Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heat put to screen test
Whiteside out to replicate success in setting up play he excelled at with Wade
MIAMI — Hassan Whiteside, like his Miami Heat teammates, recognizes there are issues with the team’s inability to set successful screens.
Where the faults rests, however, remains a subject of debate.
“I mean, it’s just, it’s just, man, the guys aren’t being patient,” Whiteside said, citing previous success he had while running such sets with former Heat guard Dwyane Wade. “Me and D-Wade showed that all year long. We ain’t had no problems.
“It’s just being patient, man, just be patient, wait for the screen and let guys set you up and make decisions.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra and guard Dion Waiters mentioned concerns with the proper setting of screens after Monday’s practice, in the wake of Sunday’s 120-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers. That discussion continued after Tuesday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“I’ve had a lot of offensive fouls [on screens],” Whiteside said. “Yeah, when you set the screen, you know as a big, you’re going to get open. So, if anything, you’re going to want to set the screen and get yourself open, too. So it all comes down to it. So it’s just guys got to be patient, just be patient, wait for it, and let guys set their feet.”
Guard Goran Dragic agreed there is a timing element, but said it also is about holding the screen.
“It’s really important,” he said. “If me and Dion [Waiters] want to get in the paint, then of course we need good screens, so we can get there and break down the guys and try to spray it or finish.
“When there’s no screen, then it’s really tough, because then you have two guards, two players with nowhere to go. So that’s why it’s really hard to get open shots and create open shots.”
But Whiteside said that getting to the rim also has to be a focus, citing his success on lob plays off screenand-roll sets.
“There’s so many lobs and those lobs just don’t make themselves,” Whiteside said. “It has to be something.”
Whiteside said part of the process is the team’s perimeter players converting jumpers off such sets to keep defenses honest.
“I’m going to roll and try to get the screen there,” he said. “A lot of times a lot of people are going under, and I tell them guys to shoot, to make ’em pay for going under all the time.”
Dragic cited backup center Kelly Olynyk as among the team’s better screen setters.
“I think Kelly is really good at that,” he said. “We need to get Hassan to do that. But, he got to that a little bit, he’s already shown he could do it. The Detroit game and Washington game he was great. But we need to be consistent.” Olynyk said he appreciates the need for proper and consistent screen setting.
“It’s huge,” he said. “You got to get the guards open. You get the guards open and set a good screen, you’re going to be open and they’re going to open. The defense is going to have to give.
“That’s the reason for the screen, is to create an advantage. If you’re not creating an advantage, you’re kind of two ships passing in the night and nobody is going to notice.”
The bottom line, Spoelstra said: “We need to be better.
“There’s no question, the level of detail. Yes, the little things really matter for us. And we have not been doing a good job with that. And we’ve worked at it hard the last couple of days.”