Q: Ira, yes the season is young, but the eye test has shown us some good/bad traits already. Jimmy Butler can still be a leading man, despite what happened Wednesday night. Terry Rozier would be more effective coming off the bench. Nikola Jovic is not the answer starting at power forward and why he does not dunk around the rim is a total mystery – he’s missed, by my count, seven layups that should have been easy dunks. Tyler Herro is not only the team’s best scorer, he’s the best point guard on the team and he needs more court time. Haywood Highsmith needs to be starting, as that will allow Bam Adebayo to be Bam Adebayo. If Jovic is replaced by Highsmith, who would be best to replace Rozier? I’d say Pelle Larsson, as he’s already a very good defender and can hit the 3, passes very well, and can also attack the rim. I can see this team really going on a win streak if they tweak the lineup. – Brian, Fort Lauderdale.
A: Well, that’s a lot to unpack, although it seems Erik Spoelstra has begun to unpack plenty, as evidenced by his rotation moves in Phoenix. So where would I go with the lineup? I’d go here: Bam Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. Why Robinson? Because his best play comes when he’s playing off Bam Adebayo, who also, off the pick-and-roll, could free Bam for alley-oops, which could help restore scoring confidence. Yes, you would be adding a minus defender in Duncan, but you also would be removing one in Nikola Jovic in favor of Haywood. And, yes, Terry would be a spark with that second unit, his ball dominance in that unit not as much of a detriment. I also agree that a rotation role has been earned by Pelle Larsson. So in my view, the second unit should be anchored by Terry, Jaime Jaquez, Kevin Love, Pella and, need be, Alec Burks. And, yes, that would move Nikola way down the order, possibly even behind Kel’el Ware.
Q: When a 3-pointer is needed to tie the game, the last person who should take it is Jimmy Butler, who is shooting 17% from 3. – Joel.
A: Agree, and it’s also not a natural shot, which is why it appeared Jimmy Butler initially looked at the rim when he got the ball inside the arc. Jimmy assuredly was not the primary option, and there did appear a brief window to get the ball to Tyler Herro. In fact, Bam Adebayo also appeared to be open, albeit from quite the distance. Perhaps Alec Burks on the court for that possession. He is, after all, shooting 64% on 3s.
Q: I hate to say this again, but Bam Adebayo in the first half was wide open all day Wednesday and kept looking to run a play for what ended up being a bad shot. Wide open and still trying to hand off. He’s trying to pass the ball to people who are covered instead of having a scorer’s mentality and either shooting the wide-open shot or just attacking to score or pass. – Swann.
A: Well, Bam Adebayo did attempt 21 shots in Phoenix, so I don’t know about being shy. But, yes, there still is a timid approach from the perimeter. So either the staff get him to pull the trigger with confidence and in rhythm, or you move on from that aspect as being, well, not a natural act.