Heat in 5: Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s growth in 1 key area, the Knicks game, and more

Plus how the Miami Heat are generating 3-pointers and defending opponents in the pick-and-roll.

Nov 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket
Nov 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket | Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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Kyle Lowry
Miami Heat v Cleveland Cavaliers | Jason Miller/GettyImages

2️⃣ Taking (and converting) more 3s

The Heat have upped both their 3-point attempts and 3-point field goal percentage in the past week. Mostly due to the available personnel, Spoelstra's team shot more but found the bottom of the net more regularly, playing mainly through two simple actions.

The first one has Highsmith setting a pick-and-roll for Kyle Lowry. Teams will pay more attention to the Heat's point guard, so he releases to Highsmith in the short roll. Notice how there's always a player in the dunker spot -- Butler in the first clip, Orlando in the second -- forcing the shooter's defender to come inside to take away the easy pass and leaving the corner shooter wide open.

The second action has been a Heat staple for many years. Butler gets the ball in the post and attacks, forcing the defense to collapse on him. Then there are two options: in the third clip, Lowry is in the short corner, so he'll relocate to the corner, with Highsmith cutting from the angle, keeping the defense busy and allowing Lowry a more open shot. The fourth clip features Thomas Bryant in the dunker spot. With his man already helping on Butler, he quickly cuts toward the middle, forcing the corner defender to go with him and leaving Highsmith wide open.

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