So the brands adapted. With an impeccable roster headlined by Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Jewell Loyd, Nike began releasing their player’s exclusive colorways to the public. 

Bird and Loyd, each known for their affinity with Kyrie Irving’s former Nike signature shoes, received a number of colorways in the marketplace, with Bird headlining the “Keep Sue Fresh” collection that spanned from the Kyrie 4 Low to the Kyrie Infinity. 

Out in Phoenix, DT began repping ‘Bron’s signature series, from the LeBron 9 and LeBron X to the LeBron 19—she even had compiled an extensive Mercury-colored collection of LeBron PEs, including the LeBron 18 “La Cabra”—which translates to the GOAT in Spanish.

In Washington, six-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne was paying homage with her PE rotation, dawning a Swoopes I-inspired colorway of the Nike Hyperdunk 2017 alongside a steady influx of KD 12s. But at the tail end of the 2019 season, Delle Donne flipped the script, electing to wear a lace-less model, the Nike Air Zoom UNVRS. Constructed around the brand’s newest technology, Flyease provided wearers with a hands-free, easy-access design geared toward those with disabilities. The latter would serve as a three year-long smoke signal of what was to come. 

In October of 2022, Nike and Elena Delle Donne officially released the Nike Air Deldon. While the high-top model wasn’t specifically marketed as a signature offering, the silhouette was as close to one as you could get. Built with Flyease technology at its foundation, the Air Deldon was inspired by the two-time MVP’s younger sister Lizzie, who is disabled. The model represented several aspects of Delle Donne’s personal journey, detailing her battle with Lyme disease on one colorway while joining Nike’s BE TRUE initiative that heralds the LGBTQIA+ community with a rainbow-treated installment.  

Then there’s Sabrina Ionescu. Before the legend of Caitlin Clark arose, Ionescu captivated the nation in college—breaking national and school records at the University of Oregon with a flashy play style and an unstoppable pull-up three. 

While standing on the shoulders of the legends that came before her, Nike announced Ionescu would be the eighth women’s signature athlete in Nike Basketball history. After 17 years, The Swoosh had returned in full to the women’s game and they flooded Sabrina’s business with support. An expansive marketing campaign, a full release schedule featuring more than a dozen colorways, a full unisex apparel collection and intricate storytelling that ran throughout the model. 

Touted as the first-ever unisex signature basketball shoe, the Nike Sabrina 1 sold out the first handful of colorways during the late summer. Then it took things to another level when the model was added to Nike’s customizable Nike By You platform. With layers of detailed fabrics, stitching and panels, the Sabrina 1 brought out the platforms’ full potential, allowing fans of the already praised silhouette to create their own 1-of-1 versions.

Custom Nike Sabrina 1s engulfed social media in the following months, with creators drawing inspiration from their favorite colorways of past signature models like the “Bruce Lee” Kobe 5. Some designs even stuck and were replicated at mass, like the titular rendition dubbed the “What The” colorway—inspired by Nike Basketball’s mid-2010s run of taking every colorway from one signature shoe and compiling it into one loud, expressive and surprisingly cohesive ensemble.

From the W and the NBA to men’s and women’s college basketball and the G-League, the Nike Sabrina 1 exploded in popularity. As soon as the 2023-24 season tipped, the low-top model quickly became a go-to for many Nike-endorsed NBA players with Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Tyler Herro and others customizing their own PEs at a frantic pace.

This time around, Sabrina’s sneaker won’t be a one-and-done: she confirmed during this year’s New York Liberty training camp that her second signature is currently in the works. 

And then there’s the long awaited announcement of the Nike A’One. As the first Black woman to receive a signature shoe with the brand since Sheryl Swoopes, A’ja Wilson continues to cement her legacy as not only a great, but a player deserving of the utmost recognition and respect. After headlining the Nike Cosmic Unity last season and dawning a regal black and gold LeBron 21 PE during the 2023 Finals, two-time WNBA Champion and New York Times Best-Selling Author A’ja Wilson has been positioned for an insanely bright future, and arrival of the A’One in the Spring of 2025 was met with top-tier marketing: Wilson posted a flick of herself wearing an iconic hoodie that read, Of Course I Have a Shoe Dot Com with the caption: “The answer to the question.” It was just as iconic as Wilson and her illustrious career. 

