Dolphins Loss Chiefs

5 Takeaways from Dolphins Loss to Chiefs

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The Miami Dolphins (8-5) took more than one tough loss on Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1). Despite battling back from a 20-point second half deficit, the Dolphins dropped a meaningful game to the defending Super Bowl champs. Along the way, the team also lost several players to injury.

Although Miami maintained hold of the last playoff spot in the AFC by Week 14’s end, the path to the postseason has narrowed considerably. The Dolphins still control their playoff destiny, but there’s little margin for error. Miami may very well need to win-out to secure a Wild Card spot at this point.

Here’s a look at five takeaways from the Dolphins loss to the Chiefs.

Dolphins D Came to Play in Loss to Chiefs

The matchup between Miami and Kansas City highlighted a strength-on-strength tug-of-war. The Chiefs feature one of the most potent offenses in the league, while the Dolphins sport one of the NFL’s top defensive units.

Miami’s D held the upper hand early, picking off a pair of Patrick Mahomes passes. The Chiefs entered with only eight turnovers all season long, but by the time the game ended, the Dolphins added four to that tally.

Byron Jones nabbed his first interception as a Dolphin in the first quarter after Andrew Van Ginkel tipped a Mahomes offering. Safety Eric Rowe picked off his second pass of the year later in that quarter. Mahomes had thrown only two interceptions all season entering this one.

Later in the game, Jones added a forced fumble to the tally before Xavien Howard came away with an interception of his own.

All told, the Dolphins defense held the league’s highest scoring offense to just 24 points, six below their season average. (Special Teams surrendered a punt return TD and the offense gave up a safety.) Miami’s 25 takeaways this season now leads the league.

There’s no other offense in the league scarier than that in KC, so this performance should prove, when fully healthy, this defense can play with anyone.

Howard Makes His DPOY Case

Howard’s stellar play continued in this one. Some questioned if he would be up to the challenge, considering Mahomes and the offensive weapons at his disposal. But Howard showed not only that he’s at an All-Pro level but also that he should be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Consider this: In 2019, Patriots’ CB Stephon Gilmore won the award on the back of six interceptions, 20 passes defensed and 53 total tackles. In 2020, with three games to play, Howard leads the league with nine interceptions and 17 passes defensed, and has 40 total tackles. When targeting Howard, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 53.4, second-best among cornerbacks with at least 30 pass targets.

Howard’s nine interceptions puts him within striking distance of the single-season franchise record of 10, held by Dick Westmoreland who set the record in 1967. No NFL player has had at least nine interceptions in a season since Chicago’s Tim Jennings in 2012. No one’s had at least 10 since Antonio Cromartie picked off 10 passes in 2007.

Dolphins Exit Loss with Injury Issues

One of the big concerns for Miami in the wake of this loss remains the health of its frontline players. The Dolphins started the game without a pair of starting linebackers in Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts, but the injury list just got longer from there.

DeVante Parker exited in the second quarter of the game with a leg injury and did not return. He did not make a catch on his two targets. Jakeem Grant also went down with a leg injury as well. Parker and Grant, the team’s top wideouts, played just 27 and 31 snaps respectively.

Another huge loss came midway through the fourth quarter when Mike Gesicki sustained a shoulder injury after a short reception. Gesicki, who had five catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns, emerged as Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite target in this one.

There’s a good chance the Dolphins will be without both Gesicki and Grant come Sunday’s contest against the Patriots.

Safety Bobby McCain sustained an ankle injury during the game but was able to return. Unfortunately, his replacements Clayton Fejedelm and Kavon Frazier both gave up big plays in McCain’s absence, including a 44-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill.

Bowden Emerges as Slot Option

One of the positive takeaways from this spate of injuries might be the emergence of Lynn Bowden Jr as a slot receiver. Bowden has earned more playing time over the last several weeks and led Dolphins receivers in snaps in this one. He played 59 of 83 possible offensive snaps.

Bowden led the team with seven receptions for 82 yards, an 11.7 yards-per-reception average. Each of those set a new career-high for the rookie receiver. He was targeted nine times and six of his catches moved the chains. Bowden also carried the ball once for two yards and attempted one pass.

