The Miami Heat may have given up too much defensively in stretches, but the bigger picture from a 144-128 win over the Brooklyn Nets was hard to miss: this group can score in bunches, defend in waves and play with real depth.
Giannis set the tone early and never really let up. He looked every bit like a player headed for an MVP-caliber season, piling up 18 first-half points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. The shot-blocking stood out most - especially the weak-side stuff, including a chase-down that had the kind of familiar Heat-fans-will-know-it-when-they-see-it feel.
Even with less of him in the second half, the control he had over the game was obvious. And Miami didn’t need him to do everything because, for once, the roster around him looked built to absorb a missing piece.
That missing piece was Bam Adebayo, who sat with a minor groin injury, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra. In his absence, the Heat showed something they haven’t always had: real big-man depth.
Nick Richards stepped in as Bam’s replacement and Bobby Portis Jr. gave Miami another productive frontcourt option. Both fit the team defensive concepts, both helped on the glass and both understood their roles.
Portis knocked down shots from deep. Richards was a problem once he caught the ball deep in the post.
The rebounding edge told part of the story. Miami finished with the advantage on the boards, won the battle in the paint and still controlled fast-break points.
Brooklyn’s guards handled the ball well and avoided live-ball mistakes, but the Heat still made life difficult in other ways. Giannis and Nick Richards were major deterrents around the rim, while Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson and others kept getting into passing lanes and creating deflections that broke up possessions over and over.
That’s what makes this defense tricky. Miami may only have a few truly exceptional stoppers, but the rest of the group is solid and smart.
There isn’t an easy target to hunt. They stay connected, they read the floor well and they funnel everything toward the shot blockers.
Then there was the shooting, which was just as loud as the rim protection. Miami shot 59.1% from the field and 35.7% from three, and the shot-making came from all over the floor. Eight different players hit at least one three, and five had multiple makes.
Even more encouraging? Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. both went 2 for 8, which feels unlikely to last. If Miami is getting this kind of offensive output even with two of its best shooters off target, that’s when the ceiling starts to look dangerous.
Bobby Portis is going to matter in closing lineups when Spo wants more spacing. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, shooting 62.5% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. Big-man depth and stretch bigs can be a nasty combination.
Ryan Conwell also gave a glimpse of why he fits so naturally next to Giannis. He was comfortable in the simplest role possible: catch and shoot.
He averaged 9.6 deep attempts per game in college last season, and that showed in this one. Giannis drew the defense into the lane a couple of times, waited for the collapse and found Conwell for clean looks from three.
The rookie buried them.
Conwell also flashed on defense, sliding his feet and staying chest-up the way he has since summer league. With Davion Mitchell around as a small-guard mentor, he looks like a rookie soaking up everything around him.
In Other News...
Heat May Have Found A Giannis Fit They Didn't Expect
Simone Fontecchio has quietly given Miami a reason to pay attention this preseason. In the game against Brooklyn, the Heat wing put up 11 points in less than 14 minutes and knocked down 3 of 4 shots from deep, a useful reminder of why his floor-spacing profile matters. Last season, he connected on 37.5 percent of his three-pointers, and that kind of shooting is exactly the sort of skill set that can travel in a rotation built around a star who draws so much defensive attention.
For the Heat, the appeal is less about flash and more about fit. Fontecchio does not need the ball to matter, and if his outside shot holds, he could become the kind of depth piece that quietly makes lineups work better alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. The preseason sample is still small, of course, but Miami has every reason to keep tracking whether this is a hot stretch or the start of something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Just Sent A Clear Signal About Their Young Frontcourt
The Heat continued shaping their developmental pipeline by signing forward Ezra Ausar to an Exhibit 10 contract and waiving Ian Schieffelin in a corresponding move. Both players are expected to land with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, giving Miami another look at young frontcourt talent as the organization trims down its roster ahead of the regular season.
For a team that has long valued internal development, the latest transaction fits neatly into the bigger picture. Exhibit 10 deals can help funnel prospects into the G-League system, and with the Skyforce standing as Miamis main proving ground, this move adds another name to the mix as the Heat continue finalizing the young core they want in place for the year ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bam Adebayos Absence Puts Miamis New Frontcourt Plans On Edge
Bam Adebayo will sit out the Miami Heats final preseason game with a groin injury, staying back in Miami while the team heads to face the Orlando Magic. Its the latest missed chance for the Heat to see how their frontcourt is coming together, and it comes after Adebayo was already unavailable for previous preseason games as the staff continued sorting through rotations and options.
Erik Spoelstra has leaned on alternatives such as Nick Richards while Adebayo has been out, but the bigger question is still hanging over the start of the season. Adebayos status for the regular-season opener remains uncertain, leaving Miami to keep evaluating how it wants to piece together the front line if its anchor big man is not ready to go. [Read more 🡒]