Erik Spoelstra’s TOUGHEST Miami Heat Season Yet? Preseason TAKEAWAYS You Need to Hear!

Erik Spoelstra’s TOUGHEST Miami Heat Season Yet? Preseason TAKEAWAYS You Need to Hear!

We’ll give you our takeaways from Miami’s preseason on Eric Spolstra, rookie Casper Sakonis, and Nor Powell, and much more on today’s episode of Locked on Heat. You are Locked on Heat, your daily Miami Heat podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Heat, your daily podcast on the Miami Heat. However you might be tuning in on YouTube or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for making Locked on Heat your first listen every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app. Create an account. Use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. I’m Wes Goldberg, host of Locked On Daily and Real GM Radio. I’m here with David Rmill. Both of us are credentialed Heat Media members who cover this team every day. We have a big show for you today. We’re going to be talking about what we’ve learned from the Heat this preseason. Yes. Uh we know we realize that there is another preseason game left on Friday, but we’ve already seen five preseason games, David, and I think now is a good time for us in between games to zoom out and take stock on what we’ve learned so far. So, what we did is you came up with three things that you’ve learned. I came up with three things that we learned. Some of it will be familiar. Some of it, I think, will be brand new, right? brand new takes that we have not even voiced on this show despite us going five days a week. Uh but David, you came up with a bunch of stuff. You go first. I look at this preeason and we’ve already seen this team struggle in a number of ways. And that being the case, I really think it’s going to be a season that is a reflection of its head coach to a way that we haven’t seen in the past. The past seasons have been so much about what the roster looks like. And so to me, this season will be either the best or the worst season in Eric Spolster’s coaching career because I think he has the opportunity to really transform this team and do something fantastic that nobody might expect or it could just be a reflection of how dependent coaches are on superior talent and that the front office has done such a poor job of building that roster out that Eric Spolstra will look in over his head and unable to maximize this team in a way that he has always previously been able to do. I like the way that you’re framing this, right? Because it almost feels like there’s a lot at stake even though I think most people around the league wouldn’t see this heat team as something that has a lot there’s not the expectations aren’t very high and therefore what what could possibly be at stake, right? They almost have nothing to lose. And yet I think locally it is the exact opposite. I think locally this is a team that’s viewed very much in a state of flux, right? It’s sort of make or break is tough because at the end of the day like Eric Spolster is not going to lose his job based on what happens this season unless they go 0 for 82 like he’s going to think that would be enough. Probably you’re probably right. Um not after the big extension that they gave him. That’s very expensive. But um either way though it does it it does feel like this is in a we’re at a crossroads here with this organization. What do you look like without Jimmy Butler or another superstar? What does it look like when Okay, you want to do this whole big thing where now we’re about the draft and now we develop the young guys. You’ve never done this ever in the Pat Riley era, even before that. Like, this is not what this team does until now. All right. Is it going to work? And I I think that’s why more than anything else I it it does feel like maybe the Heat’s player development program is being put to the test. And it starts with Eric Spolster, right? He’s the head of that snake. And it’s one thing to oh wow, we got a couple good minutes out of this former GLeager and wow, Caleb Martin really turned into the heck of a seventh man. But now it’s uh can you develop a star? And you know, maybe that’s not entirely fair because they obviously developed an all-star a multiple time all-star in Bamab bio and an al an all-star in Tyler Hero, right? But it’s been a minute and and those guys were lottery picks. These other guys aren’t lottery picks. So, what can you do with this other kind of talent? I I I think it is interesting. And then and that says nothing about obviously the other things like can you get the offense to function like a normal NBA offense? Can you continue uh to can you can you string together some regular season wins in a way that you haven’t been able to really do since Jimmy Butler left town? These are all other big issues, but I do think that there is more of like a even zoomed in zoomerred out version of this where it’s like what are you all about now as an organization, right? And the the team has long functioned and operated with one central voice, which is the right way to do things. Pat Riley speaks to the media at the end of the season. Whether they go to the finals or they make the playoffs alto together, that’s when Pat talks. And so that’s the way it should be. This is for all intents