Bowden has emerged as a utility offensive weapon for the ‘Phins and has developed some positive chemistry with Tagovailoa. That chemistry will be necessary if the receiver corps continues to be thinned out.

One reinforcement this week could be the return of Isaiah Ford. Miami traded Ford to the Patriots for a conditional draft pick earlier this season, only to see New England cut the third-year wideout shortly thereafter. Ford has experience as a slot receiver and in Miami’s system.

Tagovailoa Nearly Pulls Off Epic Comeback

Tagovailoa completed 28-of-48 attempts for a career-high 316 yards in this one. He added two touchdown passes and his first career rushing touchdown. As the game unfolded, Tagovailoa lost most of his go-to offensive outlets, but the rookie quarterback still managed to make this interesting in the end.

Missing the top-8 skill position players (in terms of yards-from-scrimmage) by game’s end, Tagovailoa kept the Dolphins within striking distance. The team put up 17 points in the fourth and were an onside kick recovery away from making it even more compelling.

Perhaps the most impressive drive came after Gesicki was lost for the game. Tagovailoa navigated the offense 73 yards for a touchdown with Bowden and Mack Hollins as his most reliable receivers. The first touchdown drive of the fourth went 80 yards, capping with a 29-yard toss to Gesicki.

Dolphins fans can come away from this one that Tagovailoa has that “it” factor absent from Miami’s backfield since Dan Marino.

Miami’s Free Agency Acquisitions: Adjusting Some Things

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Not to dive into one preseason game too much, but newcomers finally hit the floor for Miami, which gave a better look on how they should probably be utilized.

To start off with Avery Bradley, he’s a solid player who even showed some things that weren’t expected. He’s a much better passer than originally expected, as well as his ability to facilitate on offense.

One thing that stood out as well though was shot selection. Now, he may just be trying to get some shots up to get back into the swing of things, but some jumpers weren’t shots the coaching staff would want him taking on a regular basis.

I believe he has some offensive limitations, but he didn’t look bad when running the pick and roll, which goes back to his passing abilities.

I also believe his defensive presence was looked at in a different way than what he actually is. Many portrayed him as the point of attack defensive fix, but he actually strived in other areas. Obviously it seemed crazy when Spo said he can guard 1-4, but what he meant is that his physicality allows him to do it.

Overall though, you can see how he can fit in with this group, and just wait until he gets the other veterans around him.

Moe Harkless, on the other hand, has been getting called the Jae Crowder replacement since his signing in Miami, while I’ve been saying that he’s much more of the Derrick Jones Jr replacement. And that mostly has to do with the physical aspect, since he just doesn’t have the same size that Crowder had to guard bigger guys.

Moe hit a corner three early in the first quarter, and that’s exactly what you need him to do. If he can hit the open corner three efficiently throughout the season, then he’s automatically fit the role.

Both of these guys are “plug and play” guys, as Coach Erik Spoelstra has said, but I feel like seeing them on the floor finally means they will adjust some things in their game.

Don’t be surprised if we see Spo utilize them both in different ways than they were last night, and that ultimately can be a huge leap for this team before the beginning of the regular season.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s First Preseason Game

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The Miami Heat faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night in their first preseason game of the year. As expected, we got to see some run from a bunch of young guys, and even the improvements the rotational guys have made. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Bam Adebayo’s jumper looks fluid.

It is obvious that the first takeaway had to involve the centerpiece of this Heat team, Bam Adebayo. We can talk about his heart on every single play, diving for loose balls in a preseason game, but we knew he had that already. The thing we’ve been waiting to see in his game though is the mid-range jumper, and he seemed to make it an initiative to go out there and shoot it. The first play of the game was a mid-range jumper from Bam, but a little bit down the line, the jab step into an elbow jumper gave some Chris Bosh flashbacks. Once again, the thing everybody has been saying is for him to have the confidence to attempt them, and if he continues to shoot them like he did tonight, his development will take yet another leap.

#2: Tyler Herro comes out firing, but once he cooled off, he turned into Goran Dragic.

