Miami Heat: Major takeaways from the preseason action

After wrapping up their six game preseason schedule, here are some of the major takeaways for the Miami Heat in looking ahead to opening night.

Following a drama-filled preseason schedule, the Miami Heat are now very much looking forward to the 2018-19 NBA season kicking off on Oct. 17.

In addition to their on-court activity, the Heat have had to contend with the continued trade discussions surrounding All-Star Jimmy Butler. Having declared that he wished to be dealt to the Heat over three weeks ago, the continued drama and talks surrounding Butler has meant this has not been a typical preparation for the regular season.

Having dropped their first three games on the road, the Heat returned home to make amends, finishing up their preseason schedule with a 3-3 record. With 11 players averaging at least 18 minutes per game, this was clearly an opportune time for head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff to experiment with a variety of players and lineups before facing the Orlando Magic on opening night.

Following their final whiteout, a 119-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Spoelstra commented on the outlook to the season ahead:

"“We feel comfortable with the group that we have. We know that we have some guys out that are working their way back very quickly. I was able to look at quite a few different lineups, rotations, different looks.”"

With this in mid, here’s an overview of some of the more notable areas from the past fortnight.

Hassan Whiteside

Having suffered through a disastrous playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, center Hassan Whiteside is naturally on a mission to restore his reputation. While it may be just the preseason, the results thus far have been extremely encouraging.

Playing in five of the six games, Whiteside’s energy and demeanor were outstanding, overall averaging 20.3 points, 16.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes. The one downside though has been a constant theme throughout his career, with Whiteside dishing just one assist over his five appearances.

However, considering how he finished last postseason by averaging just 15.4 minutes per game, these early performances are a clear testament to the work Whiteside put in during the offseason. Only time will tell if the 29-year-old is able to maintain this throughout the regular season.

Getting to the line

Granted it’s early days, but if there’s a number that’s stood out thus far, it’s been the Heat’s frequency in getting to the free-throw line.

Last season, the Heat finished 25th in the league with 19.5 free throw attempts per game. Over these six recent games, this number soared to 32.3 attempts.

In particular, the two greatest exponents have been Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder. Averaging just 1.8 attempts per game last season, Richardson averaged 4.7 through the preseason. As for McGruder, after attempting just eight free throws in total in 18 games last season, he has averaged an exceptional 4.2 attempts per game.

A clear emphasis for this duo to expand their offensive games and not just resort to operating from the perimeter will not only assist their individual games, but also it will make the Heat a more potent offensive team as a whole.

Josh Richardson

After missing the first three games due to a thigh contusion, Richardson understandably took a game to get his feet back under him. However, his final two appearances were a perfect example of just why the Heat have been so reluctant to include him in the Butler talks.

Over these two games, Richardson averaged 24.5 points in 30.1 minutes per game while returning the exemplary .571/.545/.917 shooting splits. While these numbers are clearly unsustainable, the aggressive nature with which Richardson was looking for his shot was incredibly encouraging, particularly his ability to nail the 3-point shot off the dribble.

Then when you add in his elite-level defensive productivity, its little wonder the Heat would be so eager to team him with Butler to form an incredibly lethal perimeter duo.

As an aside, and while the regular season is a different ball game, it’s worth noting the Heat have ranked fifth in pace over the preseason with a 109.7 rating, drastically up from their 96.18 Pace of last season, which ranked 27th overall.

In looking ahead, while the Butler story has yet to cease, the Heat should be heartened with the manner in which they have attacked the preseason, and thus setting them in good stead come opening night.