Wilson and Nike aren’t just only releasing a signature sneaker though—the two-time WNBA champion and MVP has been working for over a year now on a full apparel collection and signature slides, too. She’s been heavily involved in each step of the process, consistently checking in with the brand and going as far as to suggest satin-lined hoods so women wouldn’t have to wear a bonnet during travel days. 

As for other stars, in the summer of 2021, Jordan Brand announced the largest women’s roster in the brand’s history, signing Dearica Hamby, Satou Sabally, Jordin Canada, Aerial Powers, Te’a Cooper, Crystal Dangerfield, Arella Guirantes and Chelsea Dungee. Joining an established core of Kia Nurse and Asia Durr, the Jumpman went out and put pen to paper with Rhyne Howard, Dana Evans, Isabelle Harrison and Gabby Williams over the next year and a half. 

Picking up the legacy of the since-retired Moore, Jordan’s revamped athlete roster has brought a fresh perspective to the brand’s once-reserved approach to the ladies’ side of the game. Player Exclusive colorways have flooded WNBA hardwoods as a result. Kia Nurse’s Toronto Raptors-treated Tatum 1, Satou Sabally’s international-inspired Air Jordan 37 and Isabelle Harrison’s butterfly-coated Jordan Luka 2—in homage to her late sister—have each extrapolated a piece of the respective athletes’ journeys. In turn, sneaker blogs and team social media accounts have begun to add another element of storytelling to the WNBA’s atmosphere. 

Even though signature silhouettes and exclusive colorways continue to draw headlines, both Nike and Jordan have been cultivating their next generation of partners in the backdrop through the new possibilities presented by NIL. Mirroring the selectivity of their signature lineup, Nike has signed reigning National Freshman of the Year Juju Watkins, former AP Player of the Year Paige Bueckers and top high school sophomore Jerzy Williams to NIL deals. 

In the same realm, Jordan Brand has signed Rutgers-bound guard Kiyomi McMiller, LSU’s SEC Freshman of the Year Mikaylah Williams and UCLA point guard Kiki Rice. 

While it’s yet to be officially announced, Caitlin Clark has reportedly signed an endorsement deal with The Swoosh as well. Clark was one of the brand’s first NIL signings before her senior year at Iowa. 

This is just the beginning, and with investment, attention to detail, and unwavering support for women’s basketball, the renaissance continues.

Feeling nostalgic? Here’s a history lesson on how past WNBA legends paved the way in the sneaker game.

The post Today’s WNBA Legends Are Shifting Sneaker Culture  appeared first on SLAM.

This past June, France’s Victor  Wembanyama, was selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft, a 7-4 unicorn (and recent SLAM cover subject) hailed as a franchise savior in San Antonio. Then in early July, Paris celebrated the 20th anniversary of Quai 54, an international rendezvous of hip-hop and basketball sponsored by Jordan Brand, with guest appearances by Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum. And Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and lead facilitator during the Spurs’ era of dominance, will be the first Frenchman immortalized in the Naismith Hall of Fame by the time you’re reading this.

But the country’s roundball roots run deep. Real deep. Though it’s not a widely known fact, France is the birthplace of European basketball. 

On December 23, 1893, only two years after Dr. James Naismith tacked up a pair of peach baskets at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, MA, Naismith’s former student Melvin Rideout organized the first game outside of the US at 14Trévise, at the YMCA Paris which opened earlier that same year.

For the next century and change, hoops have been a year-round endeavor at 14Trévise, giving it the unique distinction as the “oldest surviving basketball court in the world.”

The gym is a carbon-copy replica of the Springfield Y, complete with an overhead wooden running track, two steel support pillars that run vertically down the middle of the court and iconic oak herringbone parquet floors. 

However, 14Trévise encompasses much more than basketball. A beacon of innovation at the time of its inauguration in 1893, the building brought together sports and intellectual and cultural activities, featuring a student hostel, theater, swimming pool, bowling alley, library and restaurant.

In 1993, for its 100th anniversary, 14Trévise was honored by the French Historical Monuments Administration for its “originality as a social, educational and sports complex,” thereby protecting its status as an original 19th century Y building.

From our perspective, any building with the legacy and lineage of 14Trévise not only deserves recognition, but restoration. And it’s finally happening. 

The Y is currently undergoing a $10 million overhaul to preserve the building’s architectural heritage and integrity while continuing its social mission to use sports and the arts for youth empowerment. 