Tyler Herro came out with a purpose to begin the game on Monday night, scoring 8 points early in the first. After that though, he and the rest of the team seemed to cool off from beyond the arc. These are the moments that many want to see, since it’s important to see the reaction from a young player. And well, he decided to get into his Goran Dragic bag of tricks. Whenever he attacks the rim off the dribble, he utilizes the backboard the exact way that Goran does. It’s no shock, since Goran is a mentor for his game, especially when attacking the basket. But seeing him really take a step in that area, as well as the ball-handling and passing, was a great sign in his development as well.

#3: Free agency acquisitions get some run, and both use themselves in different ways.

Many automatically labeled these two acquisitions as players that do one certain thing. Moe Harkless was labeled as the Jae Crowder replacement, but as I’ve been saying, is more like the Derrick Jones Jr replacement. And that is not a bad thing, it’s just that his size does not allow him to guard bigger guys like Jae Crowder did. Avery Bradley was labeled as a point of attack defender, which may be a bit of an overstatement. He can get in the opposing guards grill and be a disruption one-on-one, but where he really showed himself was in all of the small areas. He was a surprisingly impressive passer and a great facilitator on the offensive end. Obviously it’s not great to over analyze one pre-season game that they were involved in, but I believe adjustments will be made with them to make it an even better fit.

#4: KZ Okpala finally gets some playing time.

KZ Okpala was the most intriguing name heading into this game, since it’s been a long wait to see his game at this NBA level. An early corner three showed some great signs, but other than that he didn’t make much of an on-ball offensive impact. One thing that was shown though was his room to grow. He showed great flashes defensively and it’s obvious that there is still so much more room to improve. But what was seen most from him was his energy. If you’re following him on the court, he’s just constantly running. Coach Spo mentioned previously that it’s just about putting it all together, and that’ll come in time. But as of right now, he’s a very good perimeter defender who can be utilized right now.

#5: Precious Achiuwa enters in the second half, and looked like a rookie.

Miami’s rookie, Precious Achiuwa, got some run in the third quarter, and seemed to thrive when the ball was in the hands of Tyler Herro. I don’t know if those off-season workouts made it more fluid, but either way, they utilized the pick and roll well. Not to depict his game too much though, there is some work to be done with the dribble hand-offs. At this level, lazy under hand passes will not get the job done, but he will figure that out over time. His defense proved to look good, both down low and on the perimeter one-on-one, but on a tough night defending the perimeter it’s hard to totally dive in. Ultimately, Precious still has a lot of room to improve, but without a G-League this year, it’ll be interesting to see how that comes about.

Three U.S. Soccer Players Excelling Overseas

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Association football – soccer – is not the most popular sport in the United States. Actually, it’s the least popular among the top 5 sports in the country – gridiron football (aka football), baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. Even with its sharp increase in viewership – due in part to the influx of major international soccer stars like Englishman Wayne Rooney who recently ended his tenure with DC United and David Beckham, who strengthened the ranks of LA Galaxy for five seasons before returning to Europe and ultimately retiring in 2013. 

There are approximately 250 million soccer players in the world, with more than 100,000 of them playing professionally. Standing out from this crowd is about as easy as hitting a jackpot at the JackpotCity online casino. Maybe harder, actually: the odds of hitting the jackpot at JackpotCity are about 1 in 50 million, and all you need to do is play the game. Becoming an outstanding player, in turn, requires a combination of talent, skill, hard work, perseverance, and luck – while talent scouts are continuously looking for great players, they are not perfect either. 

The US is not the greatest soccer nation in the world. Still, it’s a breeding ground for talented players – increasingly in the recent years. And there are quite a few great, outstanding players coming from the US making a name for themselves overseas.

 

Giovanni (Gio) Reyna

Born and raised in New York City, Gio Reyna joined the youth team of the local club New York City FC in 2015. During his time there, he was spotted by talent scouts from Europe, ultimately joining the ranks of the German club Borussia Dortmund last year.

 

Reyna made his first-team debut in Dortmund’s Bundesliga (Germany’s top-flight soccer league) last January, coming on as a substitute in a match against FC Augsburg. Since then, he became a regular, playing 22 league games and scoring one goal for the team. He was also called up repeatedly for the US national team, playing more than 30 games in the team’s youth matches, and twice (with one goal) for the senior team.

