All season long, this Miami Heat team has proved to consistently be inconsistent. That’s a notion that remained the same with Jimmy Butler on the roster, and it hasn't changed with him off of it.
The Boston Celtics walked into the Kaseya Center and ran the Heat off the floor, 103-85. They’ve now won nine of their last 11 matchups against Miami. And despite the absence of Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday, Boston was still led by the superstar play of Jayson Tatum.
He took the game over in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 33 points and 8 rebounds on 50% shooting. The Celtics also got strong outings from their frontcourt duo of Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
As for the Heat, their abysmal shooting put them in a hole that they couldn’t get out of. It’s never easy incorporating new pieces midseason, but playing the reigning NBA Champions makes it that much more challenging.
Let’s give out some early grades for the performances of Miami’s newcomers in their debut’s.
Andrew Wiggins: C-
Over the years, Andrew Wiggins has built a winning reputation as an impactful two-way talent. His first game as a member of the Heat didn’t show much of that.
There were glimpses of his length and versatility on the defensive end. He came down with 5 rebounds and 5 assists to go along with two stocks. However, the Heat were outscored by 22 points in his 30 minutes as the new starting small forward.
His shooting struggles were a problem for Miami all night, as they got limited production out of Wiggins in that department. He put together just 11 points on a rough 3 of 12 shooting overall.
It’s far too early to come to any judgement for the Heat’s newest core piece. But they are going to need more offensively from the former All-Star, who has averaged nearly 18 points per game this season.
Davion Mitchell: C+
In what may be viewed as somewhat of a surprise, Davion Mitchell received the start tonight in the Heat’s backcourt— benching the likes of Duncan Robinson. And the result wasn’t the prettiest.
Mitchell came into the game shooting 36% from 3-point range, which is right at the league average. Unfortunately, he looked like a below average shooter in his debut. He showed an inability to spread the floor and hit open outside looks, finishing with just 4 points on 2 of 8 from the field.
The encouraging sign was his point-of-attack defense on the perimeter. It was a need for the team for quite some time, and Mitchell’s energy on that end looked refreshing.
Hopefully his offensive limitations can eventually be balanced out with Herro’s shot making, who was unavailable versus Boston due to a stomach illness.
Kyle Anderson: D
The shakiest of all the new additions on Monday night was Kyle Anderson. He received playing time in place of Haywood Highsmith, and coach Erik Spoelstra ultimately may have regretted that decision.
Anderson looked virtually unplayable on the court. He seemed both rusty and a step slower (living up to his “Slow-Mo” nickname) than his opponent in his 10 limited minutes. The veteran role player put up zero points on 0 of 5 shooting.
He was unable to record a single block or steal, and the Heat were outscored by 14 points in his minutes. It could be questionable to give Anderson a consistent role moving forward.