and purposes Eric Spolster’s team. He is the face of the franchise. He gets to do what he wants with this roster. This his decisions define the team and what they do on the court. So there’s no mandate you have to play ex player. Uh there’s no mandate that you have to lean into a youth movement. that’s not the way this operate this this front office has operated. And so he’s tasked with a very difficult challenge. Like I I don’t envy him because you’re you’re too good to be really bad and you’re not good enough to be really good either. So kind of in this really weird inde kind of nebulous phase and you have older players like Powell like Andrew Wiggins like Bameabio and yet you’re also kind of as you said being asked to develop these younger guys like wear Yoic Yakionis etc. So, how do you blend in these different things and these elements in a way that well quite frankly got to win games? Like maybe the expectations are lowered, but despite that, you almost have to find a way to make this team far better than 500. Like, you have to be at least in my opinion five games above 500 for it not to be a failure of a season. And and that being the case, you’re also in this weird place where how bad could you possibly be? You know, it a lot of fans are already already the season has even already started and they’re already hoping that maybe the team will tank or will be bad enough to enter into the lottery and maybe get that next franchise. The the overunders on FanDuel, they have the the Heat’s win total at 37 and a half games. That’s a bad team. Yeah. You know, like 38 wins. It’s not going to take that much. And and like you that’s about 10 wins below than what you would say would be a failure. Yeah. Um, but that’s the other side of this, too. Expectations are so low. This might be Spo’s best chance to win coach of the year. After everything we just said, if this team wins 46 games, he will get votes. That’s how low the expectations is are for this team. If this team ends up 46 wins, 45 wins, whatever. If they end up with one of the top six seeds in the East and get to avoid the playing tournament, make the playoffs that way, he will get votes for coach of the year and he’ll deserve them. He’ll deserve him with the way that this roster looks. So, uh, to your point, it could be the best or the worst of Eric Spolstra. My lesson is from this preseason what we’ve learned and this might have already been the case anyway but I it really this preseason reinforced it for measonuses walked into that locker room immediately as the be the team’s best passer. He’s already the team’s best passer. And I might go so far as to say he’s already the team’s most best natural point guard. And I phrase it that way almost as a hedge, but like he’s not their best guard. Obviously, that’s Tyler Herro. Normal is better than him. You could argue that Davon Mitchell is already better than Yakonis. Um certainly a larger sample size. Drew Smith is probably better than definitely more trusted by the coaching staff. Yeah, but nobody’s better at playing point guard than Yakonis on this roster right now. And I went back, David, and I I’ve done this, this is the third time I’ve watched Yakonis in the preseason because I watched it when it happened live, then we did a breakdown of it the next day and I rewatched uh the game then. But his his 10 assist preseason debut. It is staggering how different it looks when he has the ball in his hands. He gets two feet in the paint. He draws attention. He drags defenders in there with him and then kicks out to a shooter. And if that sounds easy, it’s because it’s supposed to be. And yet this Heat team routinely makes it look harder than building a rocket ship. And and for Yakonis, who is a natural playmaker point guard, and we did our scattering report on him, and it was one of the things I called out. I was like, man, that guy just slices to the basket over and over and over again, and he makes pick and roll look routine. And that’s what he did in that preseason game. Now, who knows if that’s going to translate into the NBA, but I’ll tell you what, if I want to even, you know, put a finer point on this going into the preseason, I think it was a debate. Is he even going to get minutes? Is this guy going to have to go down to Sou Falls to play? Yeah. And I think based off of what we’ve seen in the preseason, as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be at the NBA level and he’ll he should be getting minutes. I Nobody can predict whether he will, but I can tell you what I learned. I learned that he should be getting NBA minutes right now, at least on this team. We’re recording this Wednesday prior to the last game of the preseason, but my hope is to echo what you’re saying, like that he’ll get a bulk of those minutes like he should. I I would hope that Eric Spolstra I know that team hasn’t been healthy and yet we know that the last game of the season is typically a dress rehearsal. It’s not a dress rehearsal, but it’s a last opportunity for the guys at the end of the roster to make a case because they’ve gotten less playing time. They have to be able to show out and prove that maybe they might earn a spot, a two-way contract, maybe just be brought down to Sou Falls, whatever it might