The Miami Heat (25-25) are officially beginning their next chapter as they adjust to life without Jimmy Butler. By ending their months-long saga with Butler, who was traded to the Golden State Warriors last week, the Heat will bring in veterans Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson to aid a second-half push for playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.
The energy around Miami has shifted in recent days as a dramatic cloud was lifted from over the team’s day-to-day functioning. There are no more concerns about whether Butler will be either traded or suspended. It’s no longer necessary to dance around the topic of festering tension as the team focuses on its on-court performance.
Instead, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley excitedly welcomed Wiggins, Mitchell and Anderson into the fold on Sunday as the Heat, who host the defending champion Boston Celtics (37-16) on Monday, enjoy a quick pit stop at home ahead of their five-game road swing beginning against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (42-9).
Miami has already had a couple of practice sessions with its new pieces in the last few days. Wiggins and Spoelstra enjoyed chatting with one another in the later stages of Sunday’s sessions. Backup center Kevin Love, who recently retired from his run as the best follow on Instagram, maintained his insightful approach as a key voice in the team’s locker room. Team captain Bam Adebayo described his enthusiasm for what Miami’s new trio can bring to the squad as it seeks to balance what has been an up-and-down season.
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But as Spoelstra reflected on what’s ahead, he lauded his players for how they’ve handled this season’s challenges.
“I love the challenge of even the last six weeks,” Spoelstra said on Sunday. “I really, really enjoyed that. I haven’t been in a circumstance like that as a coach. And it doesn’t show with the record, but like I said, it could’ve been a whole lot worse. I enjoy coaching this team. It’s an ambitious group. This group has the right intentions. They have big thoughts, so I want to honor that and prepare this team to play at its highest level — certainly higher levels than we’re playing right now.”
As Miami adjusts to its new additions, let’s go one by one and examine how each player can contribute to the team.
Andrew Wiggins
The 2022 NBA champion joins the Heat with a proven playoff pedigree, 7-foot wingspan and reputation as one of the league’s more impactful 3-and-D wings on a given night. Wiggins is confident in adapting to any team’s style, especially joining a Heat coach staff routinely focused on maximizing any player within its reach, whether it’s an established star, lottery pick or undrafted player.
In Wiggins’ case, his length, active hands and quick feet can help Miami’s perimeter defense. Spoelstra has occasionally pointed out how Miami has struggled to contain opponents on drives this season, so Wiggins’ comfort with defending wing scorers should alleviate some of those concerns. At different points, Wiggins has had success guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4-of-14 shooting), Desmond Bane (4 of 12 with four turnovers), James Harden (3 of 13), Jalen Green (2 of 8) and Devin Booker (2 of 7).
Wiggins doesn’t have to change Miami’s defense on his own either. He’s apt at funneling scorers to different points on the court, which can help with getting teammates involved for quick turnovers and transition scoring opportunities.
Here, in a Nov. 30 matchup between the Warriors and Phoenix Suns, Wiggins’ quick hands poked the ball away from Booker as Kevon Looney snatched up the turnover to aid an easy dunk on the other end.
Last month against the Sacramento Kings, Wiggins used his long arms to disrupt a pass attempt by Sacramento’s Malik Monk to force the turnover.
“I feel like I’ll be able to fit in pretty good,” Wiggins said Sunday. “I think of myself as a versatile defender. I can guard multiple positions, so I think I’ll fit in perfectly.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Wiggins should be a positive for a Heat team that doesn’t need him to be its best scorer. In five seasons with the Warriors, he shot 38.1 percent from deep after posting a 33.2 percent clip in his five years with the Minnesota Timberwolves. More importantly, it’s important for Wiggins to maximize quick and easy looks from deep, so his 40.1 percent efficiency on catch-and-shoot 3s will be welcomed by the Heat, who rank 26th on such attempts since Jan. 1 (35 percent).
Davion Mitchell
Nicknamed ‘Off Night’ due to his knack for slowing down opposing scorers, Mitchell has a reputation as one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the NBA. Simply put, he’s very comfortable with frustrating opponents who dare to drive against him, even if he jokes about his short arms limiting his steals statistics.
