Miami Heat Regular Season Thread 6.0 -Everything's Gonna Be All Wright

[greg4012]

Great to see Terry looking healthy after getting hurt right before the break. And even better to get a glimpse of the microwave offense he can provide. We gotta remember that him (and Delon) are still in an acclimation period. Hopefully the injury scare can be behind him and they can both stack some progress getting integrated into their roles.

Both guys have still barely practiced with the team, but I bet the break still provided a good opportunity for the coaches to further integrate them.

Terry may have some gaps and inconsistencies in his game, but you had to know that the shooting and scoring punch was going to come around.

I still find it refreshing just to see him give us increased doses of paint pressure for possessions when he's in.

Definitely interesting times to watch how Spo and co work to deploy the depth of this team.

[MettaWorldPanda]

Against the Kings Wright played a solid role in us getting the win. Against the Blazers Rozier iced the game for us in the 4th to help us get the win. Our PGs are doing right by us.

We took an extreme weakness and made it into a really great strength with the blend of scoring and defense along with veteran leadership. Amazing that we traded an old Lowry for essentially Rozier and Wright.

[greg4012]

The lineup balance with either Herro or Terry leading the bench unit makes too much sense. The case for Terry potentially becomes cleaner with the emergence of Delon seeming like a good fit with Herro and the first unit (better fit than J Rich in that regard)

Almost makes me think of another Terry that found success as a 6th man playing near starter minutes on the team that beat Miami for the ship in 2011...

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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[Daffy]

Against the Kings Wright played a solid role in us getting the win. Against the Blazers Rozier iced the game for us in the 4th to help us get the win. Our PGs are doing right by us.

We upgraded from Lowry to 2 better, younger Point Guards at a price of 1 pick.

I love it!

[Daffy]

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I was surprised when we brought up Dru over him. Surprisingly enough Dru was starting to develop slowly for us though.

[DBurks2818]

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How much talent is in the NBA when you have a guy doing this on team that would be at the top of the top-25 in the NCAA right now?

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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[IceColdCubano]

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LMAO, Jimmy is just that dude playing another dude but never to be confused with the other dude.

[iamoti]

Jimmy in MVP mode

Sent from my SM-G990B2 using RealGM mobile app

[wadenation305]

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Jimmy is such a troll XD that's one of the many reasons he fits in so well in Miami. Dude was born here, he just didn't know it.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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[DayofMourning]

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Thats one helluva ego by Paul. Trade cant get approved because the guy with the statue in front of the building didnt gift you his number? Theres something wrong there.

[shanedude]

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Thats one helluva ego by Paul. Trade cant get approved because the guy with the statue in front of the building didnt gift you his number? Theres something wrong there.

exactly. phuck chris paul. the ego on this chump. hope he never wins one.

[heatwillbeback]

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LMAO, Jimmy is just that dude playing another dude but never to be confused with the other dude.

I am going to Fall Out Boy March 16 in Jacksonville. Hilarious coincidence.

Too bad Heat play the 15th and 17th in cruddy Detroit.

[twix2500]

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Thats one helluva ego by Paul. Trade cant get approved because the guy with the statue in front of the building didnt gift you his number? Theres something wrong there.

Interesting, so Miami was thinking about trading Bosh.

[greg4012]

Nice article on Haywood:

https://www.nba.com/heat/news/coup-locksmith-haywood-highsmith-scenic-route

Miami’s defense, at least since Jimmy Butler joined the franchise, has never been better than it was when P.J. Tucker started alongside Adebayo.

You can slice the numbers up any which way you want to, when Tucker and Adebayo were on the court together during the 2021-22 season, Miami’s Defensive Rating in those minutes were perpetually of Top 5 if not Top 1 quality. Miami switched about 28 screens per 100 possessions that season, but with Adebayo and Tucker on the floor that number rose to 42 per 100, always allowing less than a point per possession. Since Tucker left that offseason, those numbers have gradually fallen as Spoelstra has dialed up more drop coverage, and zone, to fit his personnel, Miami now switching about 15.4 screens per 100 – but when Highsmith and Adebayo are on the floor that number is back up to 21.2. In those switches with Highsmith and Adebayo playing, granted a smaller sample at just 220, Miami has allowed just 0.82 points per direct pick, according to Second Spectrum, which would rank as the best screen switching defense in the league. The past few weeks have shown Miami can find defensive success in a variety of styles, but when it’s brass knuckle time in the postseason, switching remains the style that counters the deadliest of foes.

There’s good reason for all of that, too. Adebayo is at the top of the list each season in terms of efficiency allowed defending isolations, and Highsmith’s numbers – through mid-December he was No. 1 in the entire league – have been right behind him, currently sitting at 0.95 points per isolation allowed. Take out assist opportunities, which the defender has less control over, and that number drops to 0.91. Take out fouls from there – Highsmith has had a number of 50/50 calls go against him where at times he’s defended a pull-up jumper almost too well, his reputation not quite earned with the whistles – and he’s down to 0.83, a stop or two away from Adebayo’s 0.75 with the same filters.

Altogether, Highsmith – second on the team in Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus – has a good argument for being one of the best, and most versatile, wing defenders in the league. Few will make that argument today given Highsmith has barely played 2,000 minutes in his career, but the reputation is gaining faster than the general public may realize.

“They call him Locksmith for a reason,” Adebayo says. “When you have a guy you consider a Swiss Army Knife, that’s gold for us.”

“Bam has really helped me a lot especially on the defensive end, because he knows what kind of defender I can be, what kind of tandem we can be,” Highsmith says. “Honestly, I think he likes playing next to me.”

