After another strong showing in the preseason, it would be perfectly understandable (and likely the right move) for the Miami Heat to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo (and the rest of the starters) heading into the final game of their exhibition schedule.
And that may in fact be the plan for Erik Spoelstra heading into their preseason finale.
However, Giannis, at the very least, left the door open for the opposite to be the case. Somewhat unintentially, Giannis may have just revealed Spoelstra's plan for the Heat's preseason finale with some post-game comments, in which he admitted that he could use another game to get more acclimated before the start of the regular season.
“I need as many games as I can get…I need to keep on learning to play with the team…the more I play with the team the more comfortable I get…so I definitely need one more game for sure.”
Giannis and the Heat have proved enough during the preseason
Could Giannis be using this opportunity to "say the right thing?" Absolutely. After all, it's probably best for a star in a new market to embrace the challenge of a final preseason tilt rather than to say that he'd much rather sit out and wait for the start of the real season.
Even if the plan is for Giannis to sit out the final preseason game, it's probably best if that decision is made by the coaching staff rather than the player.
But again, thinking out loud, if it was Spoelstra's plan to play the starters for a shift or two in the final preseason game, it would also be a good look for Giannis to echo his desire to do just that. And if a conversation had already been had with the stars, and Spoelstra made it clear that the plan was for them to play in the finale as well, this could just be Giannis setting the table for what's to come.
In theory, though, Giannis and the Heat starters have done enough in the preseason. They've shown enough. They've proven themselves. Are there still some details that need fine-tuning? Absolutely. However, especially at this point, I can't imagine that is going to be completely accomplished no matter what Spoelstra decides to do in the final preseason game.
Even when the regular season arrives, the Heat is going to be considered a work in progress, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Much of that is a product of a new team coming together in its first year.
Looking at it that way, the reward just doesn't outweigh the risk of Giannis playing in the Heat's final preseason game, no matter if he wants to get some added reps or not. In the end, though, it will be Spoelstra's call. But if Giannis did tip Spoelstra's hand, then maybe we haven't seen the end of Giannis in the preseason just yet.
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