In order to reopen for next summer’s Paris Games, 14Trévise closed its doors in early 2023 for 18 months of construction. Although the famous court will not host any official competitions, it will be a must-see destination on the Olympic map and all Olympic basketball games will be screened inside the gym for fans.

“Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee, was a supporter of the YMCA Paris from the start, and would be proud to see it renovated for the ’24 Games,” Christelle Bertho, architect and historian of the project, tells SLAM. “However, the gym will not become a museum. It will stay as vibrant as it has been since 1893—a much-used space for social, sports and cultural activities [that] will [also] host many special events.”

Hoopers from all over the world habitually stop in at the YMCA Paris to put up shots and travel back in time. Stephen Curry, Tyler Herro, Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum have all made pilgrimages to 14Trévise and left their marks on the place. And now, you can too, whether you travel to Paris or not. 

Remember those iconic oak herringbone parquet floors we mentioned earlier? Well, starting at €100 (approximately $100), any fan can “adopt” one of 2,024 gym floorboards—via adopteunelame.com—to have their names etched into hoops history and be featured on the donor board upon the Y’s reopening.

“Because there are so many basketball lovers all over the world, it was dear to us to offer an opportunity to get involved in our unique restoration project and share our passion and dedication for saving this historical gym,” Danuta Pieter, philanthropy advisor to YMCA Paris, tells SLAM. “We already have supporters of all ages and from all continents.”

Floorboards aside, all eyes will be on Wemby this season and Paris next summer. And when 14Trévise reopens its doors, France’s influence and imprint on basketball culture will continue to grow.

Word to Dr. Naismith!

Photos via Ludovic Marquier.

The post Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the World’s Oldest Surviving Basketball Court is Being Fully Restored appeared first on SLAM.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly interested in trading for Lowry too. The Timberwolves could move D’Angelo Russell to Miami for Lowry, and the Lakers have reportedly decided to stand pat at the trade deadline.

The Heat are still finding itself at the moment. Miami (23-20) is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings due to a dearth of injuries to key players like Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Victor Oladipo. Lowry is averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Miami trading Lowry could help them create a younger backcourt that could help reverse their fortunes for the season. Making a move with either the Lakers or T-Wolves could help them make a move in the offseason in the draft or the free agent.

Miami will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon.

The post REPORT: Lakers, Timberwolves Interested in Trading for Kyle Lowry appeared first on SLAM.

If the Bulls make Zach LaVine available before the trade deadline, rival NBA executives are keeping an eye on the Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks, and Heat as potential suitors.

More on players who can be moved after January 15 with @YossiGozlan on @hoopshype. https://t.co/kN2RBmIy5I

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 5, 2023

Each team has assets, connections, or an ideal player they’d like LaVine to play with if they can acquire him.

The Knicks have endless draft capital they could trade, LaVine is signed with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and LaVine played college ball at UCLA, so joining the Lakers is a possibility. Dallas can only rely on Luka Doncic so much, and pairing him with another All-Star like LaVine could yield fantastic results. According to Scotto, the Mavs don’t want to trade a first-round pick unless they think they’re trading for a championship-caliber player.

Miami is Miami, and they can include reigning Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro in any package they offer.

However, this is all contingent on Chicago’s willingness to part ways with LaVine. The Bulls (17-21) are in 10th place and squarely in the fight for a play-in tournament spot.

The post REPORT: Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks, and Heat Listed as Potential Zach LaVine Suitors appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s what happened across the L over the weekend. Let’s get it.

Darvin Ham Announces the Pain in Anthony Davis’ Foot ‘Has Just About Dissipated’:

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters that Anthony Davis’ foot has improved to the point that “his pain has just about dissipated” since he first suffered the injury two weeks ago against the Nuggets.

Darvin Ham, two weeks after Anthony Davis suffered the stress injury in his right foot, says “the biggest thing is, his pain has just about dissipated” and says Davis is trending in the right direction when it comes to approaching a ramp up to return to the court.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 30, 2022

LeBron James Drops 47-10-9 on his Birthday to Deliver a Lakers Win:

LeBron James showed us once again that age ain’t nothing but a number on his birthday. The four-time MVP turned 38 on Friday and celebrated this lap around the sun by dropping 47 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to lead the Lakers to a 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

“At 18 years old, I knew how to play the game,” James said, per ESPN. “I knew I belonged in the NBA, but I didn’t know what I could become at 18. But I knew if I continued to put in the work and I continued to reach into the game, then I could be one of the greatest players to ever play this game.”