be. And Yakution, he’s not going anywhere, but he can also have an opportunity to really shine. And and I think you’re absolutely right. He is the team’s best point guard. That’s his job. He is a playmaker first and foremost. You hope that the other aspects of his game are kind of a little bit more well-rounded as the season progresses. And I have no reason to doubt that they will. And yet, he’s already so gifted in that regard that uh I’m optimistic about his future and the future with the team under his leadership because I think that’s where he’ll be out there. He’ll be the consmate for general. He’ll be the guy that kind of set the table for everybody which is something the team hasn’t had in some time. they had shades of it and older shades of it in Kyle Lowry and really not since going on dragage have they had that kind of floor setter for everybody else and so I think that’s important to to just for him to be able to continue to get playing time and prove that he deserves to be at this level and he’s earned his spot and it’s one of the things you and I talk about all the time. What do you do at an NBA level that gets you on an NBA court? And Yakuchon is an NBA level passer already. The turnovers are there, right? There’ll be growing pains. I’m not telling you he’s an elite point guard. Like, he’s going to have boneheaded mistakes that just going to drive you crazy because he’s a rookie and that’s what’s going to happen. But he’s the best passer on the team right now. And seven of his 10 assists went to KL Wear in his preseason debut. There’s a twoman game, a lob game there that just unlocks the guy who you’re you’ve banked so much on in Kell and also there’s creates easy offense for a team that really needs easy offense is something another thing that you and I talk about a lot. we might be talking about later on in this episode. But coming up next, we’ve learned a lot about what two relative newcomers and how they’ll be used in Miami’s offense. We’ll talk about that next here on Lockdown Heat. Today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Most people can’t name all their financial accounts or even what they’re worth, whether it’s 401ks, properties, or investments. And when you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving money on the table. And that’s why there’s Monarch Money. It’s an all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean, easytouse interface on your laptop or your phone. Monarch is built for people with busy lives. 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So, don’t let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code lockdown NBA at monikmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monikmoney.com with the code locked on NBA. Today’s episode is also brought to you by Game Time. Basketball season’s officially here and nothing beats being in the arena for those opening games. But let’s be real, getting tickets can be a total headache. Between waiting in cues, prize fees, and prices that jump right before checkout, it’s easy to get frustrated when all you want to do is cheer on your team. Well, that’s where Game Time comes in. The app that gives fans the advantage. It’s your ultimate life hack for scoring amazing NBA tickets fast, easy, and stressfree. Look, the season’s just around the corner. You want to be able to catch some of those games. You want to be able to see Eric Spolster be tested or Casper Zakasunus go through his early growing pains. And that being the case, you want to get those tickets early on. You want to be able to do it and and save all the hassle from getting tickets or having to pay more than you think you have to pay. That’s where Game Time makes everything so easy. Take the guess work out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code locked on NBA. You get $20 off your first purchase. Not terms to apply, but that’s the code locked on NBA. L O C D O NA for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. We’ll be right back. Thanks again for making Locked on Heat your first listen every day. Continuing on with our what we learned lessons from the preseason. David, uh you talked about how this is going to either be Eric Spulter’s best or worst season. I talked about Kasparus Shakajonis being the team’s best passer. What’s next on your list? I think Andrew Wiggins is going to be the team’s floor for the upcoming season. I I just think that he is too good a player and the way he’s going to be able to factor into what this team does like there are players like Bameadabio, Tyler Herro, Powell, Nikico Yoic, even maybe shades of Yakush, etc. that kind of will raise the team ceiling. I think each of those players is going to be able to help produce a win here or there just by virtue of the kind of impact that they can have. But nobody sets the floor quite like Andrew Wiggins because he’s just he’s such a good competent player and he needs to be able to be maximized in a way that uh I don’t and I’m not sure that we’re expecting that. Like I think he’s almost become symbolic or representative of the season. You know, he’s a player that’s too good and just not good enough at the same time. And so when you have him out there, a guy who can really do everything on the court, he’s a he’s a