Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Zylan Cheatham Shows Signs of a Miami Heat Guy

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After taking a look at the clip above, what stands out?

An explosive roller who can slip screens with ease? Maybe. A quick trigger around the rim? Possibly. But the main thing that sticks out to me here: physicality.

When looking at the Miami Heat’s G-League scouting in the past, they never go for that killer scorer who can’t be stopped. It’s not that flashy on-ball guy who they want to put the ball in the basket. Instead, they look for certain team’s glue guys, who possibly are setting up that big time scorer.

In many ways, that seems to be the job of Zylan Cheatham. A tough guy, rebounds the basketball with great enthusiasm, takes most of his pride on the defensive end. That’s a Heat guy.

Looking at the Heat’s current situation, they’re down 5 rotational guys at the moment, who are all front-court defensive minded players. With that said, it was clear what kind of player they’d use their 10 day contract on.

When I mention Miami searching for “glue guys” or certain set-up players, these are the plays that stick out to the Heat scouting group. A guy that can be relied on down on the defensive end, while being able to stick in the middle of a 2-3 zone to find the open man. Honestly, looks like a young version of current and previous Heat come-ups.

That one pass may look simple in the clip above, but it’s something that guys like KZ Okpala have struggled with over this recent run. Now, this is against G-League talent, so Okpala may be able to do something similar in that setting, but if he can have similar control at the next level, that’s all he needs to be serviceable.

The other part of his game, as I mentioned before, that sticks out is his rebounding. Since Bam Adebayo went down, the Heat are 27th in the league in rebounds per game. Although Cheatham’s height seems to differ depending on what website you look at, it’s clear that his length isn’t what makes him a good rebounder.

Once again, something the Heat absolutely love. Just ask some Heat personnel about PJ Tucker’s recent presence.

As Jonathon Givony of Draft Express said about Cheatham, “I think will have a chance to stick if he can show that his 3-ball is for real, because he does everything else.” And man, that isn’t the first Heat prospect I’ve heard that description for.

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The thing about his current role over the next 10 days is that threes won’t be an absolute necessary factor. He will be an elbow guy, a dunker spot guy, and asked to slightly facilitate the ball around the perimeter, while semi-pulling a big from the basket on guard drives to the basket.

It’s simple. Miami loves to simplify guys games like himself when put in this setting, but the difference now compared to any other circumstance, his opportunity should come immediately. This Heat team is rolling out the same 9 guys every single night, just because they only have 9 available guys.

If that drops down to eight, or even if it stays at nine, Cheatham will get his shot.

Speaking of a dunker spot role, there’s no better player to throw in that spot than an explosive high flyer like himself.

(Derrick Jones Jr anyone?)

We can talk about many things the Heat lacked against Detroit the other night, but one of the major factors was the void of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. And well, as wild as it may sound, Cheatham could potentially provide that if he gets going upon immediately being scooped up.

One fast-break 360 dunk from Cheatham, and the energy around a game could flip. I guess we’ll see where this goes over the next week and a half, but there’s no doubt this guy is a Heat prospect.

Not about total scoring, defensive minded, energetic rebounder, and a guy who has come up through the mud.

Who would’ve thought?

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to the Pistons

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The Miami Heat dropped this one to the Detroit Pistons, as fatigue shines through as the leading factor. Short on jumpers, late on rotations, getting out-rebounded. All factors of a tired group at the end of a road trip.

Anyway, here are the five takeaways from this one…

#1: Duncan Robinson’s expanding bag creating more lineup flexibility, yet individual shot-making restricting.

Little by little, the fits surrounding Duncan Robinson are coming together. Robinson himself, on the other hand, is a completely different story tonight that I’ll have to wait to discuss. On paper, it’s one of these easiest combinations to make work. One of the league’s top 3 point specialists is a simple pair for any NBA player, but extra avenues are being explored. We’ve seen Robinson’s inside game more and more lately: the mid-range pull-up, pin-downs/back-cuts, and now dribble penetration. He drives down the lane, 3 Pistons collapse, and hits Max Strus in the corner off a hammer screen. That’s big time for Robinson, since as I said, it changes the equation for certain lineups to push a Strus and Robinson for longer minutes. Another example of flexibility is within the scheme. To start the game, he came up to screen for Kyle Lowry, Detroit blitzed, and well, that’s the last thing you want to do with Robinson as the screener. He hit that three, but none seemed to follow. And that’s tough when you’re without Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Morris, Martin, etc.

#2: The Max Strus conversation continues.

