Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Sizing up a step down in weight class
Ariza says he’s up to challenge playing against bigger bodies
Bam Adebayo’s starting partner in the Miami Heat power rotation for most of last season was 7-foot, 260-pound Meyers Leonard. For most of this season, it was 6-11, 240-pound Kelly Olynyk. In between, 235-pound Jae Crowder took the role in the playoffs.
With all three having moved on, at the moment, the Miami Heat’s starting power forward weighs in at 215 pounds.
And yet Trevor Ariza insists there is nothing lightweight about his approach.
“I mean, to be honest with you, my whole career I’ve guarded players that have outweighed me by 30 pounds. Period, ’Melo to LeBron,” he said of defending the likes of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. “This is no different.”
To appreciate how much he has evolved over his 17 seasons, consider that in his first two seasons, 99% of Ariza’s minutes, according to baskeball-reference.com, were cast either at shooting guard or small forward.
But other times, there has been a transition toward this starting role at power forward he now holds for the Heat. In 201516 with the small-ball Houston Rockets, he was cast at power forward for 41 percent of his minutes in his 81 appearances. And as recently as 2018-19, in his 26 appearances with the Phoenix Suns, he was cast at power forward for 41 percent of his minutes. Last season, though, just 10 percent of his minutes were listed as power forward during the 53 games he split between the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
Still, he said after Wednesday morning’s practice, ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse, there has not been thought about bulking up to meet these challenges as a 35-year-old veteran.
“It’s been my weight my whole life,” he said. “This is my 17th season. I don’t think it’s changing any time until probably like I’m 50 or whatever. I think I’m comfortable in where I’m at.
“I’m confident in my abilities to play at any position at any weight, so I’m not worried about bulking up or anything like that.”
Of course, in the Heat system, positions are relative, since almost the entire offense is run on the perimeter, to keep the lane open for drive-and-kicks, dives to the rim and pick-and-roll alley-oops.
And virtually everything is switched on defense, frequently leaving Ariza on a point guard or shooting guard.
“I think that the game has gotten faster, so it’s more position-less more so than position, and it’s about fit and how pieces fit together and having teams match up to you more so than matching up to teams,” Ariza said. “So as long as we’re following out schemes to T and playing together, it works. It’s proven to work in the past. This team played this way last year and got to the Finals.”
Still, there are teams with bulk that seize such disparities at power forward. In the Heat’s division, for example, John Collins, at 235 pounds, opens at power forward for the Atlanta Hawks, with 240-pound Domantas Sabonis of the Pacers the opposing challenge at power forward on Wednesday night.
For his part, Sabonis said Wednesday that players no longer necessarily look at undersized opponents as someone to overpower in the post.
“Nowadays, I look at it more as, ‘I’ve got to get my teammates open,’ because they’re going to switch it and double team,” Sabonis said ahead of the matchup against the Heat. “I wish it was just one on one. But it’s different now.
“The switches take out the pickand-roll game. But at the same time, run, crash, seal, it affects them, too.”