Reyna is excited about his future with Borussia Dortmund, saying that he’s ready for an even bigger role in the team going forward.

Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic is perhaps the most expensive American soccer player to date: English Premier League club Chelsea paid £58 million ($77 million today) in 2019 to have him, which made his transfer the third-most-expensive in the year.

Born and raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Pulisic tried his hand (or better said, feet) in soccer at the age of seven, when he lived a year in England. Later, he joined Michigan Rush while his family lived in Michigan, and after returning home, he joined the ranks of the “PA Classics” academy in 2008. During his teens, he trained with Penn FC before he was scouted by German club Borussia Dortmund in 2015. He joined Dortmund’s youth team, standing out through his skill (he scored 10 times and assisted 8 times in his first 15 U17 games). As a result, he joined the senior team in the winter of 2016, after turning 18.

After two seasons with Dortmund, Pulisic left for the misty Albion, joining English Premier League club Chelsea in the summer of 2019. His first goals in the Premier League – a hat-trick against Burnley – followed soon. 

Pulisic has played 34 games for the US National Team so far, scoring 14 times in the process.

 

Zack Steffen

A good goalkeeper is just as important for a soccer team as a forward or a defender – yet goalies are rarely in the spotlight. So, let’s correct this and take a look at the career of US goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

Steffen started playing football recreationally at the age of five, and started training professionally when starting high school. In the early 2010s, he played with the Philadelphia Union youth academy, and was ranked the #1 goalkeeper of his generation by TopDrawerSoccer.com. In college, he played two seasons with the Maryland Terrapins before being signed by German soccer club SC Freiburg in 2014.

He made his senior debut with Freiburg’s second team in 2015. A year later, he joined Columbus Crew SC for three seasons (and a loan spell at Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2016) before being signed by the Premier League club Manchester City last summer. His career in the Premier League was interrupted by a loan spell with German Bundesliga team Fortuna Düsseldorf, where sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel called him “the perfect example of a modern goalkeeper”. Steffen returned to Manchester City for the 2020-2021 Premier League season as a first-team goalie.

5 Expectations for Miami’s First Preseason Game

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The Miami Heat are playing the New Orleans Pelicans in their first preseason game tonight, and there are a few things that I believe we see. Here are 5 things to expect…

1. Many outside the box Erik Spoelstra experiments.

Duncan Robinson spoke with media after shoot-around today, and one thing he mentioned a few times is Erik Spoelstra trying out lineups. That includes young guys, acquisitions, and I believe something else that we aren’t expecting. Obviously seeing new players individually get some run is important, but seeing how they mesh with other players will be the true test. And when I say outside the box experiments, I believe he may try out mixtures that are not expected, since ultimately this is the perfect time to try it. If Bam Adebayo plays tonight, which I’d guess he won’t, I believe we see a good amount of minutes with Precious Achiuwa next to him in the front-court.

2. A Kendrick Nunn stamp of approval.

There are a few layers to the importance of Kendrick Nunn’s play this preseason. For starters, he is looking to prove himself, to show the coaches that he deserves a good amount of minutes in the rotation. Secondly, confidence is always the most essential thing with Kendrick, which means if he plays good, it’s great for him moving forward. Lastly, from the Miami Heat’s perspective, increasing trade value definitely won’t be the worst thing in the world. The main thought is for him to perform to impact winning on this team, but if he begins to get hot, don’t be shocked if he’s used as a trade asset. Either way, I believe we see a big Kendrick Nunn game tonight.

3. Precious Achiuwa and KZ Okpala finally get some run.

The wait is officially over, since we will finally get a glance at the improvement of KZ Okpala, as well as the impact of rookie Precious Achiuwa. Although I think these two get run, I wouldn’t expect much scoring out of them. Bam Adebayo’s first three preseason games were 1 point, 1 point, and 7 points respectively. To that point, I won’t be shocked if we see something similar from Precious. His main attributes are defensive versatilities and rebounding, which I believe we will see great flashes of. Now, KZ has the ability to score some easy buckets if he plays the type of on-ball defense he showed in the G-League. It’ll be interesting to finally see these two young players get some minutes.