Max Strus happened again. 15 points at the half for Miami, while the second leading scorer in the entire game was Hamidou Diallo with 9 points. When talking about future lineups for this Heat team when fully healthy, it’s clear Max Strus has earned his stay. I don’t know if that means he will crack that rotation, but it should definitely take some strong consideration. On a team where the two best players don’t shoot the three-ball, Strus feels like the perfect bench piece at the back-end of the rotation. He’s consistent, he plays a simple game, and as we’ve seen over the last 2 years, his teammates are very comfortable with him on the floor, and even more importantly, highly confident in his abilities. Robinson’s degree of difficulty is unmatched, but in an open gym, Strus is evenly aligned with him. But adding the steady efficiency recently with the tougher looks he’s getting equals a rotation player on this team.

#3: Three-point attempts continue to skyrocket.

Erik Spoelstra in tonight’s pregame media availability made sure to note that it’s much more than just three-point shots rising. But in the big picture, it’s clear that is the only true outlet at this time. It’s not just about the correlation of no Butler or Bam meaning more threes, but it’s much more about being without those two leading to less rim pressure overall. Guys like Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry are still generating it at a high rate, but that downhill scoring presence hasn’t really been displayed. The team’s new paint touches are worked more through quick passes off back-cuts than pure drives, which leads to a higher rate of three-point shots and quick kick-outs off spiraling defensive rotations. And when the three isn’t falling, it’ll be a long night for Miami no matter who they’re facing.

#4: Does Miami act as if Bam Adebayo is on the floor too often?

When talking about losing a franchise player for a few months, it’s hard for a group of guys to fully adjust at the snap of a finger. But with some weeks lingering by, it feels like there continues to be a reliance on finding the big on the floor in an unorthodox way. It has been the case with Dewayne Dedmon as he’d lurk sideline to sideline for hand-offs, but now Omer Yurtseven turned into that guy. For an entirety of the third quarter, the ball just kept being worked into him, which is an area of his game he’s not comfortable with at this moment. Why have PJ Tucker-KZ Okpala lineups worked seamlessly in the past? Because the team knows there isn’t a big on the floor to overwork. That’s going to be key as they move forward, and much of that usage can flip when Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler get back in the mix.

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#5: The importance of PJ Tucker shines.

I hinted at it slightly in the last takeaway, but this topic needs its own section. A Caleb Martin can pick up for Jimmy Butler some nights. A Max Strus can pick up for Tyler Herro some nights. But only PJ Tucker can pick up for Bam Adebayo. When Tucker went down to begin that third quarter, as I highlighted in the last section, an over-reliance on others occurred. Simply, I don’t see a way to overcome the loss of Adebayo and Tucker, even against teams like this. I can go through the catalog of guys they are missing, but everything seems to get flushed without that steady offensive rock who can get them into their sets. Without that “rock,” perimeter play is spammed, the one outlet of rim pressure with off-ball cuts is eliminated, and that three-point surge is put on display even more. I’d expect Tucker to be fine, but Miami wasn’t fine tonight.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Magic

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The Miami Heat take down a banged up Orlando Magic squad on Friday night, as guys like Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro add another recovery day to the catalog.

The two-ways of last season, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, come up big as Miami coasts to another much needed win.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Oh hey Max Strus.

A 20 point second quarter was just Max Strus’ way of making Erik Spoelstra’s life much harder from a long term sense. But in all seriousness, it is something to keep track of with Strus, Caleb Martin, and Gabe Vincent switching off big time nights. Whenever we talk about Strus getting hot, the funny thing is his film looks so similar side-by-side. Why is that? Well, his simple methods keep it looking so identical. He’s not navigating as many screens as Duncan Robinson, or feeling out screens on the ball like a Kyle Lowry or Tyler Herro. He’s just either pulling up with a defender right in his face, or he utilizes his slight pump-fake and pull-back to get just enough space to fire. Max Strus is a simple guy, who plays with a simple style. And looking at some of the guys on this roster, simple is great as a plug-in guy.

#2: My nightly takeaway without Bam Adebayo: Dewayne Dedmon’s high level production.

Even after writing a Dewayne Dedmon piece early in the day, it still isn’t enough praise for this solid spot starter. At halftime, he had 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, just continuing to take whatever the defense was giving him. For example, above the break transition threes. To dive into his three-point shot profile a bit more, it’s pretty clear the corners should be avoided with him. His comfort looks right at home from the top of the key, or right/left wing, almost as the anti-PJ Tucker from beyond the arc. Being able to be relied on from night to night in this way, after only playing 16 regular season games the season prior, just isn’t a normal occurrence. Dedmon has headlined the drop coverage phenomenon over the month of December for Miami as well, almost providing an unlocked door to Adebayo’s defensive role upon returning.

#3: My microscopic takeaway: Heat are zone providers, but being tested as zone consumers.