With or without the steals, though, Mitchell knows what he’s doing when it comes to raising the potential of a defense. On the season, he’s held the likes of Trae Young, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, Darius Garland and De’Aaron Fox to a combined 33 percent shooting this season, according to NBA.com. Before Mitchell even logged an official minute in a Heat uniform, he got rave reviews from Adebayo and Love about what he can add to the team.
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“In watching his career, I know that a guy that picks up 94 feet, when we’re always talking about a guy being a Heat guy, he very much fits that mold,” Love said about Mitchell on Sunday. “You saw it today — he was shooting the ball, driving downhill, bullying guys on the defensive end. He’s gonna add a lot to our group, and add a player who adds to our depth. It’s a luxury to have a guy like that.”
Like Wiggins, Mitchell can also add key tools to Miami’s offense, given his comfort with being on the ball and creating for others. He joins the Heat averaging a career-high 4.6 assists. His 402 assists opportunities trailed only Scottie Barnes (487) for the Toronto Raptors’ team lead despite him ranking sixth on the team in total minutes.
With Adebayo and Tyler Herro routinely leading Miami’s offense, Mitchell, who is knocking down a career-best 38.9 percent of his wide-open 3s, can force defenses to close out on his long-range attempts, which can provide opportunities for him to create easy shots for his teammates.
In an example from a Jan. 13 matchup between the Raptors and Warriors, here is Mitchell finding Scottie Barnes for an open look at the rim after drawing the attention of Stephen Curry once he bypassed Buddy Hield’s closeout. That split second of confusion freed up Barnes for the easy bucket.
Two nights later, Mitchell ran some two-man action with Jakob Poeltl before finding the latter for a dunk, thanks to a timely wrap-around bounce pass.
“Getting in the paint, making plays. I feel like if they’re fanning out, I can finish at a high level,” Mitchell said Sunday. “But my main thing is to get my teammates open and get them easy shots, using my speed to get in the paint. The year I was with Toronto, I had the opportunity with the ball in my hands, so I feel like the whole time, when I was playing basketball, I can pass the ball. I can make plays. I’ll make the smart plays, so I’m excited to do that here.”
Kyle Anderson
As a 10-year veteran, Anderson has already learned plenty of lessons thanks to prior stops with the Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies.
His versatility as a scorer, playmaker and defender (even in small-ball lineups) can certainly help Miami’s depth. After playing with the likes of Curry, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Anthony Edwards, he looks forward to getting adjusted to Herro’s game, given the latter’s leap into All-Star status this week. During Sunday’s press conference, Anderson expressed enthusiasm for being a vocal leader who is willing to say what he thinks, which he thinks will fit quite well in Miami’s locker room.
When asked about his first impressions of Heat Culture, Anderson relayed observations about how hard the team often plays, whether they’re well-rested or on the second night of a back-to-back. He appreciates the team’s in-game communication and is excited to be part of the Heat operation. In those prior stops, Anderson also had success with playing alongside accomplished big men like Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Rudy Gobert, which he’s confident will help him find rhythm with Adebayo and rookie center Kel’el Ware, the latter which Anderson looks forward to maximizing as a lob threat. Defensively, Anderson’s excited to lock down the perimeter with Wiggins and Haywood Highsmith, which should raise the ceiling of Miami’s defense as Spoelstra figures out the best rotations for his new-look roster.
For Anderson, who has been coached by Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Taylor Jenkins over his career, learning how Spoelstra operates is probably the thing he’s most excited about as he gauges how to contribute to the Heat on the court and looks ahead to his next basketball chapter someday.
“I’m looking forward to learning from Spo for my coaching career after [playing] basketball,” Anderson said on Monday. “I do that on League Pass, where I’m watching certain coaches. I’ll watch the games too, but I’m watching what coaches go to out of timeouts, how they adjust out of the second half. Obviously, I’m going to learn as a player, and I’m looking forward to that, but I’m excited to watch how Spo goes about his business.”
( Top photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images )