47 PTS
10 REB
9 AST@Lakers W@KingJames showed out on his 38th birthday!pic.twitter.com/33lO5BnVpo

— NBA (@NBA) December 31, 2022

CJ McCollum Knocks Down A Pelicans Record 11 Three-Pointers:

CJ McCollum was unstoppable Saturday night as he scored 42 points, four rebounds, five assists on a franchise record, and a career-high 11 made three-pointers against the 76ers.

“You don’t just fall into these types of nights,” McCollum said, per The Athletic. “It comes with preparation. It comes with a lot of different sacrifices you make in your household and things like that. Some nights I go to the gym. Some nights I’m getting treatment. Some nights I’m lifting. It’s time away from home. But I joke with my wife all the time and say, ‘I could be gone a lot and suck at basketball. Luckily, I’m gone a lot, and I don’t suck.’”

42 PTS
4 REB
5 AST
11 3PM (franchise-record, career-high)@CJMcCollum went OFF in the @PelicansNBA win. pic.twitter.com/s09E7DdoQr

— NBA (@NBA) December 31, 2022

Tyler Herro Brings in the New Year With a Buzzer-Beater:

Tyler Herro put an exclamation point on Miami’s strong offensive showing with a game-winning buzzer-beater to beat the Utah Jazz on New Year’s Eve, 126-123. Herro posted 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, followed by Bam Adebayo’s game-high 32 points and eight rebounds, and Victor Oladipo rounded out the final win in 2022 with 23 points off the bench.

Miami outscored Utah 54-32 in the win and shot 51 percent from the field. As a team, the Heat dished 32 assists on 45 buckets.

“The ball was flying around,” Herro said, per ESPN. “We were making plays for each other, getting stops defensively, and turning it into easy buckets on the other end.”

TYLER HERRO WINS IT FOR THE HEAT #TissotBuzzerBeater | #TimingEmotions pic.twitter.com/MqLHRlsVXL

— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2023

Luka Doncic Makes More History After Dropping 50+ For the Third Time in 5 Games:

Luka Doncic has been on a historic tear while helping Dallas win six straight games after Doncic dropped 51 points, six boards, nine dimes, four steals, and six made triples to beat San Antonio 126-125. Luka Legend has dropped three 50+ points in his last five outings, put up the most 40+ point games in Mavs history, and became the first player ever to post 225+ points and 50+ rebounds, and 50+ assists over a five-game span.

The three-time All-Star is also the eighth player in NBA history to contribute three or more 50-point outings in a season before he turned 25-years-old. He joins James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry, Nate Archibald, and Wilt Chamberlain in the exclusive Hall-of-Fame club.

51 PTS
6 REB
9 AST
4 STL
6 3PM
W

Luka has dropped 50+ in 3 of his last 5 games. Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/AFYYqmWaUb

— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2023

The post NBA Weekend Recap: LeBron James Drops Buckets on His Birthday, and Luka Doncic Makes More History appeared first on SLAM.

Herro makes NBA History by becoming the first player to record nine or more three points on back-to-back nights. On Thursday, he tied the franchise record for most three-pointers (10) in a single game against the Houston Rockets, which featured a career-high 41 total points for him.

Wednesday night was a similar performance with a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Herro knocked nine 3-pointers to his 35 points. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been on a tear lately, but Herro is only focused on what he can contribute to pushing the Heat back into one of the contenders of the East.

“I didn’t know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short,” Herro said per ESPN. “I didn’t have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get 3s up. I think shooting more 3s is helping.”

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It’s not like he’s just chucking three balls out there, either. His numbers are looking as efficient as ever from the outside. Herro shot a career-best 10-15 from beyond the arc. While he shot 12-23 from the field against the Thunder, Herro hit the game-winning basket from 15 feet to aid him as the best field goal percentage made shooter among starting guards the last two games.

“Regardless, he’s too good of a shooter for us to not take 3s off the catch,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities. He’s just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch.”

The back-to-back historic nights for the Kentucky product aren’t one of his first marks in NBA history. Against the Boston Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, Herro recorded a 37-point game in a critical Game 5 that listed him with the second most all-time playoff points for a player 20 years old or younger behind Magic Johnson(42).

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This time around, Herro, at 22-years-old achieves another Heat record by becoming the youngest player to have a 40-point game in the regular season, breaking franchise legend Dwyane Wade‘s at 23.

