Three observations from the Miami Heat’s 117-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at Kaseya Center.
1. Davion Mitchell hits the gas
With Jimmy Butler, the Heat were a methodical, slow-developing team that routinely ranked near the bottom of the league in pace. Without Butler, there’s no reason to slowpoke around.
This team is young and athletic, but also below average in the halfcourt. They need to use pace to their advantage. Mitchell is Miami’s cafecito. Liable to rip down a rebound and sprint whenever the zoomies kick in.
He’s also Miami’s fastest player with the ball in his hands. His teammates know to run with him, and Pelle Larsson – a cutting expert – does well in the side car.
2. Oh, look, five out!
Remember when the Heat were talking about running a five-out offense before the season? That didn’t work out. Ironically enough, they might be better suited to run that offense after shaking up the roster with a mid-season trade.
Kyle Anderson has found his voice in Miami as a small-ball backup center. I’m really starting to love these lineups. Anderson is big and strong, but he’s also skilled. He’s a high-level passer, and that showed up with this slick dime to Duncan Robinson.
This is a classic five-out offense. Anderson is the trailing big, Robinson uses his gravity to draw his defender near before pushing past him like Myles Garrett. There’s nothing but space for him to cut into because his teammates are spaced to the corners.
3. Kel’el Ware’s offensive rebounding
The beauty of employing a 7-footer like Ware is that players don’t always have to make their shots. Sometimes, they just have to get it to the rim and let Ware clean up the rest. Ware had four offensive rebounds in this one. Two led directly to putbacks. This was the most impressive.
These are found points, and the Heat’s offense needs as many of these as possible.