The Bad
The Heat notched two wins this week, so what could be bad?
While there was nothing specific to this week that was notably bad, the team is looking to be more aggressive overall, and not get complacent because they are up by double-digits.
Josh Richardson is one player in particular that Spoelstra said he wanted to see more from after the win against the Knicks. While Richardson finished with 21 points, he also had four turnovers — something the Heat are trying to manage while still averaging 15.6 per game.
"“He has to be assertive for our team,” said Spoelstra after the win. “You know, I think at the beginning of the game, his turnovers were a result of him being passive. He wasn’t being as aggressive as he could be looking to put pressure on the defense, and he was caught between on some of those and paid the price or it, and ended turning the ball over.”"
The team is also still trying to figure out lineups that work best, while players are slowly returning. Justise Winslow played in his first game of the season against the Trailblazers, and James Johnson and Dion Waiters will be next to return in due time.
With that comes more options on the court, but also the dilemma for Spoelstra as to how he divides up the minutes.
Winslow had a decent first game back with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes. However, that obviously cut into minutes for others — namely Tyler Johnson — who dropped from 27 minutes against the Knicks, to 19 against the Trailblazers.