In games where the opposing team’s entire bench just got signed to some 10 days from the Lakeland Magic squad, microscopic views are necessary. The one I picked up on tonight was the way Miami handled the zone when it was thrown at them, since before Spo called the timeout, it surprised them the same way they do to others. Much of the issue had to with personnel at the time. KZ Okpala was immediately used as the middle man on the insert pass, which led to a turnaround mid-range fade-away with nobody on him. And down so many guys, the name I brought up was Max Strus. That’s a guy you can trust to hit that elbow turnaround or make the easy kick-out read, but overall, Spo getting some of these ATO and set-up reps against it is important. The zone is rising rapidly across the league.

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#4: The Gabe Vincent game turns into the Gabe Vincent stretch.

This type of play from Gabe Vincent was definitely unexpected, but it was kind of inevitable. Shooters don’t just forget how to shoot. Slumps occur, tweaks are made, then in a matter of time, the shot returns. But the difference with Vincent is that he elevated every other part of his game throughout the struggles. He shifted his strengths in many ways, turning into a defensive first guard, with an ability to switch on and off the ball with ease. And like I said, now the three-point shot is here, and the confidence is the headliner. All that is needed for shooters like himself is a reference point, and that is what this week will be for Vincent as he moves forward. This isn’t a temporary thing. Of course he won’t always shoot the three-ball at this clip, but he’s officially found himself as a rotational NBA player.

#5: Heat rolling through the easy December stretch.

Yes it’s only 2 wins in a row for Miami, but this is just the beginning as an easy slate of games lie ahead: Detroit twice, Indiana, Orlando, Washington, San Antonio, and Houston. Jimmy Butler or not, that’s a lot of very winnable and favorable games for this Heat team as they enter the new year. Erik Spoelstra’s continued phrase throughout the season, “we have enough,” is in full effect at this time as well, since while many would question the Heat being “favored” in many of these games, it wasn’t expected that Vincent and Strus would go from two-ways to starter level products. After completing this next slate of games, they should be hovered right around that three seed, in a period that was supposed to be a state of survival.

 

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Dewayne Dedmon is Indeed the Mechanic: He Just Fixes Things

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It’s December 1st at 3 pm. You may have been leaving school, bored at work, or if you’re like me, preparing for the drive up to FTX arena for the Heat vs Cavs game, as Miami awaited an inevitable emotional and physical collapse.

Then ‘Bam.’ Literally.

The notification hits our phones that Bam Adebayo has torn his UCL and will undergo surgery. No specific timetable at this moment in time, just a quick blur of what the rest of the season would look like for the Heat.

Luckily shortly after, we learned it wasn’t season ending. Just around a 4 to 6 week process at best case scenario, which was far from the worst possible outcome after the immediate thoughts.

Then we all turn to evaluating the Heat’s roster. And the crazy thing is all of our minds went in the same exact direction. We didn’t question the guy stepping up into the role of Bam Adebayo. We instead questioned who would fill the role for the guy stepping up, Dewayne Dedmon.

Why is that? Why did so many of us not question the way he would at least help Miami survive many nights as the starting center? Well, it was simply his ability to just be solid.

Ever since entering the starting lineup 8 games ago, he’s averaging 9 points a game on 56% shooting, 60% shooting from three, 10 rebounds, a block, a steal, while throwing in 2 assists. That’s the definition of a trusted back-up big in this league.

Every challenge that has been thrown his way, he has hit out of the park. How is Miami going to deal with the inability to switch in the majority of their lineups? Oh, Dedmon will just play some of the best post defense of his career, while blitzing like a young version of himself.

How will Dedmon be able to slow down Joel Embiid in a game Miami shouldn’t even be in by halftime? Well, holding him to 3 of 10 shooting looks like he found a decent defensive outlet.

Will the offensive restrictions be noticeable with Dedmon and PJ Tucker in the starting front-court? Yet that can’t happen when Tucker becomes an interior/rolling powerhouse, and Dedmon starts stretching the floor with an above the break three-ball.

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Over the last 8 games, the Heat are .500, which is essentially the formula to surviving over this period. The young guys have produced at a high level, Duncan Robinson is getting his shot back, Tucker is playing over his head. But the reason the Heat have gone 4-4 instead of 3-7 or 2-6 is due to Dedmon being the “mechanic.” Fixing things when asked.

It felt like there have been long periods where Miami’s tried to utilize Dedmon like Adebayo too much. News flash: that just can’t ever happen. You can get away with that with Tucker, but Dedmon needs to be Dedmon on a night to night basis.

Against switching teams, they’ve found the release valve. Screen, roll, occasional pop, repeat.

Against heavy drop teams, they’ve transitioned him closer to a Bam role. Screen, roll, hand-off, repeat.

That is how Miami was able to exploit the 76ers on Wednesday night, and how Robinson was able to catch fire. Two wing threes in the first quarter from Robinson came from Dedmon laying out Danny Green or Matisse Thybulle, so Robinson gets a clear lifting area.

