaking about Bam Adebayo’s improved mid-range jumper in yesterday’s game, saying “He can shoot the three too.”

That statement clearly gets many Heat fans going, but a lot of the time it’s a confidence thing with Jimmy Butler. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t mean it, since he does, but instilling confidence in your young centerpiece is always good to do. He followed that up saying he wants Bam to “shoot 50 of them.”

He also got into the overall improvements that Bam is looking to make, saying, “I know that he’s better than he was last year…Bam is just gonna be Bam.” That always seems to be his opinion when speaking about him, since he knows what Bam is capable of.

Jimmy was then asked about the continued doubt that this team endured, saying, “I would like to think we have some decent players on this team…I don’t give a damn, Bam is learning he better not give a damn either.”

Finally, he got asked if he was surprised about the extension of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He replied, “Nope.”

He got into the fact that he’s excited to battle with him in the future, saying, “You can’t go around him. You can’t go around LeBron either. You have to go right through them.”

He began mentioning all of the teams in the East, such as the 76ers, Raptors, and Celtics, saying they have to go right through them as well.

Jimmy isn’t avoiding any type of match-up. Instead he’s just going to go out there and win basketball games.