The Miami Heat will give everyone a turn defending Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Miami Heat start a two-game mini-series with Milwaukee Tuesday. Everyone will guard Giannis.
The Miami Heat will get their first taste of three things on Tuesday. First off, they’ll face conference foes in the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time this year.
In doing so, they’ll also face this latest iteration of the Bucks team in the process. This version, the one that includes a guy that the Miami Heat likely coveted in Jrue Holiday, is one that the Miami Heat aren’t explicitly familiar with but better quickly get that way with a shortened schedule.
Lastly, the NBA has implemented a system where teams will play a pair of consecutive games against certain teams throughout the year to limit potential coronavirus exposure logistically. The Miami Heat will face off against Giannis and the Bucks on Tuesday and Wednesday night, so there’s that as well.
With that in mind, the Miami Heat are certainly weighing their options and aligning a gameplan. While the offense is one thing, something that will nightly be dependent on the Miami Heat’s ability to hit their three balls, the defense is something entirely different.
The Miami Heat will throw the kitchen sink at Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo still struggles to hit his jump shots, so he isn’t completely unstoppable, but he is more than a load when he gets it going towards the rim. For that reason, you have to throw waves of guys at him to keep him from getting one guy into too much foul trouble.
While we will certainly see our fair share of Bam Adebayo guarding Giannis, we will see quite a few more people on him as well. I imagine that we will certainly see the guy who looks like he’s Bam’s immediate backup in Precious Achiuwa guarding him as well.
The Heat rookie hasn’t seen a ton, NBA wise, but has the body and athleticism to definitely be a potentially good matchup to guard The Freak. Although this guy hasn’t played a ton at all in the regular year, I wouldn’t be that surprised to see a bit of KZ Okpala on Giannis as well.
While Okpala isn’t nearly as strong as Antetokounmpo is right now, his length, intelligence, and quickness should allow him to guard him and perhaps even succeed in doing so. Other guys might get a chance on him, but the last guy that I expect to have a huge part in trying to contain Giannis is Maurice Harkless.
What makes Harkless a unique defender is his combination of size, quickness, agility, and recognition. He has played along the wings or on-ball for a lot of his career, which helps him when it comes to guarding guys who attack downhill with the dribble as Giannis does.
Next. 3 presents this team has given us in this past year. dark
The Miami Heat will certainly take this opportunity to try and learn some things about the Bucks and more than they typically would in the regular season. With just 72 regular-season games, each one matters just that much more, while every opportunity to test yourself against a quality opponent and especially one of the in-conference rival types like this one, is one that you have to maximize.
I expect the Miami Heat to come out and give us a good showing in this two-game mini-series. It should be a very interesting next pair of days.