4. Veteran rest, even though it’s the first game.

Most teams around the league have been playing their star players decent minutes in the preseason, but the difference is that those guys weren’t playing in the Finals a few weeks ago. We’ve seen LeBron James and Anthony Davis sit out, which is why I believe we see the same from key Heat players. Many players have mentioned that training camp has not felt like they’ve started back up, but instead felt like a continuation. So, giving some veterans the night off clearly won’t be the worst thing, especially since you’re giving more minutes to the young guys trying to prove themselves.

5. Whatever strategic things you see from Miami, don’t expect again.

The Miami Heat have been working on some new things during this training camp, as some players have mentioned, but there’s a major reason why we won’t see most of it tonight. For one, it’s preseason. But more importantly, they’re playing the New Orleans Pelicans once again in 11 days. So if you think that Coach Spo will show some new adjustments in the first preseason game of the season, you are wrong. This means that Miami will either run some stuff from this past season, which clearly will still be used this season as well, or they may go through some unexpected defensive or offensive strategies. This goes back to the first expectation of experimenting, which is why Erik Spoelstra may be the person to watch in tonight’s game.

Bam Vs Zion: The League’s Future is Bright

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The Miami Heat are set to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight in their first preseason game, as well as on Christmas Day. Although there is uncertainty of who will actually be playing tonight, both of these teams have one intriguing headliner for the future.

Bam Adebayo is coming off an incredible bubble run, but more importantly an all star appearance at 23 years of age. As much as people around the Heat have realized his nickname, “No ceiling,” seems to be fitting, it is now apparent that others around the league are beginning to take notice.

Zion Williamson, on the other hand, has had a prety different route than Bam had coming in. The hype around him coming in was well deserved, due to his talent level at the high school and collegiate level. And even had an impressive rookie season, although he missed quite a few games.

These two players paths are clearly different, but it seems their endpoint is similar. The reason certain players are appointed special is when they have one certain quality that depicts them from others.

But with Bam and Zion, there is multiple special qualities that each of them have.

Aside from the basketball talent, they both have that certain personality trait that just makes them likable figures around the league. And when you have that plus the talent, it’s clear that the future is bright.

Once again, it is a bit uncertain of who will be taking the floor tonight, which means we may not see this match-up. But don’t worry, since this will be a battle that the NBA will headline for a very long time, since the trajectory of both at such a young age is unmatched.

Duke vs Kentucky

1st pick vs 14th pick

Showtime scorer vs dirty work defender

The league has something special with these two emerging players.

Dolphins Chiefs

5 Keys to Dolphins-Chiefs in Week 14

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The Miami Dolphins (8-4) enter their Week 14 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) coming off the soft section of their schedule. The Dolphins have won seven of their last eight games and now face their stiffest test of the season.

The Dolphins largely hold their playoff destiny in their own hands. Most assume the game against the defending Super Bowl champions is a loss, but if Miami manages a win this week, it will go a long way toward snapping their four-year playoff drought.

Here’s a look at five keys to the Dolphins-Chiefs matchup in Week 14.

Dolphins-Chiefs: Bend, Don’t Break

The Dolphins sport one of the top defensive units in the NFL. Miami allows the second-fewest points-per-game this season (17.7). They’ve allowed the second-fewest points total (212) and have surrendered just 23 points over the last three game. But this week, they matchup against a high-octane offense helmed by former NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs are second in scoring offense (30.8 PPG), first in total offense (427.6 YPG) and passing (314.4 PYPG), and 16th in rushing (113.2 RYPG) with the second-best third-down conversion rate (49.0 percent).

Kansas City will move the ball against the Dolphins. For Miami, it will be a matter of locking down in the Red Zone. The Dolphins Red Zone defense ranks ninth this season, surrendering a touchdown 58.3 percent of the time. Over the last three weeks, though, Miami’s Red Zone D is tops in the league, allowing touchdowns only 12.3 percent of the time.

The Chiefs are going to score, but if Miami can manage to hold them to field goals instead of allowing an avalanche of touchdowns, they’ll be in this game.

