Three observations from the Miami Heat’s 106-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Kaseya Center.
1. Davion Mitchell’s first step
Mitchell’s defensive tenacity was well documented before his trade to Miami and that has certainly been as advertised. But something else that has stood out since his arrival is his first step on offense. Mitchell is far from a complete offensive player, but that doesn’t stop him from using his physicality to get into the paint. He’ll often get two feet in the paint before kicking out to a shooter but, here, he screamed off this Kevin Love screen for an easy layup. These are the moments when you’re reminded he was a top-10 pick in the draft and is more athletic than he gets credit for.
2. Tyler Herro moving off the ball
Coming into the season, Herro decided he wanted his shot chart to look like Steph Curry’s. He’s done a good job of it, taking and making more 3s and slicing down his mid-range jumpers. But what makes Steph Steph is how he gets to his 3s. Curry is a master of moving without the ball. When he doesn’t have the rock, he sprints around the court to find openings. I’ve been waiting for Herro to adopt more of this in his game. On Friday night, he did a great Steph impression. Here, he fakes out his defender on the baseline and runs full speed into his catch off a Bam Adebayo screen.
When Curry does it, it’s the ultimate stress on the defense that has to account for the ball and for Curry. Herro can have a similar impact. Doing this consistently is Herro’s next step.
3. Heat’s two stars working together
With Adebayo rediscovering his offense over the last 20 games, it’s unlocked Miami’s All-Star duo. We know what Herro can do coming off an Adebayo screen and/or a handoff. Here, Herro sets the screen that leads to an Adebayo dunk.
It’s unclear why Naz Reid went over Herro’s screen, but that’s the kind of confusion non-traditional sets are meant to instigate. (It’s also a nice wrinkle to set this below the 3-point line to reduce the runway and Minnesota’s recovery time.)