Kyle Anderson

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Elimination, Herro, Adebayo, Anderson

April 28th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s second NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his rookie campaign. Jaquez has been out of the Heat‘s rotation in their playoff series against Cleveland after getting steady playing time last season.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”

Jaquez averaged 8.6 points per game this season on a lower shooting percentage than last season, when he averaged 11.9 PPG and made 48.9 percent of his attempts.

“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”

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They’re facing elimination tonight and staring at a 3-0 deficit in the series. NBA teams are 0-158 in playoff series after falling behind 3-0, Chiang notes. “This is our reality right now. But like I told the guys, it’s not time to let go of the rope,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We’re going to play until the final buzzer, whether that’s next game, Game 5, 6, 7 or another series after this. We just got to keep playing. That’s what we’re paid to do and that’s who we are as an organization. We want to compete and we’re not going out 4-0.”
Herro pumped in 33 points in Game 2 but was held to 13 points in Game 3, as the Cavaliers limited him to a series-low 46 touches, according to Chiang. “I’m coming off and they’re not allowing me to get any handoffs or coming off pindowns or anything like that,” he said. “Just pretty much face-guarding me and guiding me into the corner.” Herro and his teammates will have to find counters for that strategy if they want to extend the series.
Bam Adebayo has become more comfortable attempting three-pointers this season and that’s reflected in the volume of his long-range shots through the first three playoff games. He has taken 17 and made six. “He has good balance about it, of being rugged and aggressive at the rim and in the pant, because we need that as well … he’s a very good shooter,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Kyle Anderson was added to the injury report for Monday’s game due to an illness, Chiang tweets. However, he is available, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Anderson has only seen the floor for six minutes during the series.

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Mitchell, Heat, Johnson, Magic

April 20th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat guard Terry Rozier admits it’s been a rough season but he doesn’t want to be a distraction, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Rozier didn’t get off the bench in the play-in tournament, except to cheer for his teammates, including his de facto replacement, midseason trade acquisition Davion Mitchell.

“I don’t carry bad energy with me,” said Rozier, who has one year and $26.6MM remaining on his contract. “I’m not a hater. How he’s playing, Davion, I think we’re all excited to see that. So I don’t carry bad energy with me and I love to see it.

“Even if I’m not playing, we still got to get in the playoffs and give ourselves another chance to be able to enjoy that dance at the end,” Rozier added. “I’m just happy to be a part of the process, even if I’m not playing. You never know, I could play in Game 2, 3 or 4. I know how that stuff works. Just making sure I’m staying ready. And definitely me being positive, me being a good teammate, I’m never going to change.”

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Speaking of Mitchell, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is happy with the way the fourth-year guard and two other major in-season acquisitions, Kyle Anderson and Andrew Wiggins, have meshed with their new teammates. “They’ve fit in very well because they want to make it work,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “They’re winning players, winning personalities. They each bring something a little bit different, which are things that we needed. “Davion has that defensive presence and his toughness and his passion. We love the passion that he brings to the game. Wiggs is just a very good basketball player. The things that he does lead to winning because he plays both sides of the floor. He takes pride in doing that and doing it at a high level. And then Kyle, it just takes awhile to get accustomed to how he plays.”
Jalen Johnson couldn’t help the Hawks during the second half of the season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He hopes to be at full strength by next season’s opener. “That’s probably the worst feeling in the world, just not being able to be out there and go out to war with my guys,” Johnson told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It sucks, but sometimes you can’t control those things, and all I can do now is just do everything in my power for next year and play the whole season. That’s my goal, and I’m gonna do everything I can so I can be out there in those type of games with my teammates.”
Paolo Banchero racked up 36 points on Sunday but it wasn’t enough in a 103-86 loss to Boston in Game 1 of the Magic’s first-round series. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were held to a combined 33 points but Derrick White poured in 30 and Payton Pritchard tossed in 19. “That’s something that we as a team harped on coming in that they do have two main guys but it’s really the other guys that kill you,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “I just think we have to do a better job getting those guys off the line because they really kill you from 3.”