Keep the Offense Up-Tempo

The Chiefs strength is clearly on the offense, but that doesn’t mean their defense is bad. Kansas City ranks sixth in scoring (21.2 PPG) and 17th in total defense (358.2). They’ve won their last seven games in a row, but in three of their last four, they’ve surrendered 24 points or more.

What this means for Miami is they should have the opportunity to move the ball and put up points. And if they’re going to do that, they need to continue what started to work last week: up-tempo offense.

Miami went up-tempo in the second half versus the Bengals last week. Their first drive in the third quarter covered 70 yards in less than three minutes. Tua Tagovailoa zeroed in during that drive as well, connecting on all four pass attempts for 71 yards at the faster pace. After a touchdown to Mike Gesicki, the Dolphins came right back on their next drive moving in a similar fashion. All told, Tagovailoa completed 9-of-12 attempts for 137 and a touchdown on those two drives.

Another wrinkle could be the empty backfield looks. During Sunday’s win, 10 of Tagovailoa’s 39 passes were out of the empty package. He completed nine of those for 106 yards.

Dolphins-Chiefs: Pressure from the Front Four

The Dolphins defense has made a name for itself this season with big plays. What’s helped that effort is the pressure Miami pass rushers have put on opposing quarterbacks. The Dolphins rank in the top-10 in both total sacks (31) and quarterback hits (83). That pressure has led to strip sacks, fumbles and interceptions.

That pressure, though, largely comes thanks to a blitz-happy scheme. The Dolphins blitz on 41.1 percent of dropbacks, second-most in the league. They’ve masked their extra rushers in a variety of ways and they’ve sent the house, using a Cover Zero look, many times.

Sending extra rushers at Mahomes, though, hasn’t been a good idea this season. He’s faced a blitz on 104 dropbacks, which is the third-fewest among quarterbacks with at least 11 starts this season. What’s more, Mahomes has connected on 12 touchdowns and put up a 138.8 rating against the blitz, best in the NFL. He’s thrown zero interceptions in those situations.

This means the Dolphins should probably approach pressuring Mahomes with just their front four. Kansas City runs at least three wideouts out there more than 70 percent of the time, which will dictate Nickel or Dime packages from the Dolphins. Miami should probably flood the field with defensive backs in an effort to mitigate Mahomes’ weapons.

Generate Turnovers

This will be easier said than done. The Dolphins defense has secured a takeaway in 18 straight games, the longest current streak in the league. Miami’s 21 takeaways this season rank second in the NFL and it’s been the key element to the Dolphins’ success this season. Xavien Howard leads the league with eight interceptions, and he’s picked off a pass in four straight games.

Kansas City, though, takes care of the football. The Chiefs are tied with Tennessee for the fewest giveaways this season (8) and Mahomes has thrown just two interceptions in 463 passes this season. His 0.4 percent interception rate is lowest in the league.

Mahomes’ had some close calls, but Miami will need a takeaway or two to turn the tide in this one. Setting up Tagovailoa with a short field and swinging the momentum in Miami’s favor will go a long way to earning this win.

Dolphins-Chiefs: Don’t Abandon the Run

The Dolphins offense struggles to gain consistent traction on the ground. Miami’s 96.5 rushing yards-per-game ranks in the bottom third of the league. Their 3.7 yards-per-carry average is worst. But even though it’s been a struggle to run, the Dolphins must maintain some semblance of balance against KC.

Myles Gaskin’s return to the lineup helped last week. The second-year back gained a career-high 141 yards from scrimmage, 90 of those on the ground. A similar 4.3 yards-per-carry average would go a long way to helping Miami move the ball against the Chiefs. Last week, Miami gained 110 yards on 28 carries against the Bengals, including an 11-yard run from rookie Lynn Bowden Jr.

A creative approach to the run game, with jet sweeps featuring Bowden or Jakeem Grant, and outside zone runs, which were successful last week, will only help Tagovailoa. And Kansas City can be run on. Their rushing defense allows 132.4 yards-per-game (27th). Against the Broncos in Week 13, Kansas City allowed 179 rushing yards, including a 65-yard scamper from Melvin Gordon.

