The timing for the Miami Heat is interesting.
Last season, they began to shift their offense away from a lot of NBA trends. And then in the offseason, they traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis put together a strong individual performance in his team debut, but the Heat were far from good enough as they got run out of the building by the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves, who now feature both Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball.
It’s just one game, and there’s a solid chance that things will get much better in Miami.
But it’s something worth watching. When the Heat shifted things around, they likely didn’t have Antetokounmpo at the front of mind. Now that he’s in Miami, though, the Heat may have to consider things more carefully.
Heat Bold Change
The Heat went against the grain of the current NBA by removing most pick-and-roll operations from their offense.
“Just about every team in the East has the potential to be polarizing, and the Miami Heat are definitely on that list,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote on Friday. “Scouts are watching how the system coach Erik Spoelstra adopted last season from consultant Noah LaRoche, one that minimizes or eliminates pick-and-rolls in a rejection of an NBA standard, works with Antetokounmpo.”
Giannis is actually one of the most fascinating pick-and-roll players in the entire NBA, because he can do both sides of it.
Antetokounmpo is dangerous as a ball handler coming off a pick into space, but he also is a threat as the screener, because he can then make plays or finish at the basket as the rolling man.
A lack of pick-and-rolls in the Miami offense may take a little while for Giannis to get used to.
Early Look
The Heat created a decent amount of 3-point shots in their first game. They just didn’t make many.
“The idea is to create space and let Antetokounmpo playmake by getting downhill surrounded by shooting,” Windhorst writes. “In the opener, he got 12 baskets in the paint, and that’s great production. But the Heat were a brutal 8-of-33 on 3-pointers and were lit up by Edwards and Ball.”
The modern NBA depends so heavily on whether you make your 3-point shots or not. The Heat have better shooters than an 8-for-33 showing represents, but they’re going to have to prove that it can all come together in an offense that is now Giannis-centric.
If the Heat don’t start clicking, particularly with their outside shooting, the Antetokounmpo trade is going to take on an odd feeling in the early going of this season.
Heat Bold Change Might Clash With Giannis Antetokounmpo