Heat Notes: Anderson, Jovic, Herro, Larsson

April 9th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kyle Anderson and the Heat are both happy that he wound up in Miami as part of the Jimmy Butler trade in February, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Anderson was originally slated to go to Toronto in the complex five-team deal, but that arrangement fell through and Golden State shipped him to the Heat instead. Coach Erik Spoelstra is glad to have him, as he told reporters before tonight’s game at Chicago.

“I just can’t say enough about Kyle,” Spoelstra said. “Kyle is a winning basketball player. He really is. He’s an unorthodox player, so you have to view him differently. His skill set is not a traditional skill set. But if you can embrace what he does, he can unlock a lot of different strengths out of our team. I just love what he brings. He’s a competitor. I think above anything else, he competes and winning really matters to him. He competes on both ends. He’s a two-way basketball player and he does a lot of different things that impact the game.”

The move has beneficial for Anderson, who wasn’t seeing regular playing time with the Warriors. He has helped to fill a need with Nikola Jovic sidelined since late February due to a broken right hand, and Chiang notes that he has played at least 20 minutes off the bench in seven of Miami’s last eight games. During that stretch, the Heat are outscoring teams by 23.8 points per 100 possessions with Anderson on the court.

“Kyle is giving us something different,” Spoelstra added. “He’s a point guard. So he can set the table, he can control tempo, he can control and manipulate the defense. He can do it from the point guard position, he can do it from the low post. He just has a knack for those kind of plays and nuances. And we want to lean into that. Because it seems like a good fit right now with that second unit for him to be able to just kind of manipulate and orchestrate with his experience and IQ.”

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Jovic is making progress with his recovery and is traveling with the team, but Spoelstra isn’t sure if he’ll be able to play again this season, Chiang states in a separate story. “I don’t know yet,” Spoelstra told reporters. “He’s basically doing everything. It’s just whether his hand can take contact.”
The Heat are promoting Tyler Herro on social media for the Most Improved Player award, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The sixth-year shooting guard is having his most productive offensive season, averaging career highs of 23.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. “His maturity offensively and his role for our team has grown the last couple of months,” Spoelstra said. “And that’s due to all these pressure situations that we’ve been in, where everything just feels heightened and where we had injuries and he had to play a different way for us to be successful. He’s just more patient. He’s allowing the game to happen. His skill set can just take advantage of those situations.”
Rookie guard Pelle Larsson was forced to miss tonight’s game after spraining his ankle while lifting weights, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (Twitter link).

Jimmy Butler Views Return To Miami As ‘Another Game’

March 23rd, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler doesn’t want his return to Miami on Tuesday to be a dramatic event for him or his team, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Butler, who repeatedly clashed with Heat officials before being traded to the Warriors at last month’s deadline, said he views it as just “another game.” It’s an experience he’s been through several times already after leaving the Bulls, Timberwolves and Sixers.

“Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada,” Butler said after Saturday’s loss in Atlanta. “Yeah, it didn’t end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada. But that’s so far behind me now. I don’t even think about it. I don’t pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad.”

It was a little more than six weeks ago that the Heat were trying to find their way out of a toxic situation with Butler. He was suspended three times this season — the last one being indefinite — as they searched for someone to take him off their hands. Phoenix was his preferred destination, but Miami couldn’t work out a deal without taking back Bradley Beal in return. The Warriors became a late option after their efforts to land Kevin Durant from the Suns fell through.

The teams have been on much different paths since the trade was completed. Golden State has surged to sixth place in the West, holding a 16-4 record since acquiring Butler. Miami, which is on a 10-game losing streak, has gone 4-17 while falling to 10th in the East.

