Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The harpoon brought in Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Heat went from irrelevancy to Eastern contention now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to Miami. It took parting with some quality goods, which included Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks, one pick swap and a second-round pick. But it needed to be done after four-straight years in the Play-In Tournament and being without a star after banishing Jimmy Butler, who quit on the team. 

Had there been no deal, building through the three first-round picks would have required more luck than there was to bring him in. This year’s draft is deep, so more of the higher talents will possibly be available into the late lottery and beyond, yet expecting a top-tier player to fall to the middle in a normal year is unrealistic and that only happens because of poor scouting. The Heat would have been another average team had executive vice president Andy Elisburg’s harpoon missed.

 Now that Giannis is a Heatle, coverages will have reel teeth with another long, quick help defender and someone who can play at all spots like Bam Adebayo. Additionally, perhaps the presence created by the new backline will cause their teammates to take fewer gambles when guarding the 3-point line since they trust two defensive players of the highest level to take care of penetration. 

The difference on the other side is now they have the guy who can take and make the big shot. Antetokounmpo is a powerhouse going to the cup. He should fit like a glove in the Heat’s fast-paced style the way he glides in transition, too. 

Bobby Portis was included by the Bucks, and he could be a big-time player off the bench. One of the lineups that would be nice to experiment with is going triple-big with him plus Adebayo and Antetokounmpo. It wouldn’t be light on playmaking if used with Davion Mitchell, and going big could create advantages on the glass plus another preventing easy access for the opponent into the lane. 

Antetokounmpo, who didn’t make a mess publicly, but had become a headache for the Bucks privately, ended up in one of his two preferred destinations. The other team was the Boston Celtics, and it would have been devastating for the Heat had he gone there since this is a real rivalry.

After 13 seasons, and turning age 32 on Dec. 6, Antetokounmpo still has at least four elite seasons left. His strength will help him age gracefully as well because he may lose step of speed, but very few will be able to bang with him in the trenches.

It’s a special time in Miami — the Heat are back.