The Miami Heat suffered a tough loss in their season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 131-106.
Erik Spoelstra’s team didn’t produce the same style of basketball that we saw from them during preseason. As such, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s impact as a playmaker was all but nullified.
Nevertheless, it was Miami’s defense that saw them fall short. They allowed the Timberwolves to shoot 42% from deep, hitting 21 of their 50 attempts.
When speaking to the media after the game, Spoelstra admitted that Miami had been humbled before calling on his team to do what it takes to improve on the defensive side of the floor.
“We’ll figure it out. None of us like to be humbled like that — we have a lot of competitors in the locker room so we’ll get to it,” Spoelstra said. “…You have to commit to doing ridiculously hard things to be able to defend in this modern NBA…it’s not good enough if you want to win…it never stops if you want to win.”
Last season, the Heat ranked 14th in the NBA for defensive rating. The hope is that, with Giannis now in the rotation, Miami can become a top-10 defensive team. Unfortunately, the loss to Minnesota didn’t show any signs of that hope becoming a reality.
Spoelstra Admits Heat’s Offense Struggled
Outside of Giannis, Miami’s offense struggled to get into gear. The Heat shot 24.2% from deep, despite taking 33 shots and having multiple shooters in the rotation. Tim Hardaway Jr. ended the game 1-of-7 from the floor. Nikola Jovic went 2-of-8.
Miami must find ways to generate better offense around Giannis. Spoelstra admitted as much during his postgame news conference.
“We didn’t get many good looks,” Spoelstra said. “[Giannis] was a force of nature, for sure, doing what what he does. But we didn’t look like us offensively. You have to give Minnesota credit for that. But we were also doing things that were uncharacteristic…We’re also going to have to get better at that, forcing more turnovers, taking care of the basketball. They basically won all those departments.”
Giannis ended the night with 35 points, 6 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Spoelstra Wants Heat To Rebound Better
Miami also struggled when rebounding the ball, pulling down just 34 rebounds on the night. For reference, the Timberwolves grabbed 52 boards throughout the game.
“On the offensive end, we weren’t going,” Spoelstra explained. “It was five on the perimeter. Shoot it and watch. On the other end, you know, we’re going to have to do a better job, which we’re capable of, we have the size to be able to do it. There were a few bobbles that led to threes in the first half. It felt like when we had the ball and then if it bobbled, it was an automatic three. And then there were some that we just didn’t pursue….We’ll shore that up.”
The Heat will be back in action on Friday, when they face the Detroit Pistons. Spoelstra will undoubtedly be looking for a significant improvement from his team, as they look bounce back from such a tough loss.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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