Butler can probably expect a mixed response from what’s sure to be a boisterous crowd at the Kaseya Center. Although fans might blame him for destroying this season, he’s still beloved for helping the Heat reach the NBA Finals twice in his five and a half seasons with the team.

“Not really, don’t make no difference,” Butler responded when asked if he has any concerns about how fans will react. “I’m a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I’m there to win now. I’m on the opposing team.”

He added that the Heat were “all right” while he played there and made some “cool runs,” but they weren’t able to accomplish their goal of winning an NBA title.

Tuesday’s game will also be a reunion for ex-Warriors Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, who were sent to Miami in the five-team deal. Wiggins spent five years with Golden State and played an important role in winning the 2022 title. Anderson was in his first season with the Warriors after being traded there in July.

“We got Jimmy over here, I know this is a big game for him,” Draymond Green said. “They got Wiggs over there. I know it’s a huge game for him. We want to win for Jimmy, they’re going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play.”

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Rozier, Anderson, Draft Pick

March 18th, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat dropped their eighth consecutive game on Monday, losing by 21 points to the conference rival Knicks. It’s the first time since Erik Spoelstra became the team’s head coach in 2008 that Miami has lost that many games in a row, notes Chris Herring of ESPN.

“We’re all getting tested, including myself,” Spoelstra said. “No one’s absolved from this. I’ve not come up with enough answers for this team. I have to do a better job. Our group has to do a better job.

“We have to put our feet into the dirt and hold our ground at this point. You always have a choice. It doesn’t mean you’re going to win, necessarily. … But (you at least have) to make some strides. And you could see that in some of the losses over the last three weeks, where it felt like we were making strides. The last two games haven’t felt like that.”

The Heat have been one of the NBA’s most successful teams since Spoelstra’s arrival, so their recent slide has the team in unfamiliar territory. According to Herring, Miami is 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2017 and has been held below 100 points for three consecutive games for the first time since 2018.

“We’re going through the dark days right now,” forward Jaime Jaquez said on Monday. “As a team, right now we’ve got to come together and find a way to fight. It’s something we’ve been talking about. We just need to find something to rally around.”

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Terry Rozier, who is averaging just 11.2 points per game on .396/.300/.857 shooting through 59 outings, is disappointed by his performance this season, but after missing the end of the 2023/24 campaign due to a serious neck injury, he’s thankful to have made it through this year without any major health issues, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Do I wish I played better all season? Of course,” Rozier said. “But I’m just thankful that I can still put a jersey on and play, and I’m still hopeful that things can turn around for me and the team.” The veteran guard will be on an expiring $26.6MM contract in 2025/26.
While his first six weeks with the Heat haven’t gone as planned, veteran forward Kyle Anderson – who has a guaranteed 2025/26 salary and a non-guaranteed salary for ’26/27 – sees himself as a fit for Miami moving forward, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I feel like I can fit anywhere,” he said. “I’ll be able to figure it out and I think I’m smart enough to see how things are done and be able to do them at a high level.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald considers how much lower the Heat’s season could go, noting that a fall to 11th place in the East is unlikely because they have a 5.5-game cushion on the 11th-place Raptors. However, it’s not impossible, Jackson acknowledges, since Toronto has the easiest remaining schedule of any NBA team. For what it’s worth, Miami’s rest-of-season schedule is the league’s fifth-easiest.
It’s worth keeping an eye on where things stand with the Heat’s 2025 first-round pick, which will be sent to the Thunder if it’s not in the top 14. If the team finishes strong and earns the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, that pick will land at No. 15, making it the best possible choice that could be sent to Oklahoma City this season. However, if Miami misses the playoffs and keeps its pick, the club would instead owe the Thunder its unprotected 2026 first-rounder, which could end up being even more favorable than No. 15 if the Heat can’t upgrade their roster in the next year.

Heat Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Rotation, Starting Lineup

March 5th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before Monday, Pelle Larsson had logged less than a minute of playing time since the All-Star break, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The rookie shooting guard had to find other ways to stay game-ready while he waited for an opportunity, which often came in the form of one-on-one and two-on-two contests involving Heat teammates Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez.