passer, he’s a playmaker, he’s a he’s a finisher, a guy who can shoot the three at a high level, defend at a high level, the expectations are that he should be able to do everything well enough. And that being the case, you know that he’s going to be able to just be a productive member of the starting lineup. The numbers last season fared out in his limited time with Miami, everybody kind of thought he was a disappointment and a failure to a certain degree. He was really solid. He just did have injury and he did have some inconsistency. That’s just who Andrew Wiggins is. But at the same time, I think he just he sets the baseline for what this team is capable of. Uh being that he is the two-weight talent that he is. And I I think he’s going to be a very capable factor in this season’s win loss projections. I certainly hope so. Um I’m not sure what you’ve seen in the preseason that makes you feel that way. uh 8.7 points per game in the three games that he played, shooting 43% 44% overall from three-point range. Um yeah, I don’t know. It hasn’t been like the rebounding hasn’t really been there. He’s averaging one rebound per game in the preseason. It just really hasn’t been there for him. Um but maybe that it’s like they also went 0 for five so far in the preseason and had Wiggins played better. Maybe maybe that is different. I don’t I don’t really know. But he hasn’t he hasn’t exactly and by that’s in like 16 17 minutes per game, right? It’s not a full a lotment of minutes to be fair to Wiggins. But um I’ve been underwhelmed with his performance. I thought he was really good in Miami’s first preseason game. I think he’s been basically I think I think he’s disappeared in the other ones that he’s played, right? Which is part of the wicked experience, right? Like I mean you’ll have 35 point nights and then you’ll have three points, two points, etc. Like it’s possible. And I I just I think it kind of just all ties together in that sense. Like the as he goes, this team will go. Uh not as a star, but as a guy who’s just he’s the complimentary role player that ties everything together. And I think that’s that’s what he should be at this stage in his career. And that’s unfortunately you’re kind of relying on players like Bam, Hero, Powell that aren’t necessarily team superstars. They’re not like your typical one or maybe a number a two option. And yet you’re kind of expecting them to do so knowing that Wigs is capable of complimenting them and helping you just maintain a baseline of what this team is supposed to be, which is I think still a very good team. I think they they have the potential. I but they can also be very badly. And if they do, I think it will be honestly a reflection of Wiggins not being able to kind of find his place in Miami. The way I put it with Wiggins when he first got here was there’s a bottom of the ledger production with him. You’re just going to look up and he’s got 19 points and you’re like, “Oh, all right. I don’t really remember any of those, but the points count. They’re on the board, right? Um, and so I I agree with you in the sense that like Tyler, Bam, even Powell to a degree, those guys are going to raise your ceiling, right? Like this team needs Bam to take a level up offensively and stay what he’s been defensively for them to be legitimately surprising. They need like Tyler Herro has always been sort of a ceiling razor for this team, right? That’s always been the case. Norpal, I think, is very similar in that way. Wiggins, you need the two-way play with him, right? It’s never going to be enough for him to just go. He’s you can never expect him to just average 23 a night the way that you can with Tyler Hero. He’s got to do it on both ends. And the rebounding is really important with him. Like especially when you consider Bam is the only consistent rebounder in that front court. That means that the other forwards are going to have to do their part. And Wiggins is the most proven rebounder and he’s had years where it’s like, wow, this guy’s an awesome rebounder. And then there’s games where you’re like, does he even know what a rebound is? And because he just doesn’t go for him. So, um, you know, I I I I do agree with you in that sense. I think my next lesson is I think we’ve learned how the Heat are going to use Norm Powell. At least if they do it the same way that they’ve done it in the preseason, which to be fair, and we probably should have said this earlier, it’s a very like it’s a it’s a it’s a possibility that none of this matters even a little bit because in the NBA, the preseason matters probably less than in any other sport. That said, no, based on the way we’ve seen Norm Pal used, I wondered, especially when Tyler Herro got hurt, would they try to run offense through Norm Powell? And then we see that first preseason game, the lineup gets announced. Norm Palpal, Haimeakas Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Nicol Yoic, Bam Adabio. I’m like, wow, Norm Pal is the only natural guard in that entire starting five. I’m sure he’s going to get the rock. Nope, not really. Not as a primary initiator. Not even a little bit, right? That was Bam. That was Nico. Heck, that was Haime. There was more Wiggins involved in running pick and roll than there was Norm