Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
After being traded for 11th time, Ariza might’ve finally found his ideal fit
Trevor Ariza is no stranger to new situations, which bodes well for his newest team.
The Miami Heat’s acquisition of Ariza on Wednesday marked the 11th time — the most in NBA history — the Miami native has been traded. And when Ariza steps onto the floor for the Heat for the first time, it’ll be the 10th different franchise he’s played for during his 17-year NBA career.
That experience playing for several coaches who have used a variety of systems is reassurance for both the Heat and Ariza that the partnership will work.
And many members of the Heat see Ariza’s skill set as one that can easily fit into what they do.
“He’s kind of like a 3-and-defensive guy,” Bam Adebayo said of
Ariza. “That’ll go well with me and Jimmy [Butler].”
Ariza, a 6-foot-8 forward with a 7-2 wingspan, was drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round in 2004 after a one-anddone season at UCLA. After only taking 43 total 3-pointers during his first four seasons in the league, Ariza gained a reputation as one of the better “3-and-D” players in the NBA over the next decade.
Since the 2008-09 season — when he won the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers as their starting small forward in the playoffs — he’s made 35.3% of his 4,319 regular-season 3-point attempts during that span and made 36.7% of his 3-pointers in 102 playoff appearances with the Orlando Magic, Lakers, New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans), Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets.
In his 21 games (all starts) with the Portland Trailblazers last season, Ariza made 40% of his 3-pointers on four attempts per game. He’s been particularly effective as a 3-point shooter from the corners, making 382 corner 3s over the last five seasons — the fourthmost in the NBA during that span, according to ESPN.
“Offensively, he provides that spacing,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s been one of the better 3-point spacers for several years now. I don’t think that’ll be an adjustment for him or us.”
Stanley Remy, a South-Florida-based professional basketball trainer who’s worked with Ariza for the past several years, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that they’ve tailored Ariza’s workouts to help him best fit the Heat’s system.
Remy said he’s been training Ariza exclusively over the last six months, with Ariza not reporting to the Thunder after three separate offseason trades landed him in Oklahoma City in No vember.
“We always had our mind on the Miami Heat, to be honest with you,” said Remy, who’s worked with several Heat players over the years.
“We really studied them. They do a lot of dribble-handoffs — so [it’s about] just being creative with dribble-handoffs.”
Ariza has also been known as one of the better swingman defenders in the league, regularly defending the opposing team’s best wing option. He’s averaged 1.5 steals over his career and has consistently held players below their average shooting percentages.
Even though he’s listed at 215 pounds, Ariza has shown the ability to defend both forward spots at this stage of his career.
“You can easily see based on his resume and track record where he can fit in defensively, and that’s as a Swiss Army knife [type of ] defender with a great deal of experience,” Spoelstra said. “He’s played in a lot of different systems. He can guard every position. He’s smart and super long.
“That immediately fits into our system, but he can fit into anybody’s defensive system.”
What makes Ariza such a stout defender?
“He backs down from no challenge, no matter who you are,” Butler said. “He’s great at playing the passing lanes and contesting shots. He knows where he wants to get on the floor on the defensive end, and he knows what to take away from guys.
“I know I can learn from him along with so many people on this roster.”
Spoelstra isn’t concerned with Ariza’s conditioning despite the 35-year-old not playing in an NBA game in more than a year. Ariza opted out of the league’s resumption of play last summer in the “bubble” setup at Disney World.
The most recent game he played in was on March 10, 2020 — before the NBA suspended the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I know he’s in great shape,” Spoelstra said. “You can’t fake that. He hasn’t played in an NBA game in a year, but from a fitness level, from everything I’ve heard, it reminds me of where Andre [Iguodala] was last year.”
In Ariza, the Heat see a player who fits exactly what they want.
“He’s everything that the Miami Heat organization is about: hardnosed, plays defense, makes shots, gets everybody involved, team-first kind of guy,” Butler said. “I’m glad he’s a part of our team.”
Added Remy: “The personality of the Miami Heat is the personality of Trevor Ariza.”