Herro has lived up to his $130 million contract this season, and more importantly, he earned himself a spot in the starting lineup, a role he was excited to grab this past summer.

With the presence of All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat may have solidified a Big Three that can contribute at all ends of the court to reach the destiny of a fourth championship.

For now, only one thing is certain; Herro is indeed a Bucket.

The post Tyler Herro Makes History After Hitting Nine Triples in Back-to-Back Games appeared first on SLAM.

A left knee tendinosis diagnosis has kept Oladipo sidelined for all 21 games Miami has played. Head coach Erik Spoelstra says, “I do not have a timeline” for when he can return.

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Oladipo could be the difference-maker for a struggling Heat team this season. In the Heat’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Oladipo averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals off the bench.

Although the stats won’t show it, his best performance was against Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, holding Brown to four crucial turnovers in the second half to force a Game 7 that ultimately highlighted his perimeter defensive skillset.

The guard play of the Heat has taken its strides from last season as Gabe Vincent, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro are all playing to their capabilities, but Oladipo would be a bonus to a bench unit that has struggled to generate turnovers defensively, being third worst in the League.

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The situation for Oladipo can’t be as troubled as it was to start the season, however, as he has now been putting in reps with the squad in their current road trip. With Spoelstra wishing to coach a healthy lineup, adding Oladipo to team practices could help ease him into a minimal playing status.

“He’s on this trip for a reason, to continue to get good work, but also to get the connection piece, the fellowship piece with our guys,” Spoelstra said. “It’s really important. That’s as important for him, being out, just being around the group.”

The post Erik Spoelstra: ‘I Do Not Have a Timeline’ For Victor Oladipo’s Return appeared first on SLAM.

With three of the four losses coming down to the wire, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra feels the quality of his star players on the court, can set a difference in a short amount of minutes.

“At some point, hopefully, we’ll be getting some guys back,” Spoelstra said per Sports Illustrated. “Even if they’re not fully 100 percent, even if they’re close enough, maybe they can give us a little bit of reinforcement, even if it’s just short minutes. That’s where we are right now.”

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The Heat is dealing with a loss of their defensive identity in just one season. They were one of the best defensive teams last season; now, the Heat are currently tied for 14th in the League with the Atlanta Hawks, who both hold a 111.1 defensive rating. They average the second lowest blocks, even with the 16 out of the 18 games Adebayo has played.

Kyle Lowry isn’t the same focal point of an offense as he once was, but he has kept the Heat within reach in the last four games while averaging 18.3 points and 7.3 assists. The resurgence of Lowry is encouraging, considering his struggling performance in last year’s playoffs, but it’ll have to remain once Butler returns and looks to reclaim his spot as Miami’s top scorer.

“Just give us whatever you have,” Spoelstra said. “Whatever you have, just give us. If you’re used to playing 30 minutes, just give us 15. If you’re used to playing 20 minutes, give us eight, so we can kind of manage things right now.”

For now, the Heat remains without several of their former All-Stars, and it may stay that way for the time coming. Questions are piling up, and a fired-up Spoelstra may be the finishing touch to what has been a roller-coaster season for South Beach.

The post Head Coach Erik Spoelstra Awaits The Return Of Star Players appeared first on SLAM.

“I really don’t care at all,” Herro said, per the Sun Sentinel. “Maybe if it ended in a loss, but we won — I’m just going to play my game, and if they call a travel, they call a travel.”

The League announced the missed call a day after the game, as Herro picked up his dribble off a pump fake and changed his pivot in the motion of the three-point shot.

We only needed 2, a Herro came to the rescue with 3

Money Play // @FTX_Official pic.twitter.com/jK8EGUzk99

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 3, 2022

That kind of moment has defined Herro’s season thus far. Herro is second on the Heat in scoring, averaging 18.6 points a game to go along with career highs in both rebounds (6.6) and field goal percentage (47.8).

Unwilling to give up a third loss in their last four games, Coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on the call and how sometimes officiating hasn’t gone their way.

“They’re just really tough calls at the end of games,” said Spoelstra. “We’ve been on both sides of it. So I can understand the frustration on their side of it — The game can be decided in so many different ways and not just a whistle at the end of a game.”

Kings Coach Mike Brown was upset the travel wasn’t called but credited his group for putting up a fight to last season’s number one seed in the East.