Those efforts paid off when Miami was down to nine players for Monday’s contest against Washington. Larsson played nearly 28 minutes and contributed a career-high 16 points in the victory, along with four rebounds and five assists.

“We needed some kind of energy, spark from somebody and we talked about it, that’s a challenge, and we definitely felt Pelle,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He brought energy. He brought that extra oomph that carried over to everybody else. And some swing moments of the game he just seemed to have his imprint with the deflections, the steals, the timely cuts, all of that.”

Larsson’s expanded role may continue until the Heat are closer to full strength. The organization has emphasized development for the 44th pick in last year’s draft, and the increased playing time could help speed up that process.

“He understands what his role is,” Spoelstra added. “He came in as a role player, an elite role player in college, on a very good basketball team. And some people view that as a negative. We view it as a real positive and somebody who also has upside still, because of his work ethic. He’s tenacious behind the scenes. That’s why he’s able to stay ready. He puts in so much time, it’s two, three workouts a day. You have to kick him out of the gym. But he wants to continue to improve. He wants to find ways he can help.”

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Davion Mitchell will return tonight at Cleveland after sitting out Monday’s contest due to a quadriceps contusion, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Mitchell said the injury occurred in Sunday’s game when he ran into a screen set by Mitchell Robinson. It bothered him for a day, but it’s feeling better now.
Even though the Heat were missing several players on Monday, Spoelstra kept Highsmith, Kyle Anderson and Duncan Robinson in reserve roles, Jackson adds. Spoelstra explained that “rotation continuity” was behind his decision. “Whenever Duncan plays well, it has a massive impact on our team,” he said. “I want him feeling comfort. He has played really well. That spark, that energy off the bench is important. and Kyle is a plug and play guy. I’m really impressed with his IQ and feel for the game. You put the ball in his hands and he can do a lot of stuff that Bam (Adebayo) does at the top of the floor. He can run offense.”
With Tyler Herro sidelined by a head cold, the Heat are once again using a starting lineup tonight that has never played together before, Jackson tweets. Adebayo, Mitchell and Rozier will be joined by Kevin Love and Alec Burks.

Southeast Notes: Anderson, Suggs, Anthony, Smith, Hornets

February 26th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Kyle Anderson has been on five different teams over the course of his 11 NBA seasons, the deal that sent him from the Warriors to the Heat earlier this month was the first time he’d been traded, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Anderson says it’s been an adjustment period as his wife and five-year-old son stayed in California to finish the school year.

“It was a big one,” Anderson said of the whirlwind since the trade to the Heat. “I underestimated it, getting traded. I salute anybody that’s been traded multiple times in this league. There was just a lot going on with my experience in Golden State, then getting traded to a new team, not being with my family, being alone. It’s only been a few days and obviously Miami is a great city, but it still has some type of effect on you.”

Anderson wasn’t actually sure which team he’d end up on after it was reported that he might be rerouted to Toronto as part of the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade. Instead, he wound up in Miami. The veteran forward said it was important to him to land with a team where he was “appreciated and wanted,” and he got a call from president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra letting him know the Heat valued him.

“That meant a lot,” Anderson said. “Just letting me know they were happy to have me. That’s all I needed to hear. I didn’t want to go somewhere where I wasn’t really wanted.”

With Nikola Jovic out at least four weeks with a fractured hand, Anderson should continue to see an uptick in minutes. Spoelstra recently praised the 31-year-old’s two-way versatility and basketball IQ, according to Chiang.

