Miami Heat: Why the Tokyo Olympics will benefit Miami the most

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics come to a conclusion, with Team USA winning the gold medal in men’s basketball, we shift back to NBA basketball. The Miami Heat had three players on their roster who were participating in the Olympics this year.

Bam Adebayo played for Team USA, while Gabe Vincent was joined by KZ Okpala to represent the Nigeria team.

This was a great experience for all three of these players to have. Throughout their Olympic journey, they learned from a different perspective and made connections that give them an advantage over other players in the NBA.

Nigeria Basketball

Let’s start with the players from Nigeria. Even though Nigeria did not win any medals in men’s basketball this year, the biggest takeaway their Miami players should have comes from their pre-Olympic exhibition game in which they defeated Team USA.

In a shocking victory, Nigeria defeated the United States with a final score of 90-87. The United States team had little time to practice playing with each other before the game. As a result, they had some problems executing their game plan at times, and they struggled to shoot the ball well.

On the other hand, Nigeria shot the ball very well. As a team, they shot 47.6% from three on 42 shots. Gabe Vincent of the Miami Heat led the way for their team, scoring 21 points and sinking six of his eight three-pointers.

In addition to shooting the ball with accuracy, Nigeria also played tenacious defense. There were several possessions in which it appeared that Nigeria “wanted it more” than the USA team.

Even though it was just an exhibition game, this should give the Nigerian players a lot of confidence. They were able to take down the best players in the world. Gabe Vincent, in particular, should feel very confident with the way he played.

Confidence is arguably the best thing for a shooter to have. Hopefully, Gabe Vincent takes this victory over the United States and translates it into the NBA season for the Miami Heat.