5️⃣ Struggling against height
Despite a much better week in terms of fourth quarters, it didn't start like that. The Heat scored 25 points on 36% shooting in the last quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It doesn't bode well for the Heat that Jimmy Butler played less than five minutes in the deciding period against the best defense in the league, with only one shot - a fadeaway contested three in the wing to try to send the game to overtime.
In the first clip, Duncan Robinson attacks the pick and roll and misses a pocket pass opportunity to Bam, but is still able to get the ball to him. Now Adebayo has the ball with five defenders in or around the paint and Jaquez open in the wing, but decides to go for a push shot with Naz Reid all over him.
In the second clip, the Heat decide to post up Bam against Rudy Gobert. Everyone else is spaced out, but no one on the Wolves is helping because they have Gobert where they want him: in the paint. Bam attacks left but has to go around a taller defender and ends up with an unbalanced shot on the other side of the rim.
Richardson tries to attack Towns off the switch but to no avail. He goes back and finds Adebayo. He decides to attack the same spot, where Towns still is, gives Gobert a eurostep but is too slow, which allows Gobert to recover and block the shot.
And finally, we have Jaquez in the post against Kyle Anderson. Adebayo is at the free-throw line with Gobert watching the ball, Highsmith decides to cut, bringing Naz Reid to the ball as well. There's just no spacing and the rookie ends up with a forced shot against three defenders.