Takeaways from Heat’s loss to Pelicans to open preseason, including how the young core fared
For the first time in nine months, the Miami Heat played a game at AmericanAirlines Arena on Monday.
It was only a preseason game, but it marked the Heat’s first game action at its home arena since the 2019-20 season was suspended on March 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Heat opened its two-game pregame schedule with a 114-92 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
While it represented a return home for the Heat after making last season’s run to the NBA Finals in the NBA’s Walt Disney World quarantine bubble, so much was different Monday. There were no fans in attendance at AmericanAirlines Arena, a precaution most NBA teams are taking to begin the season during a pandemic.
The Heat trio of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala was not available for Monday’s preseason opener, as the team took a cautious approach with the three veterans after the abbreviated two-month offseason. Butler, Dragic and Iguodala watched the game from the bench alongside teammates.
Here are five takeaways from the Heat’s loss to the Pelicans on Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena:
As expected, the fan-less environment at AmericanAirlines Arena made for a unique game experience.
Without any fans in attendance for Monday’s preseason opener amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an arena with a capacity of 21,000 was empty other than players, coaches, team staff, media and arena staff.
There was fake crowd noise, empty arena concourses and strict guidelines that the few in attendance had to follow. Heat owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley sat socially distanced at a courtside table, and other members of the front office sat in chairs around the court.
The Heat played in empty buildings when games resumed last season in the Disney bubble, but players admitted playing a game in an empty NBA arena would be a little different because of how much more expansive they are.
“It’s definitely going to be a new experience, I’ll say that,” Heat center Meyers Leonard said before Monday’s game. “... Without having 20,000 people in the stands, is there a different level of emotion and crowd noise and those sort of things? Yeah, of course. But there’s a reason why we do what we do and why we’ve been successful at doing that. It’s because we’re here to play the game of basketball. Now it’s certainly nice to have fans in the arena, but that’s the reality of the world we’re living in, period. So we have to adjust.”
The Heat will play in an empty AmericanAirlines Arena for at least one more home game, with the team announcing last week that its Christmas Day regular-season home opener against the Pelicans will also be played without fans in attendance. Nothing official has been decided yet beyond that game.
It’s hard to get a real read on much when it comes to the Heat’s rotation because Butler, Dragic and Iguodala were not available to play.
The other 17 players on the Heat’s roster were available Monday, and 12 played.
The Heat used a starting lineup of Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Moe Harkless and Bam Adebayo.
Monday’s bench rotation included KZ Okpala, Meyers Leonard, Avery Bradley, Max Strus, Precious Achiuwa, BJ Johnson and Breein Tyree.
The Heat closes its quick two-game pregame schedule on Friday against the Toronto Raptors in Tampa. It’s still unknown if coach Erik Spoelstra will use that contest to play his full rotation before Miami begins its regular-season schedule on Dec. 23.
“I don’t know about a full dress rehearsal,” Spoelstra said when asked if he’ll play more of the Heat’s regulars Friday. “We just need to continue to use these next nine days efficiently and continue to take steps forward. So we have some important days coming up.”
The midrange jumper continues to be an encouraging aspect of Adebayo’s growing offensive game.
The All-Star center is already one of the best defenders at his position, and he’s quickly becoming one of the league’s most skilled offensive big men. Adebayo’s improved midrange jumper is proof of that.
Adebayo, 23, was 17 of 37 (45.9 percent) on midrange shots last postseason after shooting 22.3 percent from midrange in the regular season.
That positive trend continued in Monday’s preseason opener, as the first two shots he made were fluid midrange jumpers. He made two of his three midrange shots in the contest.
“A lot,” Adebayo said of how much he plans to use his midrange jumper this season. “Just because I’m trying to space the floor. I’m just trying to work on everything and just keep improving. My [midrange shot] has been improving and I’m going to keep shooting it.”
And as usual, Adebayo was effective as a facilitator, too. He finished Miami’s first preseason game with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, eight assists, one block and two steals in 19 minutes.
“That’s who I am,” Adebayo said of his eight assists. “I feel like coach has done a great job of trying to build around me and Jimmy. Get us shooters. They know my play style. I’m trying to rack up the assists. I feel like that’s one of the things, I don’t feel like it’s taught. I feel like it’s just a talent.”
It was an impressive start for Adebayo, who signed the richest contract in Heat history in the offseason — a five-year, $163 million contract extension that could grow to as much as $195 million and begins in the 2021-22 season.
How did the Heat’s other young core pieces fare? Herro and Robinson stood out Monday.
Herro finished with 17 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-7 on threes, five rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes.
Robinson finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting on threes in 24 minutes.
Herro is competing with Bradley, Dragic and Nunn for one of the guards spots in the Heat’s starting lineup. But Robinson is already a projected starter after starting 68 regular-season games and all 21 playoff games last season.
Nunn, who finished second in the voting for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year honor and was named to the All-Rookie first team last season, recorded 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting, three rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes in Monday’s preseason opener.
Achiuwa, who was drafted by the Heat in the first round this year, did not enter the game until there was 8:07 remaining in the third quarter. The rookie big man finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and two rebounds in 20 minutes, with each of his four made shots coming from inside the paint.
“His energy rolling to the rim was contagious,” Spoelstra said of Achiuwa. “I think he sparked us for a couple minutes. Defensively, you see some of his ability to cover ground and do multiple things guarding multiple positions, protecting the basket. He just has to continue every day to learn NBA situations and learn our system, learn how to communicate these things and then do it consistently every time. But he has had a good camp.”
And Okpala finished with three points on 1-of-2 shooting and one rebound in 20 minutes on Monday. His only made shot was a corner three.
“KZ hasn’t played much in a game setting with us,” Spoelstra said. “So it was just good to get him out there. He has actually had a really good training camp. He earned these minutes tonight. He has had the most consecutive good days that he has had since he has been in a uniform with us in camp.”
The Pelicans were led by forwards Brandon Ingram (22 points, six rebounds and six assists) and Zion Williamson (26 points and 11 rebounds).
New Orleans dominated Miami on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 51-35. The Pelicans also outscored the Heat 26-9 at the free-throw line.
“We definitely have to get to work,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t know if you can correlate it to necessarily what happened in the Finals. But certainly we have some work to do defensively, getting more consistent to what we want to do and finishing plays off. Not only rebounding, but even before that. Not fouling as much.”
As for the competition for the Heat’s second two-way contract, three of the four candidates on the roster played.
With guard Gabe Vincent returning on a two-way deal, Miami has one empty two-way contract spot remaining. The Heat has four Exhibit 10 players on its roster— forward Paul Eboua, wings Johnson and Strus, and guard Tyree — competing for the contract.
Johnson finished scoreless in seven minutes.
Strus finished with 11 points and shot 3 of 11 on threes, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists in 24 minutes.
Tyree did not score in four minutes.
Eboua did not play.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 9:23 PM.