“I would not be doing my job if I didn’t come up here and protect my guys,” said Brown. “To pump fake on a sidestep, a sidestep or hop, and then one-two and a shot and not make that call, to me, it’s just unbelievable. It’s not why we lost the game, although I don’t think we got a fair whistle.”

Criticizing officiating is a tale as old as sports itself. The scrutiny around the missed call has unforeseen consequences that may not be understood until the season starts to matter in April.

The post Tyler Herro Reacts to NBA’s Call On His Game-Winner Against the Kings appeared first on SLAM.

All four of these games were part of a season-opening homestand. The last of which came in a 98-90 loss to the Toronto Raptors. However, Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has a fix and a bit of perspective to help keep the Heat on track. 

“We’re just trying to figure it out. I mean, honestly, it’s four games in. I think we’re trying to figure it out. I know we said running it back, and I agree with that, but we still have different guys in different roles in different situations,” Lowry told The Miami Herald in Miami’s locker room following the loss. “So we have to figure it out how to all be on the same page.” 

Lowry is an NBA Champion and 36-years-old in his 17th NBA season, so he knows a lot about figuring it out. He’s averaging 10.8 points per game on 28.2 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from three through four games this season. 

Lowry’s most significant adjustment has been his rise in playing next to Tyler Herro, who has been elevated to a starting position after his Sixth Man of the Year performance last season. Lowry is playing off-ball a lot more and has his lowest usage rate since his days in Memphis. 

“We got guys who can really play basketball. We’ve got guys who can really make plays, and we’ve just got to all find ways to mix and match, not take turns, but figure out how to play off each other a little bit better and play with each other a little bit better,” Lowry said. “Honestly, everybody has a different role this year; things are a little bit different, right? Tyler’s in the starting lineup, and Bam’s more aggressive. We’ve got different lineups with this, that and the other, and we’re just trying to figure it out right now.”

The Miami Heat will have plenty of time to set their season straight, and Lowry believes they have the talent to do so. 

The post Kyle Lowry Says 1-3 Miami Heat Are ‘Trying to Figure It Out’ appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat seemed like the clear landing spot for Mitchell as NBA fans believed they had enough assets to send the Utah Jazz in exchange for the shooting guard. A deal like that would have pushed the Heat toward favorited championship odds, especially considering Mitchell and Adebayo’s chemistry at the Miami Pro League over the summer. Mitchell and Adebayo were also seen working out with one another throughout the offseason

“I said this to somebody, I was like, ‘Man, I’m working out with Bam [Adebayo] and others, and I’m thinking like, ‘This is just preparing. This is what it’s going to look like.'” Mitchell said on J.J Redick’s “Old Man and the Three Podcast.”

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Adebayo wasn’t the only player in the Heat roster that would spark rumors of Mitchell joining the Heat. Jimmy Butler had spent the second week of his off-season with Mitchell at a restaurant in Miami for basketball media influencer Chris Brickley’s birthday

In that same late June period, rival Kevin Durant had requested a trade from his team and the NBA world believed Heat President Pat Riley would pull the trigger for the future Hall of Famer.

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The Heat ended up standing pat during the off-season, but they extended Tyler Herro to a four-year deal worth $130 million. Though securing the young star bodes well for the Heat, the East has gotten much more competitive, especially with Mitchell making the Cavs a potential top-five seed in the conference.

Cleaveland’s future success rides on the play of Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley in order to consider the Cavs the winners of the trade. As for Miami, the team’s lack of trades and signings puts pressure on them to succeed at the same rate they did last season. If this season goes any worse, the question arises of why the Heat didn’t make the effort of making the Butler, Adebayo, and Mitchell big three.

The post Donovan Mitchell Touches On Working Out With Bam Adebayo Over the Summer appeared first on SLAM.

Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin jumped into the starting lineup, moving Max Strus back to the Heat bench. Strus appeared and started all 18 of Miami’s playoff games last season. 

Despite his reserve role on a reconfigured Spoelstra bench, the small forward’s head is high. 

“I think what I do kind of fits in with any lineup,” Strus said per the Sun Sentinel. “So it’s not really hard to adjust to playing a certain way. I think that’s one of my strengths, is just kind of get in where you fit in – I’m just trying to do a good job of that and letting our main guys do their thing and provide spacing. And when I’m open, shoot the ball.”

