sportingnews
NBA preseason games seldom expose a team's true identity or strengths, as the 82-game regular season usually paints a different picture. However, the Miami Heat might not need to wait long to address their weaknesses.
After four preseason contests, the Heat, featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, and coached by Erik Spoelstra, have demonstrated that they can alleviate concerns about three-point shooting. Even a well-known analyst appears to concur.
At first glance, Miami's roster seems built to attack the paint, which typically leads to high offensive rebound rates, efficient two-point shooting, and more free-throw attempts. That's expected when both Adebayo and Antetokounmpo share the floor. A major worry heading into the regular season was their three-point shooting and potential lack of offensive variety. Yet, those issues have not surfaced in the preseason.
Spoelstra's squad has played four preseason games, defeating the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets by an average margin of 16.7 points. Their only loss, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, was by a single point, and they still performed well.
But have they truly eased all three-point shooting concerns? Ben Golliver of ESPN seems to believe so. "Antetokounmpo pummeled the New Orleans Pelicans in a recent exhibition, blasting through a crowded paint for punishing dunks, racing ahead in transition to aid Miami's preferred up-tempo approach and making the proper reads after drawing multiple defenders.. Offseason concerns about Miami's 3-point shooting acumen haven't really materialized in the preseason, though it's fair to question whether the Heat have enough talent beyond Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo to keep pace with the East's best," the NBA analyst declared.
The statistics support the claim that Miami has improved from the perimeter. Twelve players under Coach Spoelstra shot 40% or better from three during the preseason: Bam Adebayo (40%), Bobby Portis (40%), Tim Hardaway Jr. (41.2%), Davion Mitchell (42.9%), Myron Gardner (46.7%), Simone Fontecchio (47.1%), Vladislav Goldin (50%), Andrew Wiggins (50%), Bez Mbeng (60%), Ian Schieffelin (60%), and J'Vonne Hadley (100%). The Heat connected on 62 three-pointers over the four-game stretch.
Key Analysis
If Miami can maintain this outside shooting, Antetokounmpo will either have clear driving lanes or reliable kick-out options for quality three-point attempts. While it's only the preseason, Coach Spoelstra appears to have implemented effective schemes to address these concerns early.
Originally reported by sportingnews.