Pal. And that’s been the case the entire preseason. I think the way that the Eric Spolster and this coaching staff view Pal, it’s not as a guy that’s going to orchestrate offense. He’s not going to be the first guy that touches the ball. I think they really like him as the second guy who touches the ball. Whether that’s getting it on on that first pass and he’s able to attack a bent defense or he’s able to just maneuver around a scrambling defense or whatever it is, he he’s a perimeter oriented attacker. You kick it out to him and then he goes to work. Whether it’s shooting a three or downhill, I don’t think that they view him as a primary initiator, a guy who they’re going to run a ton of pick and roll through. I think there’s other guys that they prefer to do that with. Um, and that’s what we learned from Pal. if you thought he was going to walk in, especially with Hero out and walk into some sort of high usage kind of role. I I don’t think that that’s going to be the case. Yeah, I’m surprised. I I really thought that was going to be at least partly the case just especially because with Tyler’s out and it almost feels like it was like, well, we don’t want to do anything to start the season knowing that eventually Tyler’s going to come back pretty soon and we’re going to have to wind up abandoning that anyway. And maybe that makes sense. I I don’t know. I I’m not sure. We haven’t asked Eric Spolster if that’s in fact the case or not. And I don’t think he’s been talking about uh how Norm is using this offense or anything like that, but uh I I think he is Miami’s best scorer in the starting lineup. Uh you would hope that that would be Bam and I think it would be necessary for it to be Bam in order for this team to be truly great. And yet I think that ship has somewhat sailed and we’re going to get some nights from him. But the preseason was not exactly a positive one for Bameio. think uh whatever expectations as lowered as they were I think might be even dimmer now. And so I think for Powell, he has to be able to show out. He especially if he’s looking for a contract, you know, this is he wants his money. This could virtually be his last big deal. And you think that he’s it would be important for him to kind of just say, you know what, I need to go and do what I have to do in order to to get paid. And you’d think he’d be a little bit more aggressive and uh as efficient as possible in doing so just because that’s the best way. Well, he just he did just get here, right? So, he might not want to be roughing. By the way, I don’t think they view him as a non-factor in the offense, right? He’s he technically does have the highest usage rate on the team in the preseason. I should be clear, but he’s not starting the offense. He’s not at the initiator. He’s the guy receiving the ball. He’s getting up a ton of shots. He averages the second most points on the team in the preseason. He’s had huge first halves, but it always is somebody else starts the offense and then they kick it to Norm Pal. And maybe, and that I’m not saying it’s wrong, like the Heat coaching staff has decided we kind of want to maybe help Norm Pal just be a scorer, not ask him to do the other things. But that’s what that was the part I was surprised by was with Hero out, I thought that Pal might have to do those other things. And the Heat are doing everything that they can to make sure, nope, we’re not going to put more stuff on your plate. just go out and do the thing you’re best at, which is shoot the basketball, score the basketball. You’re not going to be initiating offense. You’re going to be receiving offense, and you’re going to be putting points on the board, but you’re not going to be the guy who’s basically our point guard while our point guard is out. And I just thought that was interesting. Um, all right, let’s uh let’s take another break here. I’ve got another big take about Miami’s offense in general. You have another big take about uh maybe a point of emphasis, but also potentially a point of concern. and we’ll talk about that next here. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NFL season and NBA season is here. And FanDuel has an offer that you don’t want to miss because right now, new customers can bet just $5, and you can get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. You pick a bet, you put down five bucks, and if it hits, you’ll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. It’s a long basketball season. You want to make those games a little bit more exciting. This is the way to do it. You’ll love how FanDuel gives you different ways to play. You can build parlays. You can try player props. You can even follow the live lines during games. That makes things so much more exciting. Believe me, you’re going to want to see how this offense shapes up over the course of the season and who’s going to be the player that steps up on this Heat roster. Well, you know what? FanDuel helps the experience of making those games a lot more enjoyable. So, what are you waiting for? Go visit fanuel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. but only when you go visit fanuel.com to download the FanDuel app today. We’ll be right back. So, we were reviewing our list of things that we learned in the preseason