The Miami Heat have steadied themselves just enough to start talking about momentum, and Klay Thompson is a big reason why.
After opening 0-4, Miami has won two straight heading into its five-game Western Conference road trip. The early buzz centered on how Giannis Antetokounmpo would fit with Bam Adebayo, but Friday’s 20-point win over Indiana offered a different answer to an important question: Thompson may already be the team’s X-factor.
Miami brought in the starting shooting guard after a buyout by the Dallas Mavericks, and his start to the season was rocky, much like the rest of the roster. Against the Pacers, though, Thompson looked like the version that once helped define an era in Golden State. He caught fire in the third quarter, burying 5 of his 7 3-pointers in that stretch and finishing with 25 points in 26 minutes on 9-for-14 shooting.
The numbers tell part of the story. The bigger shift was how the Heat functioned with him rolling.
The offense looked looser and more connected, and Thompson’s spacing changed the shape of the floor. His confidence seemed to spread, and his teammates played off it.
Andrew Wiggins was even diving to keep balls from rolling out of bounds, and Giannis and the rest of the group kept looking for Thompson once he got hot.
That was the plan when Miami added him to play alongside Giannis and Bam, and Indiana felt the effects when it doubled Antetokounmpo. Thompson made the Pacers pay for it.
His presence also gives Erik Spoelstra another way to keep the offense from bogging down, especially in the halfcourt. The Heat have used more set plays in the last two games, including pick-and-rolls, and those actions could help Thompson stay involved if defenders lose track of him in the flow.
Miami will need this version of Thompson if it wants to contend. Tim Hardaway Jr., the other shooter the team added, is still searching for his rhythm.
Giannis will keep doing what he does, and Bam will have to be more aggressive and consistent than he was in the first four games. But that, by itself, won’t be enough in a crowded Eastern Conference.
Thompson is shooting 39 percent from three-point range, just below his career mark and a little above where he was earlier this season. If he settles in around that level, the Heat can live with the ups and downs.
Now comes the road test, and it starts in familiar territory. Miami opens the trip Monday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers before heading up the coast to Golden State on Thursday, where Thompson spent more than a decade splashing threes.
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Mavericks Suddenly Face A Real Kyrie Irving Dilemma
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Irving has been productive since returning from an ACL injury, averaging 21.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting efficiently, and Dallas still values the leadership and presence he brings. Even so, the speculation has not gone away, and there has been no confirmation from the Mavericks that he is actually available. For now, the situation sits in that uneasy space between performance and possibility, with the real question being whether the noise around Irving turns into something more concrete as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]