After three straight bottom-third finishes offensively, the Miami Heat had to reinvent their whole offense. With the help of consultant Noah LaRoche — previously in Memphis — the Miami Heat prioritized a fast-paced, free-flowing offense that prioritized spacing and paint touches.
The change is paying off. Through 17 games, the Heat are leading the NBA in scoring and rank 12th in overall offensive efficiency. Multiple players are having career-best seasons, and one of the most impactful contributors so far has been guard Davion Mitchell, whose rim pressure has added a new dimension to Miami’s offense.
If the Heat can maintain this offensive surge, fans and bettors alike may want to keep a close eye on their odds in the East. You can explore basketball betting at Bovada to back Miami’s momentum this season.
Davion Mitchell’s rim pressure continues to be vital for Heat offense:
Acquired ahead of last year’s trade deadline from the Toronto Raptors, Mitchell, 27, has been a revelation for Miami.
Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals on 50.4 percent shooting and 44.7 percent from deep last year. While he hasn’t been as efficient from 3-point range, Mitchell’s one-upped it through 17 games, averaging 10.4 points, 7.9 dimes and 1.5 steals.
He’s been the Heat’s best playmaker through this early-season sample, but the 6-foot-2 guard is at his best when he’s applying rim pressure and adding paint touches.
“[Davion Mitchell]’s a great competitor,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after their 115-113 win over the New York Knicks earlier this month. “Offensively, we want to just pump him with confidence because he, naturally, loves setting guys up.
“But we’re a better team when he’s aggressive, when he’s getting downhill, when he’s taking his open threes. It was a good balance.”
Mitchell is second on the Heat in total drives (197) and drives per game (11.6) through 16 games. In those possessions, he’s shooting 60.6 percent, the seventh-highest of the 87 players who have logged at least 100 drives, according to NBA.com’s shot tracking data.
“I think a lot of people in the league know I’m trying to get downhill, make a play or try to finish,” he said after Heat’s win over Knicks. “I think throughout the game, as we’re running, they don’t have that many legs. They’re not in gaps. So I see those open lanes and I can get to my spots and I just make the layup. I make it simple.
“If somebody steps up, I swing the ball and try to make the right play every time.”
The most fashionable form of offense is generating paint touches and finding ways to bend defenses. Mitchell does that as well as any player on Miami. And his dual-threat ability to make the right reads — whether he’s passing or shooting — is invaluable.
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This is a hodgepodge of various articles I’ve read today.
So far, everything has broken Miami’s way.
The defense has been elite whenever Bam Adebayo has been on the court, and he’s, miraculously, become a strong 3-point shooter — hitting 36.7 on 5.5 attempts per game. Norman Powell has been scorching hot, Davion Mitchell is absolutely working at both ends as a starting point guard, Andrew Wiggins is back, Jaime Jaquez is taking a leap,Kel’el Ware has been fantastic, Simone Fontecchio has been a seamless replacement for Duncan Robinson. Take your pick, and every player development or fit question has worked out as well as it could have.
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NBA Power Rankings, Top 15 Teams – Week 5
TEAM/RECORD/LAST WEEK’S RANKING
1. Oklahoma City Thunder 17-1 12. Houston Rockets 10-4 43. Denver Nuggets 12-4 24. Detroit Pistons 14-2 35. Miami Heat 11-6 126. Cleveland Cavaliers 12-6 57. San Antonio Spurs 11-5 68. Minnesota Timberwolves 10-6 89. Los Angeles Lakers 12-4 710. New York Knicks 9-6 1111. Orlando Magic 10-8 1712. Toronto Raptors 12-5 913. Atlanta Hawks 11-7 1014. Phoenix Suns 11-6 1515. Golden State Warriors 9-9 13________________________________________________________________________
A look at the strength of schedules played so far: Key takeaways:
OKC is 17-1 but have had the easiest schedule by far and has the most difficult one for the remainder of the season.Sacramento has had the toughest schedule and will have the easiest schedule for the remainder of the season. Miami and Houston are 11-6 and 10-4 although they have had the 4th and 5th toughest schedules. Miami and Houston will have the 3rd and 2nd easiest schedules for the remainder of the season.
P.S. Miami Heat’s fourth 140-point game ties their tally for the last seven seasons!
Hahahaha! That is insane and sad lol
To expand upon the headline, I think EVERYTHING Davion does helps the offense. And the defense. The Heat are really good in bringing out the best in players.
agree so where does ty slide in
With Powell out, maybe he starts. With Powell back, I’m guessing Pelle moves to the second unit. When Wiggins comes back? No idea.
Avesome player