before we started recording and David, you pointed to a area of emphasis that we kept hearing this coaching staff talk about going into training camp and during training camp and how maybe that that wasn’t fixed. I also did the same thing with a different area of emphasis that also has not been fixed. So we have we went the same direction with this with two different and ended up in two different places. You go ahead. You go first. What’s the area that you think this has been emphasized but not necessarily fixed? No, it’s clearly rebounding. We know that this team has been undersized. Uh we thought that Yoic was going to be a little bit more aggressive based on what we saw from him in Euro Basket. Uh that he was be able to use his size and added strength to be a little bit more active on the rebounding front. That didn’t work out. Obviously, he’s out due to injury. Then comes in there and look for all the numbers that he’s putting up as a scorer. Still not active as a rebounder. He’s a little bit better than Yovic. That’s not saying much. That’s not enough. This team is going to get challenged in a number of ways. And I think it’s going to start at the rebounding deficiency because from there the other team is going to be able to get second chance opportunities for a team that might not defend at the highest level and will struggle to score at times. They can’t afford to give up second chance points. Uh not only that, then you’re also looking at a team that might be able to get crushed on the fast break opportunities because transition basketball hasn’t always been one of their strengths during the last few seasons. And I think it it could lead to a problem if the opposing team is able to pull down these rebounds, initiate their own fast break opportunity. How’s Miami going to be able to defend that as well as possible? Especially with Wear being the trailer, you know, it’s not to put it on him necessarily, but as as Miamiy’s best interior protector, he needs to be able to get down court a little quickly. That’s not his strength. That’s not what the expectation or hope is, but I just feel like the rebounding is going to be such an issue. You have to be able to to a number of different problems that I think were going to crop up over the course of the season, especially early on. And that’s that’s my concern is that if you don’t fix it, if you don’t show something differently at the start of the regular season what we saw in the preseason, this team could get killed in a lot of different ways, right? You would think if you were going to show it at any point, it would be like right now while everybody’s all excited and be like, we’re going to be good rebounding. Let’s like really try at it. And then by January, you’re like, I really don’t want to try at this anymore. But, um, I’m going to read you the list of, uh, Miami’s top 10 rebounders in rebounding percentage so far this preseason. So, rebounding percentage or rebound rate is essentially the percentage of rebounds your team gets while you’re on the floor. Okay. Number one, KL Wear. Number two, Precious Aua. Number three, Bam Adabio. Number four, Dane Dena. Number five, Nicola Yoic. Number six, Myron Gardner. Number seven is Vlad Golden. Number eight is Simone Fonteio. Number nine is Kashad Johnson. Number 10 is Gabe Madson. There’s a couple of issues with that list. What stands out? What What do you think is wrong with that list? The back court sucks. Without Tyler Herro, who’s a above average rebounder, I think it’s just problematic that you’re not getting any of the top guards and the starting lineup. Uh, you know, like three-fifths of the starting lineup just kind of sucks at rebounding. That’s not gonna get it done. Six of the guys I just named aren’t gonna play. Yeah, Dane Danger ain’t playing for this team. He’ll be in the G- League. Myron Gardner, Ditto. Vlad Golden’s a two-way guy. He’s not going to get on the court. Simon Feekio is not in the nightight rotation. I don’t know how many minutes he going to get. Ditto for Kashad Johnson. Gabe Madson, he’s going to be uh part of Sou Falls. And then the other problem is that your top three guys in rebounding rate by a mile, by the way, apparently are never going to share the court together. Kell, Precious, and Bam. So, okay, cool. Like your centers are good at rebounding. Nobody else on the roster is. Not even a little bit. And they are missing. Tyler Herro obviously they’re going to miss mostly from a score. Like 90% of what you miss from Tyler Herro is the scoring part. 10% of it is he’s an elite rebounder at his position and it never gets talked about with Tyler. It’s he’s a really really effective rebounder. So um yeah, that’s not good. My thing is um similar to you, the offense, it just isn’t fixed. And I’m starting to get flashbacks about the big five out experiment from last year. Um it, like I said, it was a point of emphasis. They were doing all the right things. They were talking about pace, pace, pace, right? Um they were doing drills in training camp where you weren’t allowed to dribble. It was just hit ahead passes and that was it. Um that you had to cross half court in 4 seconds or else it was a turnover. Like these were real drills that were happening in Boca Raton. And I