It wasn't a perfect preseason opening for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat, but there were certainly some huge bright spots. And amid the growing pains, it's clear that the Heat are going to have a very high ceiling with Giannis.
Miami built a healthy lead in the first half with their regulars on the way to a 129-105 preseason-opening victory over the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada.
In his preseason debut for the Heat, Giannis finished with nine points, seven assists, and four rebounds on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field in 14 minutes of action. In what was as close to a simulated first half as possible for Erik Spoelstra's new team, Miami looked awfully good.
Overall, the Heat looked pretty good on both ends of the floor during the first half, specifically, and the impact of Giannis was felt in nearly every way possible.
The Heat looked really good in the first half
Focusing on the first half, where the Heat played their regulars before they were pulled at the break, there wasn't anything to truly dislike. Sure, there were times when the offense was a bit wonky, and some overpassing or indecision was taking place, but that's natural for a team that is incorporating as many new players as they are.
In a vacuum, though, the Heat looked great considering the circumstances.
The Heat scored 41 points in the first quarter and took a 76-55 lead into the half. At one point during the first half, the Heat had assisted on 17 of the team's first 19 field goals made. Giannis took a few minutes to get comfortable, but fell into a quick rhythm during his second stint on the floor in the second quarter.
Looking much more aggressive during that second stint, Giannis was clearly more assertive. The drives, the playmaking, and the finishing - it was all very evident that he's still every bit of that top-5 player when healthy. And at least through the first preseason game, Giannis looks healthy.
Even beyond that, the second group looked great too. Without Dru Smith, the Heat's second group consisted of Pelle Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nikola Jovic, Simone Fontecchio, and Bobby Portis. That group didn't let the foot off the pedal with all the scoring, helping the team build a 21-point first-half lead.
It's early, but the Heat looked a lot deeper than expected. I'm sure Spoelstra is still working through his rotations, but it's safe to say that the Heat's first preseason game couldn't have gone much better than it did.
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