Not all may have been lost in the Miami Heat's embarrassing loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Sure, the Heat may have fallen to 0-3 on the season, and their comeback attempt in the fourth quarter fell short, but Davion Mitchell's effectiveness in that final frame may be just enough to give this team some hope in trying to solve their offensive woes.
In that fourth quarter, the three-man lineup of Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, and Bam Adebayo had a 140 offensive rating and a 79 defensive rating. Traditionally, that lineup was a plus-16, as they helped the Heat fight back in that game.
Davion Mitchell could be the key to unlocking the Heat's offense
On the one hand, that could be chalked up to a hot streak for Miami, coupled with a cold stretch for Charlotte. Or it could've given the Heat a blueprint for how they can start building a second pillar of the offense.
In that quarter alone, Mitchell finished with 15 points and five assists. He was a big reason for the Heat's comeback. Again, it might've fallen short, but there's a deeper message that should've been sent: Mitchell may need to carry a bigger burden on the offensive end of the floor.
Through the better part of the Heat's first three games, their offense has been Giannis Antetokounmpo or bust. It's either Giannis is creating an easy bucket for himself (largely in isolation situations), or he's creating an open 3-point shot that, more often than not, is being missed.
Other than that, the Heat don't have much going on for them until the fourth quarter against the Hornets. For the first time all season, the Heat looked like a competent offense. They scored a season-high 35 points in that final frame and played good enough defense that they nearly erased a 20-point deficit in what seemed like a blink of an eye.
It's amazing what confidence and offense will do to a team. And in that quarter, it was Mitchell who was helping fuel that.
Can the Heat bottle up that fourth quarter into momentum moving forward?
The challenge for the Heat's coaching staff is whether they can bottle up all the good from that stretch into the next game. It may not be that simple, but perhaps there is something to Mitchell taking on more responsibility on the offensive end.
As the Heat continue to try and figure out how to play with each other, you can't help but wonder if this type of performance is one that reveals Mitchell as a real key to getting over the hump offensively.
The Heat don't stand for moral victories, but Mitchell may have provided some much-needed clarity on the offensive end of the floor. And if he can be that player more consistently, maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel for the Heat.
At the very least, it's one thing to keep a close eye on as they head into Monday night's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
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