On the other side of things, the Heat have been a much better defensive team when Dedmon is on the floor, going from a 106 defensive rating when he’s on the floor to a 113 rating when he’s off.

Want to take a guess at what that is? Fixing things.

The Heat went from staggering the minutes of Jimmy Butler and Adebayo last season to staggering the minutes of Tucker and Dedmon this year. And I’d argue that method is even more important in this year’s setting.

They’ve gotten decent deep bench production as of late, but they plainly can’t survive without their guy in the middle. His build may not scream versatility, but his role absolutely does.

His attempts have been rising. His production has been rising. His stock has been rising.

“He gives us a different kind of feel at that center position than Bam,” Erik Spoelstra said earlier this season. “Couldn’t be happier about the minutes and productivity he’s given from that position.”

And I think many would agree. Usually when a guy like that enters for an injured star, expectations are really low. Other times when a guy enters for a struggling starter, expectations are really high. But with Dedmon early this month, expectations were leveled across the board.

Dedmon is who he is at this stage of his career, and Miami in particular isn’t trying to change anything about him.

“I’m just here to have fun,” Dedmon said last season. And now Miami’s starting to have some fun as they brought their car into his shop to fix.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Cleveland

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The Miami Heat lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers once again, and it was in similar fashion. Short-handed, some offensive issues, and top player struggles.

So let’s hop right into some takeaways from this one…

#1: PJ Tucker with the early impact.

Last game against Chicago, PJ Tucker finished the game with 8 points on 3 of 7 shooting, while going 2 for 4 from three. What was Tucker’s stat-line 6 minutes into this game tonight? You guessed it: 8 points on 3 of 7 shooting, while going 2 for 4 from deep. That may seem like a positive thing individually, but it’s also not the greatest indication for the team. When a guys highest attempts in a game is 10 so far this season, 7 in the first few minutes usually means somethings wrong. We saw things breakdown later, but Tucker was that steady rock that kept them going. Some great box-outs, timely boards early, and that coveted corner triple. Being a number one option on a night like this is something nobody could’ve expected coming into the season.

#2: Tyler Herro’s one struggling defensive adjustment this season.

Tyler Herro hasn’t had many down games so far this season, but the one single time I’ve seen him rattled was that home match-up with Cleveland back in Miami. To begin his NBA career, drop coverage was the only thing he could truly pick apart, but he’s expanded upon that this year. He has counters for switches, counters for blitzes, but the one thing he hasn’t shown a comfortable counter for is length. Guys like Lauri Markkanen blanketing him on the perimeter, basically daring him to drive into a funneled death trap of more bigs. If he continues to navigate the outside, his main release valve for separation can’t be gotten to. His high release point is his way around tight defense, but it’s impossible to rely on that against three 7 footers. Spo drew up a decent game-plan for him with higher screening and more room to operate, but things were still a bit odd.

#3: Dewayne Dedmon is not Bam Adebayo, so he shouldn’t be used as such.

With the usage of Cleveland’s bigs, it was clearly a rough time for Dewayne Dedmon. He can handle his own against guys like that, but he’s much better as the complementary piece with match-ups like this, who can be used as an altered body for Bam Adebayo. But tonight, he’s it. Gabe Vincent actually made some nice plays by tying up the big in the post, but ultimately that doubling can only get you so far, as I said on Twitter in the second quarter. Shortly after, the Cavs found the open areas to attack. On the other side of the ball, Dedmon has been great in his simple offensive role, but when the offense is at its absolute worst, is when Dedmon is being used like Bam. News flash: that should never happen. Having him on the wing for hand-offs three straight possessions won’t cut it. He’s capable in spurts, but the over-reliance can hurt them against teams like this.

#4: Duncan Robinson the ball-handler?

This wasn’t the greatest shooting night from Duncan Robinson, but the difference with tonight is he actually fought through to still make an impact offensively. Like I said after last game, he let the two-point shot dictate the three instead of vice versa. Now tonight, he stuck to a game-plan no matter the shots falling or not. Something that was seen out the gate with him was that when he put the ball on the floor to drive, good things happened. It wasn’t just the flashy behind the back passes to Dedmon down low. It was just his comfort levels being through the roof. He wasn’t rushing as a passer, he wasn’t rushing as a dribbler. He was just making the right reads with guys on his hip. And that’s what can counter his poor shooting some nights. Yet, many times it’ll still lead to losses like this.

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#5: An obvious takeaway, but tonight’s issue falls into the Jimmy Butler column.

