Janice Antecumba still the new star in town, but he fits the bill Heat feels more natural as the regular season approaches, Anthony Chung of The Miami Herald writes in history only for subscribers. Antetokounmpo didn’t play in Friday’s preseason finale, but he had another dominant performance against Brooklyn on Wednesday, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, a steal and three blocks in 24 minutes.
“Obviously, the more I play with my teammates and with the team, the more comfortable I get.” – he said. “This is my third game. My teammates, coaches want me to be aggressive, try to make plays. That’s what I’m going to keep doing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I’m having fun.”
Antetokounmpo’s arrival in Miami also required adjustments to the rest of the roster to fit his style of play. Throughout the preseason, Heath has maximized his driving skills by surrounding him with shooters and cutters who create opportunities when the second quarterback helps in the lane.
“We’re just trying to give him as much space as we can.” Davion Mitchell said. “Move without the ball. Because he’s also a very good passer. So he’s going to find you on open cuts because people are trying to build a wall so you can cut behind them. He’s going to find you for an open three. Even sometimes you don’t even know you’re open and he ends up finding you. So we’re just trying to give him as much space as he needs. Because he just needs two drives and he’s going to score.”
There are more from Miami:
- Ryan Conwell continued his impressive preseason night Friday with 21 points and seven assists in 29 minutes off the bench, according to Chan in a separate story. The Heat traded up for the 37th pick in this year’s draft to select the 22-year-old guard from Louisville, and he’s making it look like a wise move. Over the last three games, he is averaging 17 points, 18 assists and just four turnovers. “I would say the game has slowed down a little bit, being able to process things faster, making better reads, just understanding the game,” Conwell said of his growth during the preseason. “That’s really the most important thing, just learning.”
- Andrew Wigginsentering his second full season with the Heat, believes he had “the best preseason ever,” added Chan. Wiggins has shown tremendous shooting efficiency in the four games he has played, connecting on 60.6% from the field and 46.7% from three. “I can’t tell you why, but I put in the work,” – he said. “And the team has been great. It’s been a really great training camp and great days leading up to preseason games. And I feel like it’s getting better every game. The chemistry is building.”
- Bobby Portis was acquired from Milwaukee to help match the salary cap in the Antetokounmpo trade, but the Heat see him as much more than a throw-in, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (subscription required). The veteran big man shot 45.6% from beyond the arc last season, and his experience playing alongside Antetokounmpo should be valuable. “This is a guy I’ve played with for many, many years” Antetokounmpo said. “He knows exactly when I have the ball, how I operate, where the open space is going to be for him.”
