Miami Heat: Despite loss to Magic, plenty of promising signs for the Heat

Despite dropping their latest preseason game to the Orlando Magic, there were plenty of promising signs for the Miami Heat.

While the Miami Heat suffered their second straight preseason defeat in a 93-90 loss to the Orlando Magic, there were plenty of positives to glean from the contest.

With point guard Goran Dragic being rested due to his hectic summer schedule, swingman Josh Richardson stepped into the starting lineup and continued his hot preseason form. Playing a team-high 29 minutes, Richardson posted 19 points, four assists and four steals, which included hitting 3-of-4 from long range.

Following the game, head coach Erik Spoelstra was highly impressed with Richardson’s performance:

"“That’s just the beginning of where he can go, in terms of his versatility, his impact at three different positions, both ends of the court, he was very good.”"

Richardson’s backcourt partner for the night, Dion Waiters, demonstrated a pleasing return to form following two subpar games to kick off the preseason. In his 25 minutes on the court, Waiters registered 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Most notable was Waiters’ constant attacks to the basket, where he made multiple trips to the free throw line, hitting all six of his attempts.

Then there was Hassan Whiteside, who continued his hot start by posting 17 points and 15 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. While crashing the boards has never been an issue for the seven-footer, Whiteside’s increasingly improved outside shot was again on display against the Magic, showing a greater affinity for facing the basket and hitting from the perimeter.

A notable change in the Heat’s rotation was the insertion of Kelly Olynyk in the starting lineup ahead of James Johnson. Signed during the summer as a free agent, Olynyk provides the Heat with a tremendous amount of flexibility in the frontcourt. And with Johnson starting slowly in his two games as a starter, coach Spoelstra seized the chance to tweak the rotation.

While Olynyk struggled from the field in shooting just 1-of-7 overall, he nonetheless contributed seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, demonstrating the vast skill-set he will provide the Heat this season.

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For his part, Johnson, although shooting just 4-of-12 from the field in scoring eight points, was far more aggressive on the offensive end, and also contributed four rebounds and four assists in his 27 minutes on the floor.

The first half of the game was particularly pleasing, with the Heat scoring 54 points, including hitting 9-of-19 from 3-point range. In particular, the second quarter saw the Heat get out in the open, drawing back memories of their 30-11 record to conclude last season.

But after leading 75-60 with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter, the Heat went cold, shooting just 4-of-26 from the field for the remainder of the game.

After the game, coach Spoelstra was understandably upbeat despite the loss:

"“We looked more like a Miami Heat basketball team….in the second quarter and third quarter, we were defending the way we’re more capable of, more to our identity, and the ball was moving better….We had more of those good to great offensive possessions, guys were enjoying themselves out there….there were certainly some encouraging things to look forward to.”"

Next: 10 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

The Heat have little time to dust themselves off as they return home to play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

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