Evaluating the team stats throughout the night, it felt like it never aligned to the score. Miami and Cleveland stayed neck and neck in field goals, field goals attempted, threes, threes attempted, etc. The one stat that wasn’t close all night was free throw attempts, and more importantly, free throws made. Not making the limited free throws that were provided is weird in itself. But ultimately, it isn’t a surprise that occurred, since it’s just what comes with the personnel they had. There wasn’t one guy in Miami’s rotation tonight that was somebody who can reliably draw fouls, other than Kyle Lowry who hasn’t done that very exclusively this season. I wouldn’t say it is an issue due to it not being expected anyway, but that was the difference maker tonight in terms of statistics.

 

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Could Bam Adebayo End Up Returning to an Altered Defensive Scheme?

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We’ve been seeing a recent Heat trend on the defensive end. One that has translated to wins against top tier Eastern Conference talent.

The reason for the abrupt change. Well, just look back to December 1st at 3 pm when it was reported that Bam Adebayo would be out for the next 4 to 6 weeks with a torn UCL in his right thumb.

That one report caused an immediate schematic shift on the defensive side of the ball, as Miami not only lost their versatile defensive base, but a league candidate for defensive player of the year.

Up to that point, the Heat were known for their strong ability to switch. And at times, maybe even a little bit too much. A screen comes as a pick and roll is run between the point guard and center, while Adebayo finds himself locking up the opposing teams ball-handler, and the ball is simultaneously making its way around the perimeter and into the hands of a big with a guard on his back.

That description is looking at things through a microscope, since although that was the case many possessions, good things came out of it as well. But the key to it working usually meant a healthy roster had to be surrounding him. Guys like Jimmy Butler and PJ Tucker had to be out there to make it fully effective, which leads to all indications pointing toward a playoff style mentality.

Fast forward to this point in time without Adebayo, the Heat are peaking on the defensive side of the ball, essentially without their two best defenders. How is that happening?

Well, for obvious reasons due to personnel, they’ve gone away from that total switching for most of the game.

Zone defenses were seen more and more in the beginning of the December, but even that has been aborted over this past week. It’s simple: it is just straight man on man, while mixing up drop coverage and blitzing when a true big man, like Dewayne Dedmon or Omer Yurtseven, are on the floor.

 

This play-style means that you’re able to dictate where the ball goes, instead of the offense dictating things as the slower big is planted in that drop coverage down low. As seen above, Yurtseven blitzes out, two passes are made before it finds the rolling big, and Yurtseven is there to blanket Tony Bradley in the post.

The most important part about going this route is the much easier spot you’re putting guys like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson in. You may think covering the ground of two guys is harder than straight up switching, but it quickly becomes muscle memory to tag and recover.

And frankly, many of the “weaker” defenders on the roster are positionally sound, which caters to this style of play.

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Now, with all of that said, will these strong bases just get thrown out the window once Adebayo returns from injury in the near future?

I don’t believe so.

In my opinion, to maximize the switching on a team that’ll eventually run a lineup of Lowry-Oladipo-Butler-Tucker-Adebayo, it must be the complement instead of the only go-to in high leverage situations.

A perfect example is what we’ve seen as of late with the players available. Miami runs a bunch of drop to begin the game with Dedmon, quickly shifts to some zone as the bench guards enter, and ultimately land right back in switching when the Okpala-Tucker front-court pairing gets some extended run.

That’s the formula with a healthy roster.

Bam Adebayo isn’t just a good defender because he can lock up your favorite player on the perimeter. He’s actually in defensive player of the year conversations because he can read things on that end of the floor at an advanced speed, while he finally has a guy by his side to call them out for others, in PJ Tucker.

If you want to see Adebayo swarm offensive talents from a night to night basis, never let them get comfortable with a single defensive structure. You can still allow Bam to switch, but don’t restrict him from those blitzes that we saw above, who can recover at double the speed Dedmon or Yurtseven can.

These options that I’m discussing are the exact reason this Heat team is in a much better spot in the big picture this season than last year. That team didn’t have options. Even when looking at the Bucks playoff match-up, they didn’t even have more than 1 Giannis Antetokounmpo defender, and that guy was Bam.

Now, this team is an advanced version of the bubble team on the defensive end. They have bodies to throw at star players like Antetokounmpo or Durant, they have increased perimeter defensive talent, and most importantly as I stated before, they have added defensive weapons for Coach Erik Spoelstra to utilize within the scheme.

Change is coming.

Adebayo going down sounded like the worst news in the world for the Heat when you first heard it. But it may turn into a guy who gets added rest for a two month period with that knee that’s been bothering him, and gives Miami some added clarity on that side of the ball.

The defensive player of the year award may be out the equation by now, but Adebayo is eyeing something much bigger.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Bulls

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The Miami Heat faced the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, and it was a pretty different game than the last one. No Jimmy Butler, no Bam Adebayo, no DeMar DeRozan.