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Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley shared injury updates today on guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). According to Mosley, neither player was able to practice on Wednesday. Suggs will miss his 14th straight on Thursday due to a left quad contusion, while Anthony is questionable vs. Golden State and considered day-to-day. Anthony sustained a hyperextended left knee in Tuesday’s lopsided loss to Cleveland, Beede notes.
After being buried on the depth chart early on in 2024/25, second-year Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. was thrust into a significant rotation role as a result of injuries. As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, Smith has shown flashes of offensive upside as a starter over the past several weeks, but head coach Charles Lee says he needs to make progress on the other end to level up his game. “Defensively, that’s going to be his next kind of mission to improve upon,” Lee said. “We’ve had some good conversations and he’s been challenged in that area. And knowing Nick and knowing the competitor he is, he’s going to respond with a little more resistance, a little more physicality. The grit, the toughness, the energy that he has on the offensive end, I just want to see that same kind of mindset — how the young kids say, ‘Keep that same energy’ — I want that same energy down at the defensive end, too.”
Will the high-post screening and passing of Jusuf Nurkic be beneficial for Hornets star LaMelo Ball? The veteran big man believes so, according to Boone, who says the pairing should prove fruitful on offense — assuming Ball is able to return soon from an ankle injury. The former No. 3 overall pick is not listed on the injury report for Thursday’s game in Dallas (Twitter link), so he’s considered likely to suit up after appearing in just five of the past 14 contests.

Heat’s Jovic To Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks After Fracturing Hand

February 25th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat forward Nikola Jovic suffered a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand, the Heat’s PR department tweets. He will be in a splint and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

This confirms the initial diagnosis that the team reported but provides a better understanding of his recovery timetable. It also indicates that surgery, at least at this time, will not be required.

With less than two months remaining before the postseason, Jovic’s injury – which occurred during the first half against the Bucks on Sunday – could end up being a season-ender.

Through 46 games, the 21-year-old is averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He is logging shooting splits of .456/.371/.828.

Ahead of the season, Miami picked up Jovic’s $4.45MM team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale deal, which will keep him under team control through 2025/26. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.

Kyle Anderson and Jaime Jaquez are expected to have bigger roles with Jovic sidelined.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Hawks, Smart, Poole

February 25th, 2025 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Nikola Jovic‘s hand fracture will necessitate changes to the Heat‘s rotation going forward, since Jovic had been playing significant minutes off the bench, including 31.9 MPG in his past 10 healthy games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra provided a first look on Monday vs. Atlanta at what the new rotation might look like, with Kyle Anderson and Jaime Jaquez taking on the minutes that would have gone to Jovic, Chiang notes in a second story.

Jaquez, who has been out of the rotation as of late, logged just seven minutes, while Anderson played 28, the most of any Miami reserve. The veteran forward contributed 14 points and five rebounds while getting to the foul line 10 times — he was a +2 in a game Miami lost by 12 points.

“He gave us some really good minutes,” Spoelstra said of Anderson, per Chiang. “I played him probably a handful more minutes than I anticipated. But he was doing some really good things out there.”

The other major change Spoelstra made to his rotation on Monday was to remove struggling guard Terry Rozier, who received his first DNP-CD of the season. Alec Burks played extended minutes in place of Rozier, but didn’t exactly give the Heat a boost, making just 1-of-12 shots from the field in 27 minutes.

“It’s just one of those things right now,” Spoelstra said in addressing the decision not to play Rozier. “We’re searching. It’s not an indictment on anybody necessarily. I feel for the guys that haven’t been able to play — Jaime the couple games before this and Terry. It’s not anyone’s fault. We’re all in this together. But we do need to find something. So, I’ll continue to use the depth of our roster, however we feel like we need to.”

