Although the Miami Heat suffered another fourth-quarter collapse and fumbled what could have been a signature win against the NBA’s best team, there were still a couple of things I liked from Wednesday’s road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Davion Mitchell, turning defense into offense
Mitchell has made an instant impact with his point-of-attack defense. I can’t remember the last time the Heat had a POA defender this… tenacious. Mitchell mucks up Oklahoma City’s initial action. He goes under the screen and calls for Nikola Jovic to switch onto Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forces Aaron Wiggins to get rid of the ball which leads to the turnover.
That’s good stuff. But my favorite part? Mitchell’s breakneck pace in transition, then finishing the layup by holding off Gilgeous-Alexander with his right arm. Mitchell is strong.
Andrew Wiggins making plays out of the post
No. 22 finding shooters out of the post? Looks familiar for the Heat…
Wiggins starts this play in isolation on the left side of the floor, then he turns his back and gets into the paint, where he draws an extra defender. He makes the right read and kicks it out to Mitchell for an open 3. We saw Wiggins dial up the post-ups a bit more in this game. Expect that to continue as Miami finds ways to get the new guys involved.
Bam Adebayo using his advantages
Adebayo played like a star in the first half of this game. The Thunder had Isaiah Hartenstein on him. Hartenstein is a big man and a stout defender. Adebayo got a couple of shots over him, but this is really how Adebayo can take advantage of matchups like this one.
Take note of how much space there is for Adebayo to operate. On the court with four shooters, Bam sees space behind Hartenstein and attacks it with a jab step and a dunk.