Yet, Miami came away with a win due to a bunch of guys stepping up yet again.

So, here are some takeaways from this big win…

#1: Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry coming out in a different manner.

The first takeaway on many of my post-game pieces this season have been on Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson. But not usually in a positive way, especially with both of them on the same night. Robinson missed his first shot of the night, then didn’t look back. Pump fake, one dribble, pull-up mid-range was his first bucket of the night, and it triggered a three-point shooting parade shortly after. That’s the formula. Lowry also came out shooting the ball well, but his passing stood out even more. 12 first half assists pretty much sums up that entire point. When he’s playing with his natural flow and assertiveness, that age of his fades away quickly. These two guys have been trying to find a rhythm next to each other, and both of them enhancing their biggest skill is the way to do that.

#2: An offensive tweak without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Mid-post touches every single play down was the nightly occurrence when Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and even Markieff Morris was in the lineup. But without them, the offensive purpose has looked rough. Spamming perimeter movement, hand-offs, and normal pick and rolls. But over the last two games, Miami’s found an outlet. Instead of the mid-post with those guys I named, they’re using PJ Tucker and Lowry on the wing three in similar post position. It gives Lowry spacing to score, while also providing more room to play-make in a smaller guys body. Tucker is a threat to run a hand-off or set a quick screen, while also giving guys their spotting on the floor on the weak-side. Mid-post insertions was the team’s base, but they’re finally reviving an offensive home to get back to.

#3: Dewayne Dedmon looking like much more than a valued role player.

Dewayne Dedmon has deserved a ton of credit over this last stretch. When Bam Adebayo went down originally, I think everybody’s mind went to the same place: the back-up big minutes. The reason is that Dedmon is so solid that nobody questions his production, and he’s upheld that point. Night in and night out, he plays his consistent game of screening, rolling, and offensive rebounding. Tonight, though, he wasn’t afraid to show off that three-ball a bit more as well. He buried two shots from deep in the first half, while presenting the Heat with a great spark after Robinson and Lowry went off the floor. He’s the ultimate role player in this league, but his game can be expanded upon when needed in games like this. Many players with his build withhold restrictions, but he truly doesn’t in many ways. He’s a drop big who isn’t the quickest, but can blitz you all night with that recovering scheme. He’s versatile. Not on the floor, but in the lineup from game to game.

#4: KZ Okpala becoming a usable piece on nights like this?

We know what KZ Okpala is as an NBA player so far. Some restrictions offensively, tons of talent defensively, but an overall discomfort on both sides whenever he’s thrown in there. Over the last two games, things have been different though. The biggest difference, in my opinion, isn’t just Okpala doing anything insanely different, but instead who he’s lining up next to. I’m not so sure Erik Spoelstra would put a ton of trust into him on a regular basis, but next to PJ Tucker, the trust is undoubtedly there. Okpala and Tucker can interchange the big man match-up no matter who they’re facing, while the other is slowly edging down to rely on rotations. Hence, the struggling Nikola Vucevic tonight. If Okpala can continually be this playable this season, they can definitely use him with so many guys down.

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#5: This is a big win…for many reasons.

Let me start by reiterating that Duncan Robinson needed this game. A home night explosion on the offensive end, while showcasing mental strength over physical strength. But as a team, the importance shines even more. This past Monday, Jimmy Butler returned and went out in the same game, leaving many predicting a gloomy stretch of games ahead. The reigning champ Milwaukee Bucks as the current 3 seed were up next, while the 2 seed Chicago Bulls quickly followed. Without Butler and Adebayo, that basically screamed 0-2. But well, Miami flipped that into a 2-0 stretch through hard overall play, and now we’re heading into another game on Monday to complete a 7 day stretch without Butler. Who knows if he will come back then, but either way, Miami has survived a stretch that didn’t seem possible. And after the 15th of December, things will get real easy for Miami up until New Years.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over the Bucks

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Well, talk about entertaining.

The Miami Heat faced off against the reigning champ Milwaukee Bucks without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and pulled off a win led by their two-way star Caleb Martin.

So, let’s dive into what happened a bit…

#1: Caleb Martin coming out with some fire, literally.

Caleb Martin entered the starting lineup for the injured Jimmy Butler, which came as a surprise to some due to the recent formula of inserting Tyler Herro. It made sense due to the idea of actually obtaining a Khris Middleton defender in this one, but that was the least of his worries. The offensive stuff took over instead. He actually got in a bit of a skurmish with Bobby Portis on the floor in the second, leading to some more fire in his eyes. He came down with a power block at the rim on Portis shortly after, while yelling in a similar way Portis did all night. Then some more 3’s rained down, as Martin shushed in the direction of Portis. This performance from him was much more than a back forth with Portis, though. This was yet another showing of a rotational player in this league. Not a two-way.