have seen the pace increase. They just forgot the other part of it, which is it should lead to points, right? And they run a lot, but they turn over the they turn over the ball a ton. They have one of the most turnover they’re one of the most turnover uh prone teams in the preseason. I do think some of that gets cleaned up when you get your starters more on the floor regularly. Um you get some of these backups to play a little bit less, but the starters haven’t been like like not guilty of turning the ball over. They have more turnovers than the reserves. So, I do think some of that stuff gets ironed out, but even if you do that, this team is really far from being an efficient offense. And I think going back to your earlier point about Spo, there’s almost so much he can do. At some point, you got to have the personnel. And last year, it was cool to try a five out offense. You didn’t have the personnel to run it. And we saw what happened. And this year, you want to be tops in pace and all these things, but it doesn’t ma it doesn’t matter if you’re just running fast if you don’t have a plan. And you got to be able to see ahead. You got to be able to think ahead. It just feels like they’re kind of behind. Like they run up to get to the to to the half court really fast and they’re like, “What do we do now?” Sometimes. And then and I I’ve appreciated the fact that they’ve just put up shots early in the clock, right? Like, “Hey, this is kind of a contested three. The hell with it.” And they just shoot it. I’m like, “Okay, that’s fine.” like you’re going to have to have some of those. I actually thought the the Heat were too averse to those in the past. But it also feels like that was the entire offense and that doesn’t seem ideal either. No, I you know what, you can’t be the best condition team in the NBA if you don’t run up and down the floor a lot. That seems like that’s that’s the the future of this group. But uh I think also that ties into the rebounding too because you got to be able to put those shots up. So, I know they’re looking for the most efficient shot possible and yet like sometimes you just got to let it fly and and I we made that point about the three-point shooting. Like, you have to be able today’s league, you’ve got to be able to put up points. You need your three-point shooting to be at a much higher level. This team does not shoot threes at the rate that they should. You’re running up and down and like you said, just standing around going, “Well, we we got here now. We got to find a way to score and it’s just not as easy.” And sometimes you have to put up those shots early in the shot clock, let it fly, and hope for the best. And yes, then you need the rebounding to be able to create those second chance opportunities. And that’s another area where Miami falters. So, it’s gonna be and the re the finishing at the rim hasn’t been as efficient as you’d want it to be. I just I I still don’t know what this offense does in an elite level. And it’s one of the biggest concerns that you and I flagged going into it. We thought that this team could potentially get up a bunch of threes, then Tyler Hero gets hurt, and I think that that has had a huge impact on what it is that they’re trying to do here. So, maybe I I think the more accurate thing for me to have said would be the offense isn’t fixed yet. I’m not I’m not ruling it out because I do think that there’s talent and I think when Hero comes back it’s going to help a lot but it hasn’t been fixed yet and maybe it was and maybe it’s an unfair expectation to to put that on them through basically one training camp and some meaningless preseason games but um there’s still work to be done uh on that end. So uh that’ll do it for us today. We’re going to have five burning questions uh about the Heat going into the regular season later on this week. Um, and then uh going in next week, the regular season’s starting, David, we’re here. It’s here. We’re going to have previews of opening night. We’re going to have bold predictions. We’re going to have we’re going to start having our recaps. Hopefully some credit cookies. All of that coming up later this week and next. Thanks so much for making Lockdown Heat your first listen every day.

The Miami Heat preseason revealed major storylines that could define the upcoming season. From Erik Spoelstra’s biggest coaching challenge to the rise of rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, and questions around Andrew Wiggins and Norm Powell’s roles, there’s no shortage of drama in Miami.

Hosts Wes Goldberg and David Ramil break down what they learned from five preseason games — including concerns about rebounding, offensive efficiency, and the development of young talent like Jovic and Ware. Whether you’re wondering if Spoelstra can guide this roster back to contention or what the Heat’s identity will look like without Jimmy Butler, this episode delivers deep insight and strong opinions from two insiders who cover the team daily.

00:00 – Intro
01:27 – Erik Spoelstra’s Biggest Challenge Yet
07:34 – Jakucionis: Miami’s Best Passer Already?
14:56 – Andrew Wiggins and Norm Powell’s Roles
24:55 – Key Team Weaknesses: Rebounding & Offensive Struggles

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