There aren’t many teams that can boast less rotational stability than the HEAT this season, though a good argument can be made for all those lineups being more of a big-picture feature than a bug. After the HEAT’s four-game losing streak in the season’s opening, Highsmith slid into the starting lineup where, as such a natural fit next to Adebayo especially now that his percentages from three have stabilized in the high 30’s on similar volume to Tucker, it looked like he might stay all season. Then injuries hit pretty much the entire rotation and Highsmith’s role fluctuated with the punches, rejoining the starting group for a stretch before settling into a regular, night-to-night bench role. During Miami’s current five-game winning streak, he’s playing 22 minutes a night, a stabilizer on defense, a disrupting force in the margins, keeping possessions alive and making plays that wouldn’t exist were it not for him.

Free agency looms this offseason, but for now, six years after his first behind-the-scenes tryout for a G-League spot, Highsmith has finally found a consistent role he can call his own without having to be anything other than himself.

“I’m just a worker,” he says. “The grind doesn’t stop for me. I wouldn’t be here without putting in the work. It’s been a long journey, and I’m still putting in more work.”

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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Thats one helluva ego by Paul. Trade cant get approved because the guy with the statue in front of the building didnt gift you his number? Theres something wrong there.

Was thinking the exact same thing lol, cost him championships

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Nice article on Haywood:

https://www.nba.com/heat/news/coup-locksmith-haywood-highsmith-scenic-route

Miami’s defense, at least since Jimmy Butler joined the franchise, has never been better than it was when P.J. Tucker started alongside Adebayo.

You can slice the numbers up any which way you want to, when Tucker and Adebayo were on the court together during the 2021-22 season, Miami’s Defensive Rating in those minutes were perpetually of Top 5 if not Top 1 quality. Miami switched about 28 screens per 100 possessions that season, but with Adebayo and Tucker on the floor that number rose to 42 per 100, always allowing less than a point per possession. Since Tucker left that offseason, those numbers have gradually fallen as Spoelstra has dialed up more drop coverage, and zone, to fit his personnel, Miami now switching about 15.4 screens per 100 – but when Highsmith and Adebayo are on the floor that number is back up to 21.2. In those switches with Highsmith and Adebayo playing, granted a smaller sample at just 220, Miami has allowed just 0.82 points per direct pick, according to Second Spectrum, which would rank as the best screen switching defense in the league. The past few weeks have shown Miami can find defensive success in a variety of styles, but when it’s brass knuckle time in the postseason, switching remains the style that counters the deadliest of foes.

There’s good reason for all of that, too. Adebayo is at the top of the list each season in terms of efficiency allowed defending isolations, and Highsmith’s numbers – through mid-December he was No. 1 in the entire league – have been right behind him, currently sitting at 0.95 points per isolation allowed. Take out assist opportunities, which the defender has less control over, and that number drops to 0.91. Take out fouls from there – Highsmith has had a number of 50/50 calls go against him where at times he’s defended a pull-up jumper almost too well, his reputation not quite earned with the whistles – and he’s down to 0.83, a stop or two away from Adebayo’s 0.75 with the same filters.

Altogether, Highsmith – second on the team in Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus – has a good argument for being one of the best, and most versatile, wing defenders in the league. Few will make that argument today given Highsmith has barely played 2,000 minutes in his career, but the reputation is gaining faster than the general public may realize.

“They call him Locksmith for a reason,” Adebayo says. “When you have a guy you consider a Swiss Army Knife, that’s gold for us.”

“Bam has really helped me a lot especially on the defensive end, because he knows what kind of defender I can be, what kind of tandem we can be,” Highsmith says. “Honestly, I think he likes playing next to me.”

There aren’t many teams that can boast less rotational stability than the HEAT this season, though a good argument can be made for all those lineups being more of a big-picture feature than a bug. After the HEAT’s four-game losing streak in the season’s opening, Highsmith slid into the starting lineup where, as such a natural fit next to Adebayo especially now that his percentages from three have stabilized in the high 30’s on similar volume to Tucker, it looked like he might stay all season. Then injuries hit pretty much the entire rotation and Highsmith’s role fluctuated with the punches, rejoining the starting group for a stretch before settling into a regular, night-to-night bench role. During Miami’s current five-game winning streak, he’s playing 22 minutes a night, a stabilizer on defense, a disrupting force in the margins, keeping possessions alive and making plays that wouldn’t exist were it not for him.

Free agency looms this offseason, but for now, six years after his first behind-the-scenes tryout for a G-League spot, Highsmith has finally found a consistent role he can call his own without having to be anything other than himself.

“I’m just a worker,” he says. “The grind doesn’t stop for me. I wouldn’t be here without putting in the work. It’s been a long journey, and I’m still putting in more work.”

He’s going to be a good role player and elite defender for us for a long time, he’s just getting started/comfortable

[IceColdCubano]

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Not a single Heat player in the Top 30 list on the Production RAT scale. I am sometimes surprised, how we even get to where we get to not having a guy who can sustained that type of production for a full season. Jimmy would probably be top 5 on this list if he gave a damn from opening tip of game 1 through the end of 82. I guess we need to settle for 1/3 of the season and top 5 in the playoffs as long as he is our guy. Once he is gone though, whose gonna be that guy to be our number 1. I guess were 2-3 years out from that, but hopefully its a young player were we can get it for a long time, I miss having the best player on the court on most nights during a regular season game, really miss Wade. It was special from day one when he stepped on the court, as a fan I hope to one day have that feeling again.