#2: Miami finding the holes in Milwaukee’s defense early, which is hard to do without the premier guys.

On a positive note, the Heat held their own early due to the defensive presence on the floor, but the offense was sustained throughout in a different way. Yes Martin was a big part of it, but it was the definition of team offense. Bigs like Cousins were playing high on the drop and blitzing the ball handler, leading to some immediate counters from Miami. Quick pocket pass, which ultimately forces the 4 on 3, while providing a clear outlet with their reads: the dunker spot. Back to back possessions this was run in the second quarter, one with a dunk for KZ Okpala and the other a layup for Tyler Herro. When you don’t have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, you can’t be individually dominant. The reads must be quick and with a purpose, which is something Herro struggled doing early. Tucker, on the other hand, didn’t.

#3: Some rotational changes for defensive purposes.

After diving into some first half offense, we must talk about the Heat semi-handling the Bucks’ stars without the two main pieces of their defensive structure. From a schematic perspective, they were not going to let Giannis Antetokounmpo dominate them inside. They dropped down 2 guys from the corners almost every time he had the ball, forcing the kick-outs for settling threes. Miami switched between Omer Yurtseven and KZ Okpala early for differing reasons. Yurtseven was the guy to match-up with Cousins early, and he didn’t too bad of a job. But to finish off the half, Spo just mirrored his minutes with Dedmon, leaving Okpala as the option when Antetokounmpo was the 5. Tucker defended, while KZ did his thing on help and switches. As I said, for defending a team as talented as the Bucks at the top of the roster, they did a great job with what they had.

#4: Kyle Lowry coming alive.

Kyle Lowry had a pretty interesting night to say the least. He didn’t have a great start whatsoever, while the shot attempts just kept coming. And without your two best players, he had to keep shooting the ball to stay in this game late. To finish the third, a change was made. Not with Lowry, but who was next to him. Herro and Robinson exited, Vincent and Strus enter. That almost feels to be an indication to Lowry that it’s scoring time. Herro generating so many turnovers on the ball meant more on Lowry’s plate as a play-maker, but he balanced it well. If you don’t get highly efficient and fiery Lowry, you need assertive Lowry. They got that guy tonight to a certain degree. Plus, Max Strus happened.

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#5: PJ Tucker or Bam Adebayo?

PJ Tucker has been a lot of things with this Heat team, but new things continue to pop up with his play-style. Tonight’s topic: play-making. You can’t use Dewayne Dedmon in a Bam Adebayo offensive role in any capacity, but you can use Tucker in some of those same spots. Running 4 on 3’s after doubles, perimeter hand-offs, front of the rim flips, and mid-post touches. Seeing him play in a Bam-lite role and impact the game late like he did showed a lot about his future playoff role with this Heat team. But more importantly, he can be the ultimate regular season filler if needed. Not to put up exact Bam numbers in the scoring or rebounding column, but he can do just enough to get by.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Memphis

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The Miami Heat fell short to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, and that wasn’t even the worst news of the night. Jimmy Butler returned after 4 games, while it was clear that he shouldn’t have been playing whatsoever, ending with him being sent back to the locker room in the third.

But here are some takeaways from this interesting game…

#1: Miami’s defensive issues right out the gate.

When looking at the scoreboard alone, you can tell that Miami couldn’t score, while also couldn’t stop the Grizzlies from scoring. A terrible combination in the game of basketball. The defensive issues is just essentially life without Bam Adebayo. They did some more switching with Jimmy Butler back, but it was more of that big man recovery stuff as Dewayne Dedmon rotates down and the guards scramble. Adebayo would always stay out on that ball-handler as the ball would rotate into the big with a guard on his back, leaving many observers screaming. Yet, that is now known as the good times. In a Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra defensive system, options is all they need. And they’re limited at this moment in time, combined with a semi-ginger Jimmy Butler.

#2: How are teams scheming against this new look Heat offense?

Adebayo is important, but is he as important as not being able to score on the offensive end night after night? Absolutely not. This leaves many questioning the issues on that end on nights like this, and one thing truly stood out. For one, Butler coming out quite rusty is an issue in itself, but that’s not the whole story. Although PJ Tucker has been great, solid defenders like Steven Adams can take advantage pretty easily. He’s gotten better inside the lane with that one-handed floater, but it’s not on super high volume that leave teams scheming against it. That means guys like Adams can free lance the lane on drives from Butler or Herro, limiting spacing for the top usage guys on the roster. It is what it is, since that’s going to happen in the playoffs, but release valves need to be shown much quicker on these nights.

#3: Tyler Herro doing what he does off the bench yet again.