Given Miami’s legendary organizational culture, it’s no surprise that Strus is embracing his new role and focusing on doing what he can to help his team win. In Miami’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls, Strus scored 22 points, including 5-7 on three-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds, gobbling up 50 percent of the bench’s total boards.

With new rotations and different players on the floor together, the Heat are playing smaller. When Strus plays power forward, he wants to focus on rebounding.

“There’s going to be smaller guys down there that are going to have to rebound. We need our guards to step up and rebound — I’m capable of doing that. So I’m more than willing to get down there and bang with the bigs and help out on the boards.”

In addition to lasering in on his rebounding this season, Strus believes he is in the best shape of his career. 

Ahead of training camp, he said, “I’m the lightest I’ve ever been and probably the strongest I’ve been. I’m probably like eight pounds lighter, which doesn’t sound like much, but it is a lot. I’m more lean mass. So that was my plan. And I think it’s going to help me be more explosive and less wear and tear on my body.”

Strus looks to once again shine in his new role as the Heat host the Boston Celtics tonight.

The post Max Strus Embracing Reserve Role with Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

The energy has truly shifted around the Association since the Golden State Warriors put the haters to sleep and won another NBA championship. This offseason, there was a sudden coaching change in Boston, a reported trade request in Brooklyn by Kevin Durant (that didn’t actually happen), and some major moves during free agency, from Donovan Mitchell teaming up with Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on the Cavaliers to Jalen Brunson becoming a New York Knick. Then there’s the highly-anticipated return of Zion Williamson, Ben Simmons and SLAM 240 co-cover star Kawhi Leonard, who is sure to be a scary sight alongside Paul George now that they’re both healthy.

While we’ve dished out some bold takes in the past, this year’s preview might feature our boldest takes yet. Here’s the official 2022-23 SLAM Staff NBA Preview:

Anthony Holt, Slam Goods Apparel Designer

The Cavaliers will emerge as a top three seed in the East. 

With the blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers will claim the No. 3 seed. The championship experience of Kevin Love and Luke Walton will evolve Mitchell into the leader the franchise needs to make a playoff run. The Cavs will reach the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Celtics, who will face the Bucks in the ECF.

NBA Finals Matchup: Bucks vs Grizzlies

Deyscha “Sway” Smith, Associate Editor

Ben Simmons will make a case for winning Most Improved Player of the Year.

Before any of you mention me on Twitter or pop off in the comment section, hear this one out. We all know what happened last year, and by no means is Ben Simmons, a three-time NBA All-Star, any sort of “up and coming player.” But if this preseason showed us anything, it’s that Ben is actually back and playing basketball again. After averaging 15.9 points per game during his time in Philly, if he brings that same energy and presence (both literally and in terms of his defensive game) to the Nets this year, by technicality, it’s really only up from here in terms of his overall improvement.

Will he win MIP? Unlikely, but then again, just imagine if he actually did put himself in the running for the award.

PS: When I predicted the Celtics would make the ECF in our season preview last year, y’all called me real bold for that take back then. If Ben gets active and starts playing at that All-Star level again, just make sure your apology is as loud as the disrespect has been.

ECF Matchup: Celtics vs Nets

Joshua Tapia, Editorial Intern

Damian Lillard takes the Portland Trailblazers to a top 5 seed in the West while securing his first MVP. 

Damian Lillard will finish the season above 32 points a night with eight assists. If he disciplines himself defensively, Dame could become a reliable defender against the League’s best scorers.

Here’s my playoff prediction: Lillard will lead the Blazers past the No. 4 seed Mavericks in the first round, the Warriors in round 2, but get defeated in Game 6 against the Clippers.  

Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer

The Sixers are winning the championship.

Everything is coming together at the perfect time in Philly: James Harden is healthy and more motivated than ever, Joel Embiid has a better understanding of how to treat his body to make it last a full season plus playoffs, Tobias Harris is the perfect starter to play next to two stars, Tyrese Maxey is making a leap, and Daryl Morey is going to be aggressive adding role players throughout the season to put around this group in order to ensure the team has everything it needs come postseason time. The 76ers: 2023 Champs. 

Michael Harris, Editorial Intern

The Lakers will make the Western Conference Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers will figure it out this season. Russell Westbrook will embrace his role off the bench, Anthony Davis will be healthy and be a top three candidate for MVP, while Patrick Beverley will bring the defense at the guard spot necessary to help the Lakers lock down shooters. The Lakers will also finish as the top three seed in the West and make it all the way to the WCF to face the Grizzlies.

