Ariza underrated? Not after 6 weeks in Miami
The big splash barely has created a ripple for the Miami Heat, with Victor Oladipo mostly out of sight since his acquisition at the NBA trading deadline from the Houston Rockets. Instead, it is has been the less splashy that has kept Erik Spoelstra’s team above water in the playoff race.
Having spent recent weeks extolling the virtues of Dewayne Dedmon for the muscle he has added to the second unit, Spoelstra took time during the Heat’s weekend road games to pause for an appreciation of veteran forward Trevor Ariza.
“Trevor’s one of the most underrated players in this league,” Spoelstra said ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. “But I would say that the contending teams that had him before, he’s not underrated. He does so many things — his activity, his deflections, his ability to guard multiple positions.
“And he also has been a very underrated scorer over the course of his career.”
That facet was on displayed in the Heat’s 124-107 victory Saturday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, when Ariza closed with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
“Look, he knows it, I’ve wanted to coach him for a long time, and it just never worked out,” Spoelstra said. “And it worked out at this time, and we feel very fortunate about it. Because I think he’s a winning player.”
It isn’t just Spoelstra who is effusive in the appreciation.
“He’s definitely one of the most underrated,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “He has a lot of knowledge when I sit down and
talk to him on the plane. He’s definitely underrated.
“I feel like the one thing that’s underrated is his IQ. Most people think he’s just 3-andD. He can put it on the floor. He can defend. He can really shoot it. He can also pass. He’s been making our team better, and he’s locked in and playing that way.”
The Robinson 500
After reaching 500 3-pointers in fewer games than any player in NBA history, doing it Saturday night in his 152nd career game, Heat guard Duncan Robinson spoke of being in the right place at the right time.
“I say it often, I’m certainly a beneficiary of the times,” he said. “There’s a good chance that if I’d come around 20 years earlier, I definitely probably wouldn’t have been an NBA player. So it’s a skill that’s valued.
“And the thing I love about this place, in Miami, is they just let me be me. They encourage me to be aggressive, give me nothing but support and breathe life into me and give me confidence and it makes my job a whole lot easier.”
Spoelstra said Robinson’s record is a testament to Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, as well.
“I think it’s also a credit to his teammates, who really work to get him open, starting with Bam and JB. Bam really committed to getting Duncan a handful of free looks every game, and JB always attracts a crowd. So with the way he plays and how unselfish he is, that usually opens up things for Duncan. “It’s a great symbiotic relationship.” Robinson said that based on trends there likely already is a countdown on what now is his record.
“I’m sure there’s going to be somebody that comes around and instead of 85 percent of his shots are threes, 95 percent of his shots are threes, and this record will be shortlived,” he said.
Subtle gain
For as much as he impressed with his 17-point performance Saturday, guard Max Strus said there is another area where he believes he has made the greatest gains this season while on his two-way contract.
“Defensively, for sure,” he said. “I’m picking up rotations quicker. I’m reading things faster.
“We do a great job of practicing with the younger guys, me going in there every day. I mean we got pre-practice before the practice, and they’re killing us in there and making sure we know what we’re doing, so that when we do get our chance, we’re ready to go. And I’ve bought into the defensive end and want to prove that I can play defense at this level.”