NBA scout on what’s to be admired about Heat players
This Heat postseason run has generated not only added national appreciation for the team’s culture, but also for many of the team’s players.
Here’s how a veteran NBA scout (who was also a former coach) described what he has liked about the Heat’s rotation players after watching them closely over the past month:
Jimmy Butler: “The thing I’m surprised at is he continues to get better. His shooting has improved, his ability to command double teams and his play out of double teams has improved. He plays both ways, guards top scorers and never complains about it, doesn’t run away from anything. His everyday approach to how basketball should be played is as good as there is. He’s a confident player but he doesn’t brag or boast.
He’s such a worker, and he’s in the perfect environment there. He’s all about winning.”
Bam Adebayo :“I know a lot of people talk about the [variations in his] scoring, but I don’t dwell on that. To me, he’s the prototype for what a hybrid frontcourt player should be: a two-way player who just does his job. When he needs to defend bigger players, he does that. When he needs to defend smaller players, he does that. He can be a point center when you need him to do that. He’s the epitome of what all frontcourt [power rotation] players should be — versatile, athletic and provide offense when needed. A three-pointer probably would help his game, but I’m not sure how efficient it would be for him.”
Kyle Lowry: “I know he had a tough season,
AAAand you’re not going to get a great game every night, but toughness is a trait that’s underrated and his toughness is a 10. When you talk about grinding out games, and strong-willed players, and high-basketball IQ guys, Jimmy and Kyle are right up there. I saw him get a rebound in a scrum with
[Julius] Randle the other night; he’s the smallest dude out there and he gets the rebound. That’s the epitome of Kyle to me.”
Gabe Vincent: “He plays with a level of confidence, late in games and in general, that you wouldn’t expect from players who come in without a padded résumé. I have so much respect for him. If he doesn’t have a good shooting night, he’s still making it difficult for the opposing guards to score. He is not a liability. You never say, ‘Leave that guy open and let that guy beat us’ because he will beat you.”
Max Strus: “His ability to make tough shots, and corner threes against good defenders, is an asset. You can’t leave him open. His rebounding last year shocked the hell out of me in the Philadelphia series. He’s not doing a ton of that in this series. But he’s proven to be a really heady player and a shotmaker. He tries defensively; there’s no effort issue there.”
Caleb Martin: “He attacks the basket really well. You have to stick to a plan that a coach puts forward, but he does a good job improvising when needed and it’s usually the right thing. He improvises more than any of their guys. His threepoint shooting has improved. And he does it on both sides of the ball. He’s always in the passing lanes or comes over and will generate help. He may not get the steal but somebody else will. Sometimes you’re thinking, ‘What the heck is he doing driving on the baseline?’ But it usually ends well.”
Kevin Love: “I know the shooting has been up and down, but I think he has something left if they
AAAAbring him back next year. People are quick to downgrade players like Love and Lowry because they don’t do it every night. As they get older, they can’t provide those highs as they did when they were younger. He’s going to be doing outlet passes when he’s 50. His ability to space the floor, he’s always going to have that. His approach and shooting are valuable assets at that spot.”
Duncan Robinson, who has three years remaining on his contract (after this one) at $18.1 million, $19.4 million and $19.9 million (half of that final year is guaranteed): “The way he shot in the Milwaukee series and the other night [Game 5] against the Knicks, he’s helped himself a lot. He’s even trying to make plays on the dribble, though he’s not great at that. Somebody is going to want that shooting at his size. I think they’ll have an easier time moving him now if they go in that direction.”
ACHATTER
Beyond his running skills, it will be fascinating to see what Dolphins rookie running back Devon Achane can do as a receiver. At Texas A&M, Achane had 65 receptions for 554 yards and five touchdowns.
One NFL scout told me: “He’s got really good
Ahands. The kid has wide receiver-type hands and receiving skills.”
Former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum, on The 33rd Team podcast, said: “There’s not a linebacker in the league that can stay with him man-to-man.”
In general, Tannebaum said, the Dolphins will “be creative, meaning there will be some jet motion, jet sweeps, getting him the ball behind the line of scrimmage where you can get the ball in his hands and try to get him in space.”
Catcher has become a vast wasteland in the Marlins organization.
Jacob Stallings entered the weekend with the lowest batting average among all MLB catchers with at least 55 at-bats (.109, 6 for 55). Like many Marlins over the years
(Luis Arraez an exception), Stallings has become a worse hitter once he joined the Marlins. (He hit .254 for Pittsburgh, .207 with Miami.)
Backup catcher Nick Fortes (.200) has the ninth lowest average among all MLB catchers. Of the eight catchers who have played the most on the Marlins’ top four farm teams, only two entered the weekend hitting above .200: undrafted third-year player
Paul McIntosh (.286 in Double A) and Santiago Chavez (.229 in Triple A).
AFormer second-round pick Will Banfield continues to struggle; he’s at .198 in Double A and has hit .207 in five minorleague seasons. Joe Mack, the 31st overall pick in 2021 out of a Amherst, New York, high school, is at .200 with six homers and 31 strikeouts in 95 at-bats at High A Beloit.
The Canes have been taking chances on potential, over performance, on some of their pickups, trusting that longtime NFL scout Alonzo Highsmith and others can identify key traits.
As an example, Vanderbilt cornerback Ja’Dais Richard — who committed to UM this past week — had poor numbers as a freshman: He was targeted 13 times and allowed nine receptions for 211
Ayards (23.4 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. But they like Richard’s size (6-2), speed (above average), length and versatility (can play on the boundary or slot).
The search for a defensive tackle continues: Louisiana Monroe’s Anthony Campbell (3.5 tackles for loss, 16 QB pressures last season) is visiting UM this weekend. Only one among 100 voters — TNT analyst and ex-Heat coach Stan Van Gundy — gave a firstplace vote to Butler for the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award. De’Aaron Fox (who won it), Butler and DeMar DeRozan were the other finalists.
ABarry Jackson: 305-376-3491, @flasportsbuzz