Keep the clock running and winning time-of-possession will also help Miami’s defense against Mahomes and the potent Chiefs offense. If the Dolphins can establish run and methodically move the ball, that will limit Mahomes’ opportunities to score.

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Precious Achiuwa: “Guys Really Care About Each Other”

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Precious Achiuwa got to speak with media on Friday afternoon, and it’s clear he’s one of the most intriguing players heading into this season for Miami.

When asked about the process as a whole, especially with the absence of the Summer League, he said, “I do feel like I’ve been fast tracked.”

He followed that discussing his level of readiness due to his time at Memphis under Penny Hardaway. He mentioned that they had a similar style of play at Memphis so it translates well.

He was asked about having Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem as leaders on this team. He responded, “It’s been really helpful, especially UD, but Bam as well…Whatever question I have I go to them right away and they tell me what I’m doing right or wrong.”

When asked about his first impression of this Heat team, he said, “Guys really care about each other.” You know statements like this are true when every single newcomer says it in their media session.

Lastly he was asked about his role with this team, but as expected, he said, “I’m just willing to play whatever role I’m given.”

It seems unrealistic that he will have a significant role, if any, right away since no Summer League is a huge impact.

Kendrick Nunn talked about the importance of the Summer League, saying, “You get a little more feel going into Summer League…But with the Heat here, they’ve done a great job of getting guys like him ready to play, so we won’t have that problem.”

Comments like this truly show the confidence that every player has in this organization. And thy retaliate with confidence in their players.

It’ll be interesting to see both Kendrick Nunn and Precious Achiuwa in the preseason, since as I’ve mentioned, will be like a showcase for Miami.

And Coach Spo seems to think so as well, saying, “We will use some of it to evaluate.”

Marlins Rule 5

Marlins Active During Rule 5 Draft

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The Miami Marlins front office has remained largely quiet so far this offseason, but that changed during Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft. The Marlins added five players to the organization but also saw a player plucked from their minor league system.

Miami has a long history of activity in the Rule 5 Draft, with some significant successes. Many of the players who’ve been drafted in this setup don’t make much of a difference. However, 33 All-Stars have been selected during this process over the years, as well as one Hall of Famer (Roberto Clemente).

Marlins Land Two Pitchers in Rule 5 Draft

The Marlins held the No. 13 overall selection in this year’s Rule 5 draft and chose right-handed pitcher Paul Campbell from the Tampa Bay Rays. Miami also added reliever Zach Pop in a draft-day trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Campbell comes to Miami with the potential to make an immediate impact as a long reliever and spot starter. Rated the Rays’ No. 24 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Campbell sports high spin rates on his fastball, curveball and slider. His fastball sits at 92-95 mph with cut action and he has good command.

For his career, Campbell registers a 3.12 ERA with 188 strikeouts, allowing opponents to hit just .231 against him.

The Marlins picked up Pop from Arizona in exchange for the infamous player-to-be-named-later. Pop actually comes from the Baltimore Orioles’ system, as the Diamondbacks selected him with the No. 6 pick in Thursday’s draft. Pop made his way to Baltimore as part of the Manny Machado trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few years ago.

Pop underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 but profiles as a potential closer. When healthy, his arsenal includes an upper-90s sinker and a plus slider. His fastball clocked at mid-to-upper 90s prior to his surgery.

In limited opportunities due to injury, Pop piled up 80 strikeouts over 80.1 IP. He’s registered eight saves in 11 opportunities and sports a 1.34 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP.

There’s high upside for both of these pitchers. If they can reach their potential, both will be significant upgrades for the Marlins bullpen. These additions complete Miami’s 40-man roster, but that will not prevent the team from being engaged in both the free agent and trade markets.

Minor League Additions (and Subtraction)

The Marlins remained active during the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft as well, which is set up in a similar way to the MLB phase. If a player is picked from Double-A, they move to Triple-A. Single-A players move to Double-A with their new club.

Miami selected three players during this phase. They nabbed LHP Jake Fishman from the Blue Jays, RHP Dylan Bice from the Rangers and INF Marcus Chiu from the Dodgers.