Not many teams can play a game where you’re just buying time for your sixth man to come in and takeover. But that feels to be the case many games with this Heat team. Even with Butler in, they need that smooth scorer who can do it from any spot on the floor, especially considering there isn’t one bit of reluctancy with the amount of shots he should take. Upon entering, he was carving up that mid-range against the drop coverage that he loves, then sprinkled in more and more drives to the rim with the utilization of that backboard. But the issue is that checking your watch over and over in games like this can get you in trouble. That doesn’t mean he should start, since his role is working as a bench leader, but early starter production must rise for this formula to work. And being 7th in minutes on the team after 3 quarters should never be the case as well.

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#4: Some interesting minute distributions in this one.

Plain and simple: Tyler Herro was your best player tonight. No Bam Adebayo, an injured Jimmy Butler, and a patchy Kyle Lowry confirms that even more. But logging the 7th most minutes on the team through 3 quarters is just a very off stat to come across. The starting lineup discussion is one thing to have, but the argument is that he’s going to get the minutes anyway. Well, tonight that wasn’t really the case, even after coming out playing decently well. Another interesting substitution was playing Max Strus for a 3 minute span, then leaving him on the bench for the rest of the competitive minutes. On a night where you can’t really score, using Strus doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world. Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin are great defenders, and that’s a cool theme to have, but relying on that skill of theirs to win games won’t work. Matching offense potentially can.

#5: Jimmy Butler playing through injury, which didn’t feel like the right call.

Jimmy Butler missed the last four games due to a tailbone injury, and if you thought he was taking his time coming back, this game against Memphis gave you your answer: he’s hurt. Early in this game, he fell right on that same spot on his back which left him in some pain, but the gingerly run came much earlier. He couldn’t move even close to the same way that he usually can, looked super uncomfortable with facial expressions, and frankly, had zero business being out there. Yes, it’s good to see him show some heart to want to battle with his team, but sometimes it’s just hugely unnecessary when trailing by double digits in a game in December. He headed back to the locker room mid-way through the third quarter, and that felt way too late for that to occur. He showed his usual grit, but definitely wasn’t the right call.

 

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The Offensive Shift in the Return of Jimmy Butler

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It’s hard enough to fight the uphill battle without Bam Adebayo, but being without Jimmy Butler takes that to an entirely different level.

Over the last 4 games without Jimmy Butler, the Heat have the 29th best defensive rating in the NBA, which is usually the case when you’re 2 best defenders are out of the lineup essentially. One being out means comfortable adjustments can be made. Both being out means you do creative things like run a 2-3 zone at all times with your second unit.

We haven’t gotten a good enough look at life without Adebayo, but that initial observation should be made tonight. With Butler expected to return, it’s time for the Miami Heat to get back to some type of normalcy.

When I say “normalcy,” I’m mostly pointing to the offensive adjustments that have been made over the last week. Yes, they have a fantastic play-maker running the show out on the perimeter, but they basically lost their base play-makers who operate from the interior.

Butler and Adebayo are known for working from the mid-post at least one time every trip down the floor, which then trickles down to putting pressure on the rim for some simple kick-outs. While life without both Adebayo and Butler has equated to straight flame throwing from three. Living or dying beyond the arc.

But like I said, change is coming.

Adebayo is as irreplaceable as it gets in this league, especially defensively, but we’ve seen Miami try to carry some things over in that sense. PJ Tucker taking over most of the DHO sets, and Dewayne Dedmon works them occasionally as well. Dedmon can also operate as that much needed roll presence without Adebayo, which means they’re just picking some of Bam’s skills up at a less elite level.

But without Butler, you can’t even try to do his work at a lesser level.

As we’ve seen as of late, they’ve pretty much abandoned all of the things he does well on a regular basis, and piled up on more perimeter aspects. More shots for Duncan Robinson, higher usage for Tyler Herro, etc.

When Caleb Martin, Max Strus, or even Herro enter the lineup for Butler, nobody is trying to emulate him offensively, because you simply can’t.

His free throw attempts can’t be matched, which have dropped to 29th in the league over the last 4 games.

His drives to the basket can’t be matched, since the only player who can draw close to as many people into the lane on the attack is out for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

His control of the game can’t be matched, while even though Kyle Lowry can speed you up into straight chaos, they’ve needed that guy who can slow things down to not let the game get out of hand.

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But well, now Jimmy Butler is back, and they’re heading straight into a period of time that is theirs to have. The next 10 days may be tough with Memphis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia up to bat on the schedule, but the following two weeks will be Butler time.

Orlando twice, Detroit twice, Indiana, Washington, San Antonio, and Houston. There’s a path to surviving without Bam Adebayo, and it begins with a strong finish to December, spearheaded by one of the league’s greatest leaders, Jimmy Butler.

Starting tonight, the Heat can move a little closer to homebase in terms of schematics, and that’s all you can ask for in this short-handed part of the season.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882