What Ayton, Zo told Yurtseven. And different Heat decisions looming on Guy and Robinson
A six-pack of Miami Heat notes on a Tuesday:
▪ Heat revelation Omer Yurtseven returned home this week riding a rare streak of four consecutive games with 16 or more rebounds (the longest such streak for a rookie in the past 40 years) and 11 consecutive games with 12 or more boards, which equals Blake Griffin’s record for a rookie in the past 35 years.
And when he walked in the gym for Tuesday’s practice in advance of Wednesday’s game at Atlanta, Heat legend Alonzo Mourning was there to greet him with praise, but also with a message.
“He mentioned three big things today: Finishing around the rim; seeking every rebound; continuing [to defend correctly] in pick and rolls,” Yurtseven said. “Those three are the anchors. He said, ‘You’ve done a great job rebounding the ball.’ That coming from him means a lot.”
Mourning focuses primarily on his job as the Heat’s vice president/player programs, but he has become something of a mentor to Yurtseven. Both attended Georgetown, and there’s a history of former Hoyas centers helping each other.
“We talk about all different kinds of stuff,” Yurtseven said. “Every detail he throws at me, whatever he sees. It can be game days, practice days, two days after a game.”
Yurtseven, incidentally, isn’t content with 12 to 16 rebounds per game.
“I think I can get 20 plus a game,” he said. “That’s the mark I’m trying to keep pushing. I want to break that glass ceiling.”
Yurtseven stands sixth in the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes at 15.5, one tenth of a rebound behind Nikola Jovic.
“I think he’s going to be even better,” PJ Tucker said. “That’s the thing. Those 12-16 rebounds, some of those could be 20 rebound games. He’s so unaggressive and nice. If he ever gets that mean streak in him where he wants to go get them all, he will be really big-time. We keep pushing him.”
Yurtseven’s playing time will diminish when Bam Adebayo and Dwayne Dedmon return. Adebayo remains on track to return at some point in January, and Erik Spoelstra didn’t rule out Dedmon playing Wednesday.
▪ Yurtseven’s work with Udonis Haslem - in which Haslem shows him how to out-physical opponents for rebounds - has become legendary, and Yurtseven has the marks to prove it.
“I get scratches, bruises, every time,” Yurtseven said. “It’s usually around the forearm and hands because that’s where you kind of grapple as you are crashing or trying to box out. Or elbows, to the ribs or to the back have been the big ones.”
There are no hard feelings, afterward, of course.
“We hug it out and that’s it,” Yurtseven said.
Spoelstra has been pleased with his improvement in pick-and-roll defense.
“Every team, you’re going to be bringing your center into 60 to 70 percent of your pick and rolls,” Spoelstra said. “And we have multiple schemes. So he’s learning a lot of different things and adjusting to the speed and quickness and skill level of guards and adjusting to the size, physicality and force of those big guys.
“He’s been making those necessary adjustments. And UD, even from afar, is always going to be hammering him about rebounding in traffic. And he’s been doing that at an extremely high level.”
Yurtseven, incidentally, said Suns center Deandre Ayton turned to him during the game on Saturday and said “You know who you are? You’re like Jokic.’”
Yurtseven’s response?
“I’m like, ‘I’m getting there.’”
He appreciates Saturday’s pregame shoutout from Suns coach Monty Williams. “He said, ‘I don’t know where they found that kid,’” Yurtseven said. “To get the approval of another coach is meaningful.”
▪ Duncan Robinson has come off the bench in his first two games back and thrived, with 39 points and 12 for 22 three-point shooting in two wins.
Spoelstra has made clear that he considers Robinson a starter and played him off the bench to monitor his minutes.
But Spoelstra said Tuesday he isn’t sure when Robinson would be re-inserted in the lineup.
Max Strus started those past two games and scored 39 on 11 for 21 shooting.
“Right now, we are living day to day, where we all should be living,” Spoelstra said. “If you have everybody healthy, you ultimately want to try to get to a consistent rotation. We are not at that point right now. I wouldn’t read too much into anything right now. Different games may call for different things. We will try to communicate as best we can with that. But these are uncommon times right now knowing more depth and talent will be coming back soon.”
Robinson -- who started all 72 of his appearances last season and his first 35 games this season -- said “whatever this team needs me to do [is fine]. I’m not stubborn or hard headed or I have got to have this role or whatever. I’m open to whatever contributes to winning.”
He said he didn’t change anything mechanically with his shot during his time out due to COVID but “just watching the games and seeing things from a different perspective helped -- and kind of having a moment of pause to step back and take a breath and collect yourself before this second stretch of the season.”
Robinson’s three-game COVID absence ended his team-record streak of 182 consecutive games.
“Missing games, I pulled my hair out, not really having any symptoms was a challenge,” he said. “That streak, I took a lot of pride in.”
▪ The only realistic way for the Heat to keep Kyle Guy beyond this second 10-day contract would be Miami losing another player temporarily to COVID, or trading a player for a draft pick (KZ Okpala would be the only logical option), or replacing Marcus Garrett with Guy as Miami’s second two-way contract.
Signing Guy to the open 15th roster spot would put the Heat over the tax line, which Miami is trying to avoid.
And that 15th spot will be needed for Caleb Martin, whose two-way deal must be converted to a standard contract by the last day of the season to make him playoff eligible.
A case could be made to replace Garrett with Guy, but it’s a tough call. Garrett gives the Heat a skilled developmental prospect with high defensive upside.
Guy is the better shooter, making 45 percent on threes (9 for 20) with the Heat and shooting 51.4 percent overall. That’s well above his 26.5 three-point shooting (13 for 39) with the Kings.
He said the Heat hasn’t told his agent whether he might be retained after this 10-day deal.
“He’s a gamer,” Spoelstra said of Guy. “The skill level is great. What’s underrated about him is the competitor that he is. People probably just assume that he’s just a shooter, but he does a lot of other things that can impact a game for you. We enjoy having him around. Our scouting department has liked him for a long time, so we feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him on these two 10-days and he’s been helping us.”
Guy, who played at Virginia, put his career in perspective Tuesday: “This organization believes in the underdog. I’ve had to reprove myself at every level. High school I was a nobody until my senior year…. Got drafted, didn’t sniff the league the first year. Played in the G League. Played in 30 [NBA] games last year, played solid….
“I think Coach Spo respects my game. He’s everything I expected and more. He’s a fantastic coach. I love playing for him, even if it’s a small stint…. I believe I deserve this and feel I can play at this level.”
▪ The Heat is masterful at improving players’ games during the summer and training camp. But the program produces results year round, even for players on 10-day contracts.
Heat assistant coach Anthony Carter “is my guy who I work with before games, super talented and a great basketball mind,” Guy said. “He helps me with the little things. I pride myself on being a great shooter, but he made some tweaks in my footwork.
“I kind of sometimes get out of my foundational shot because I pride myself on being able to hit tough shots and sometimes I shoot [in an unnatural body contortion] if I need to, and honing in on those details has been great.”
So it’s no surprise his 3-point shooting has improved here.
▪ Per Hoopshabit’s Simon Sperling Smith, 269 players have taken 45 or more threes in the second half of games this season and Tucker has the highest shooting percentage of any of them: 56.5 (26 for 46).
Tucker’s overall three point shooting percent (46.9) would be a career high.
He said he has made no adjustment to his shot this season: “Just getting a rhythm, getting a flow going.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 5:38 PM.