Fishman might be the best of the three picks. He’s a low-slot lefty reliever with some starting experience. At 6-foot-3, the 25-year-old’s awkward angle and horizontal movement of his fastball make him an interesting prospect. He figures to be a Triple-A reliever in 2021, but could see a promotion during the season.

Bice is a 23-year-old hard-throwing reliever who hasn’t pitched above Single-A. Chiu is a 23-year-old utility infielder with some power but who hit just .215 at High-A in 2019.

The Marlins lost right-handed reliever Brett Graves during the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Interestingly, Oakland picked Graves from the Marlins three years after Miami took him from the A’s in the 2017 Rule 5 draft.

Injury issues stalled Graves’ development with the Fish. He made 21 appearances for the Marlins in 2018. He registered 21 strikeouts over 33.1 innings pitched and notched one win, one loss and one save along the way. Graves spent 2019 between Double-A and Triple-A, and wasn’t part of Miami’s 60-man player pool in 2020.

Marlins Rule 5 History

The Marlins have had some success in the past during the Rule 5 draft. The team nabbed Dan Uggla from Arizona in 2005. Uggla put up some gaudy numbers for the Marlins over his five-year run with the Fish and remains Top-10 in 30 offensive statistical categories for the franchise. He’s No. 2 all-time in home runs (154) and strikeouts (760), and No. 6 in RBI (465).

In 2013, the Marlins selected Justin Bour from the Chicago Cubs during the minor league phase of the draft. Bour went on to parts of play five seasons with the Fish, hitting 83 homers, 63 doubles and driving in 272 runs. In 2017, the Marlins added Elieser Hernandez from the Astros and he pitched very well for the Fish in 2020.

Last year, the Marlins selected RHP Sterling Sharp from the Nationals, but ultimately returned the reliever to Washington after an unsuccessful stint.

Interestingly, the Marlins were also involved in the Rule 5 selection of two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. In 2000, the Astros left Santana off of their 40-man roster and the Marlins, who held the No. 2 pick that year, selected the future star.

The Marlins then flipped Santana to the Minnesota Twins in what was later deemed a prearranged draft-day deal. The Marlins received minor leaguer in Jared Camp, who the Twins had taken with the No. 1 pick in the Rule 5 draft that year, and $50,000. Camp didn’t make the Marlins Opening Day roster that year and was ultimately returned to the Cleveland Indians. Santana, meanwhile, went one to be a four-time All-Star and won the AL Cy Young in 2004 and 2006.

Miami Heat Preseason: A Youthful Showcase

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The Miami Heat are set to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans in their first preseason game on Monday, and well, it holds more value than you may think.

Something that has been discussed quite a lot lately is that the absence of Summer League, as well as the G-League, will ultimately take a toll on most rookies. Especially with a guy like Precious Achiuwa, since Miami’s developmental program allows guys to evolve rather quickly.

Due to not seeing any of them play in any type of NBA level game speed, the preseason games will be utilized as a type of showcase, especially for Miami.

The Heat’s rotation seems uncertain heading into the season, since not only do they have a lot of depth, but they have a lot of youth who have a chance at making yet another jump.

That starts with Precious Achiuwa and KZ Okpala, since giving them NBA level reps is the most essential element.

When Erik Spoelstra spoke about KZ, he mentioned that he just needs to put it all together. And the only way to do that is to get some quality minutes so he can get a taste.

Another guy that may benefit from the preseason games is Kendrick Nunn. He’s one of the most interesting names on the roster heading into the season, since on paper he’s probably the 5th guard, but he also is coming off a very impressive rookie season. There is a bit of recency bias after his play in the bubble, but he is still a quality rotaional piece who is still developing.

But as I mentioned, the preseason will be a showcase for the players, as well as an evaluation period for the coaches. If Kendrick shows offensive flashes as he did early in the regular season, there is no doubt that he will be utilized frequently on this Heat team this season.

Most of Miami’s players have pretty much proven themselves, but those three can definitely increase their value in these limited preseason games.

The coaching staff will not be making any rotational decisions that will be set in stone, which means if somebody shows some flashes, they can be inserted at any time.

This is the young guys time to shine. Go prove your worth.