The Miami Heat had a pretty successful preseason opener almost a week ago. But now that all that initial excitement has been put to bed, it's time for game No. 2 of the Heat's preseason slate.
Even though we've already seen Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Heat uniform, there's still plenty of anticipation heading into this next exhibition game, and understandably so. Heat fans have been waiting for this level of relevance heading into a new season, and they finally have that with Giannis.
So, as the Heat prepare for their second of five preseason games, we explore three signs that fans desperately want to see against the New Orleans Pelicans.
More Giannis and Bam action
Even though there were some Giannis and Bam Adebayo pick-and-pop or drive-and-kick actions in the first preseason game, I don't think there were enough to calm Heat fans' concerns about their fit. Heading into game two of their preseason slate, I'd imagine fans want to see more of how Giannis and Bam can coexist (and be effective) on the offensive end of the floor.
During the first preseason game, the Heat were getting their feet wet in their first real action together. However, as they prepare for the second game, I'd imagine we're going to see more intentionality on multiple fronts. Hopefully with Giannis and Bam too.
Get Klay Thompson involved on offense
Even though I don't think it's time to panic about Klay Thompson just yet, especially considering the effort he was putting forth on the defensive end, there's no question it would be nice to see him get more involved on the offensive end.
It's understandable that the priority was around getting Giannis acclimated in the preseason opener, and it likely still will be, but drawing up an open shot or two for Klay wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would certainly do a lot to help level out Heat fans' concerns.
Staggering Giannis and Bam
While this may sound a little contradictory, I do believe that it would be good for Erik Spoelstra to find a way to start staggering some minutes when Giannis and Bam are on the floor together in this second game.
For the most part, especially in the first half, there was a lot of substitution by shift. Unless I missed something, there was no real staggering of minutes between Giannis and Bam. During the regular season, I'd imagine that's going to be the norm for these two players, especially with the Heat's questionable depth.
With that in mind, it would be good to see what some of those lineups could look like. In all fairness, though, that could be difficult, considering there's a chance the Heat is without four rotation pieces in this second preseason game. It's still one thing to hope for.
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