The NBA preseason kicked off with the Miami Heat taking on the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City. Although it was just preseason, Heat fans were excited to get a first look at their new squad taking the court.
The Heat’s starting five consisted of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, and their new superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While these guys would only play a little over 13 minutes each, they gelled well together. Miami would win the first quarter 41-23. Though Kawhi Leonard didn’t play for Toronto, they still sent out most of their starters, including Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
The Heat Have Shooters
If the Heat proved anything on Saturday night, it’s that they have plenty of shooters to space the floor around Giannis and Bam. Multiple times down the court, Giannis drew defenders’ attention and found wide-open shooters. Antetokounmpo had seven assists, all seven on three-pointers.
Wiggins hit four three-pointers; Adebayo and Mitchell each hit one. Off the bench, Tim Hardaway Jr. went 3-for-3 from downtown.
Many question marks around the Miami Heat this season centered on their shooting, since their two premier players aren’t particularly known for it. This could not be more wrong. In the first quarter, the Heat shot 52% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc. They scored 41 points and hit seven three-pointers.
Antetokounmpo’s natural gravity opened up many of these three-point looks. In the preseason opener, Wiggins arguably benefited most from this force. Antetokounmpo assisted Wiggins on four three-point makes, drawing up to three defenders at a time and drawing all 10 Raptors’ eyes multiple times.
“He’s someone that as soon as he steps on that court, you know, that gravitational pull towards him is insane. Because he’s someone you got to really game plan for. Giannis is one of those ones,” Wiggins said.
Defensive Force on Full Display
Outside of Bill Simmons, most of the NBA world knew that, if anything, the Miami Heat would have a stellar defense.
“Who’s playing defense on this team? Who’s guarding Jayson Tatum?” Simmons asked.
Davion Mitchell clapped back, “That was definitely the worst take of the entire offseason.”
Questioning Miami’s spacing, shooting, depth, okay…but defense? The Heat are stacked from top to bottom with defense-minded guys. Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Wiggins, Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson, to name a few, are a nightmare lineup for any opposing offense in the association.
The Heat defense proved themselves in their first preseason game. They blocked seven shots and forced 19 turnovers, but the ability to switch, help, and transition defensive stops to offensive scores was very appetizing to see for Heat fans.
On one possession in particular, Miami ran a small-big screen perfectly, with Adebayo stunting, which let Mitchell get back to the ball handler after being screened. Klay Thompson then closed out on the shooter and peel-switched with Mitchell. The Raptors’ final resort on this possession was an isolation against Mitchell, nicknamed “off-night,” which resulted in an airball.
This possession, like many others, showed the Heat’s fluidity and ability to communicate effectively.
While Thompson’s efforts did not show up in the box score, his defensive abilities were on full display in the almost 13 minutes he played.
Miami Has Plenty of Depth
Another offseason question was the Heat’s depth. After losing two starters, the backup center, a Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, and a backup point guard, many said the Heat had no role players to back up Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
Miami would sign shooters Thompson and Hardaway Jr., draft Ryan Conwell from Louisville, sign undrafted free agent Tre Donaldson from the University of Miami, and sign center Nick Richards.
Beyond these solid signings, Miami still has plenty of depth from last season. One player of note is Pelle Larsson. The Swedish guard signed an extension with Miami this offseason. Larsson had a great summer playing for Sweden’s FIBA World Cup team.
As a possible 6-MOTY candidate, he is Miami’s premier role player. Against Toronto, Larsson recorded 13 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line.
Larsson finished with a +16, leading Miami’s second unit. Antetokounmpo praised this group after the game.
“I was actually caught off guard during the game; once they went in, they were like, they were better than us, you know, they were better than the first unit,” Antetokounmpo said. “In order for you to be good and have, you know, a good season, you gotta have a deep team.”
Miami and their second unit clearly proved this in Quebec City. Hardaway Jr. looked great off the bench, and so did Nikola Jovic. Jovic, who has had an up-and-down time in Miami, scored 11 points in 17 minutes. He finished with a +11 rating, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
The Miami Heat resume preseason action on October 8th versus the New Orleans Pelicans. This will be Miami’s first home game as they continue to prepare for the regular season.
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