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Dyson Daniels registered at least seven steals in a game for the third time this season and trade deadline acquisitions Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Terance Mann combined for 41 points off the bench in the Hawks‘ win over Miami on Monday. LeVert (13.7 PPG), Niang (15.2 PPG), and Mann (.571 FG%) have all played well since arriving in Atlanta, helping the team retain a firm hold on a play-in spot despite sending out De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic at the deadline. “It makes it way easier whenever you have guys like Caris and Georges who are aggressive, and whenever they get the ball,” guard Trae Young said after the win, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “They’re not hesitant at all. And even T-Mann hit a big three.”
The Wizards held an opponent under 100 points for the first time all season on Monday in a win over Brooklyn. As Noah Trister of The Associated Press writes, it’s likely not a coincidence that the team accomplished that feat in Marcus Smart‘s second game as a Wizard. “There is some people that kind of probably slept (on me). I haven’t played in a couple years consistently, and they probably forgot about me — which is cool. I’m used to it,” Smart said. “I still do what I do.”
Wizards guard Jordan Poole is averaging career highs in points (21.0), assists (4.8), and steals (1.4) per game, as well as three-point percentage (37.1%). Head coach Brian Keefe is a major reason for Poole’s resurgence, as Josh Robbins details for The Athletic. Sources tell Robbins that Poole advocated for Keefe last spring when the front office decided to name him the team’s permanent head coach after he finished the 2023/24 season with the interim label. “I know how good and genuine a person he is off the court, so when he coaches us hard and he’s pushing us on the court, I know that’s because he just wants the best of us,” Poole said of his coach.

Heat Notes: Smith, Wiggins, Anderson, Mitchell, Adebayo

February 23rd, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat shooting guard Dru Smith is two months into the recovery process after having his season cut short by an injury for the second straight year, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Smith was part of Miami’s rotation when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a December 23 game. It was difficult for him to accept after working his way back from a season-ending knee injury that took place in November 2023.

“It was very, very unfortunate,” Smith said. “It was tough for those first couple days, first week or so, just trying to process it all. I felt like I was in a really good spot, things were going well. So in a sense, it felt like something was taken from me. But it really wasn’t. It was just something that I had to process and move on after that.”

Smith was seeing 19.1 minutes per night through his first 14 games, averaging 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He had played double-digit minutes in eight straight games before getting hurt, Chiang notes, and had become a useful bench weapon as an offensive contributor and a standout defender.

The Heat never stopped believing in Smith even though they’ve waived him four times since first signing him in 2021, Chiang adds. He has remained on the roster for the past two months despite the injury, although that could change with a March 4 deadline looming to add two-way players. He’s currently focused on rehab work with a goal of being fully healthy by training camp.

“I think in general, they say around six months that you should be back to basketball activities,” he said. “Around eight months, you should be doing pretty well, moving really well. I think that’s a normal timetable. I don’t think that I’m necessarily ahead or behind or anything like that. So just kind of playing it by ear.”

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In Friday’s win at Toronto, Andrew Wiggins showed he can take over Jimmy Butler‘s scoring load and serve as a closer in late-game situations, Chiang states in a separate story. Wiggins finished with 25 points, his highest total since being traded, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. “We’re all rooting for Wiggs, man,” Tyler Herro said. “Great guy, we love having him here. We’re super happy to have him. He’s just going to continue to get more comfortable with everything we’re doing. We’re trying to feed as much life and as much confidence into him as possible. We’re really happy for him.”
Wiggins, along with fellow newcomers Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell, have adjusted quickly to their new surroundings since coming to Miami at the trade deadline, Chiang notes in another piece. “I feel like they’re embracing it, they’re embracing the culture, they’re embracing the standard,” Bam Adebayo said. “They understand the majority of what we like to do and how we like to compete. I feel like they’ve embraced it. I feel like they’re up for the challenge. So it’s good to have three guys walking in trying to embrace the culture.”
Adebayo is among the favorites now for Defensive Player of the Year honors in light of Victor Wembanyama‘s season-ending blood clot condition, Chiang adds. The Heat center finished third in the balloting last season. “That’s the media’s job, that’s not my job,” Adebayo said. “My job is to go out there and play basketball. It’s always been that thing, and you all always ask me like I can control the media’s mind. But for me, man, it’s just going out there, getting stops, playing defense and having fun. And hopefully it starts to equate to winning.”

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