You might recognize some of the faces, but the Miami Heat that faced the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night certainly aren’t the players you would expect to take the court on for tip-off Opening Night.
That’s because on the second night of a back-to-back, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra opted to sit Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Luol Deng, Hassan Whiteside, Josh McRoberts, Amar’e Stoudemire, Mario Chalmers, and Udonis Haslem for either rest, or to deal with minor injuries.
With eight rotation players out of action, Spoelstra and his staff were able to give players fighting for either spots in the rotation, or on the roster altogether, a chance to prove their worth. And while the end of the roster still has some question marks, it was two rookies that had their time to shine.
For the second time in a week, former Heat point guard Shabazz Napier was a thorn in the Heat’s side, scoring 11 of his 15 points in overtime to help the Magic hold on for the win. The Heat had three open looks from downtown in the finals seconds to tie the game, but the shots just didn’t fall. With the loss, the Heat fell to 1-3 for the preseason. The Magic improved to 3-2.
(If you’ve read my recaps, you know I do things differently. I focus on things that either please, annoy, and perplex me. Also, there’s a special shout-out to our favorite point guard.)
Things that pleased me: The Heat’s prized rookie, Justise Winslow, shook off some up-and-down performances over the first three games of the preseason and turned in his most encouraging game, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
After a slow start, Winslow played all 12 minutes of the second quarter and had 8 points and 2 rebounds. He then scored 4 of the Heat’s 11 overtime points, including this little highlight:
A Euro-step! That move was as Wade-ian as you can get! It’s like the star power of players with misspelled first names has been passed from teacher to student! Joking aside, the fact that Winslow is attacking the basket is a good sign for a player that – somehow – had some questioning his ability. The Miami Herald’s Ethan Skolnick even had to address the issue in his column on Tuesday.
Winslow, a 19 year old rookie playing in his fourth preseason game, is trying to transition from being “The Man” at Duke to being a key part in a playoff contender’s rotation. Not to mention that the majority of the players around him have to adjust to other new teammates, so Winslow’s progress might take some time. But make no mistake, this kid is special.
Speaking of impressive rookies, the Heat’s second round pick, Josh Richardson, continues to turn heads on both ends of the floor, finishing with 18 points. He was drafted for his defense, but the sparks he’s shown on offense has to encourage the Heat. In a perfect world, Richardson continues to develop as a three-point threat (2 for 8 against the Magic, including a couple of missed attempts to tie the game late in overtime) that he forces his way into the rotation as a “Three-and-D” option the Heat have lacked since Shane Battier retired. He’s probably still on the outside of the rotation, but he’ll get there at some point this season.
Keith Benson and Tre Kelley also provided some key contributions. Benson had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Kelley had 7 points and 7 assists. Both player are journeymen and might be facing their last chances at cracking an NBA roster. But they’ve played hard and deserve a very long look. The Heat have had recent success with a journeyman cast aside. Can lightning strike again?
Things that annoyed me I’d like to change: Nothing annoyed me, so let’s tweak this section. Going back to Winslow, he gets to the basket with such ease (4 for 8 in the paint on Tuesday) that he’s just going to be another fun toy for Spoelstra to play with. However, aside from the Euro-step, I think he needs to add a floater to his arsenal. He got a few shots turned away at the rim, but if he could just arc it over defenders, then that opens up more opportunities. Again, he’s 19 years old. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.
Things that perplexed me: The Heat still aren’t a three-point shooting team, as they shot 6 for 31 from downtown. Not exactly a good way to impress the coaches. James Ennis (whose roster spot isn’t fully guaranteed) and Greg Whittington (probably fighting for that spot) combined to go 2 for 13 from three. Being a reliable threat from deep would probably help either player get an advantage. One can only hope that Richardson can make progress with that shot.
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: N/A. It was a Chalmers-free night! Although now his presence on the roster is proving to be a bit troublesome, as Richardson’s path to big minutes must go through Chalmers. Maybe Tuesday’s game will put some pressure on Chalmers to step up.
What we’ve learned: Tuesday night wasn’t about wins and losses. It was about evaluation. Some had mixed results (Ennis and Whittington), others stepped up (Benson and Kelley). Tyler Johnson, who is being groomed as a possible option at backup point guard, had to leave the game after taking a nasty fall in the first quarter, but the injury isn’t thought to be serious.
But two in particular saw their lights shine a little brighter. For Winslow, it was a big step forward. For Richardson, it was more fuel to the fire that he deserves his shot in the rotation.
For the Miami Heat, that’s a win.