NBA Finals Matchup: Heat vs Lakers

Ajayi Browne, Editorial Intern

The Dallas Mavericks will win the NBA Finals.

The Dallas Mavericks will reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 and Luka Doncic will average career-highs across the board while having his most efficient season on his way to winning MVP. The team’s new additions, Christian Wood and Javale McGee, will give this team what they were missing last year, while Tim Hardaway Jr’s return will be vital, too.

Theus McBee, Co-Host of No Pump Fakes

Anthony Edwards will make his first All-Star Game and the Minnesota Timberwolves will make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

The conversation of Ant Man “possibly” being a part of the top five under 25 group will come to an end and we will finally give him his rightful title of “Best Shooting Guard in the NBA.”

Check out the latest episode of No Pump Fakes below:

Najee AR Fareed, Editorial Intern 

Trae Young will make First Team All-NBA, lead the League in assists and take the Hawks all the way to winning a championship. 

The Hawks had a down year last season but their defense should be bolstered by a resurgent Clint Capela, Dejounte Murray’s arrival, and the rise of Onyeka Okongwu. The offense? Ice Trae might hold it down on the offensive end, but the Hawks have much more than just him. Deandre Hunter is taking big steps and John Collins’ lesser offensive load, with the addition of Murray, should free up his game for lobs and catch-and-shoot threes.

The Hawks will win one this season. For 3 Stacks and Lemon Pepper Wings and Zone 6 and Old Nat and everything else we love.

Colby Cusano, Brand Partnerships and Analytics Intern

Zion Williamson will bring the New Orleans Pelicans from an No. 8 seed to a No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and take home the Most Improved Player Award. 

After a decent season that saw them squeeze into the playoffs, the Pelicans are ready to make another run and with a healthy Zion Williamson. They now contain one of the most talented trios in the League.

NBA Finals Matchup: Mavs vs Celtics

Delon George, Marketing Manager SLAMgoods

The Brooklyn Nets will win the title.  

Though a lot of politics surround the Nets’ Big 3, I believe they have a lot to prove individually and together as a team this season. With Kyrie Irving will playing full-time from the start of the season and Kevin Durant avoiding injuries, the Nets are bound to have momentum this year. 

Brooke Brennan, WSLAM Intern

Lonzo Ball will return mid-season and take control of the Bulls’ offense, pushing them to be a top four seed team in the East.

While injury plagued his 2021-2022 season, Lonzo’s return mid-way through this year could give the Bulls the point guard anchor they need to take control on offense. After losing in the first round to the Bucks last year, the Bulls proved that they can be a playoff team, but have to make those adjustments. Returning key players, rising young talent, and added veteran depth will help to develop this team unit.

As for Zo, I project he’ll make an All-Star team in the near future. 

Andrew “Pitt” Pitagorsky, VP of Brand Partnerships

RJ Barrett will win Defensive Player of the Year. 

RJ Barrett will become an NBA All-Star and win Defensive Player of the Year. Going into Year 4 of his young career, RJ will take the next step in his growth and make the leap to the All-Star player we all know he could become. With the help of the coaching staff, and a pure point guard in the lineup, RJ can focus more on the defensive side of his game, and be an elite defender of the League.

Andres Puerta, Social Media SLAMFTW 

The Miami Heat will win the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Miami Heat have a solid starting lineup. They are coming off a great season, with a solid performance in the playoffs from Jimmy Butler who showed what he can do in the playoffs. Tyler Herro showed out as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. They have a competitive group of guys and it doesn’t matter who is on the court. With the Heat being one of the top teams in the East last year, this will be the year they win the Eastern Conference Finals.

Arvind Pitchai, VP of Social Media

Luka Doncic will average a triple double and win MVP. 

Here’s another Luka Doncic prediction: when he averages a triple-double this season, he’ll definitely win MVP. We all know about Luka’s scoring prowess and ability to see the floor, but he also can clean the glass at a high clip. Will this lead the Mavs to the Finals? Who knows but it’s going to be a fun season watching Luka regardless.

Marcus Allen, Social Graphic Designer

The Knicks will make the Eastern Conference Finals.

A big season from the New York Knicks is upon us as they will make the ECF in 2023. Future star, RJ Barrett will have the best season of his career with his new backcourt partner Jalen Brunson and ultimately earn Most Improved Player and or Defensive Player of the Year. Let’s get it.

Dave Schnur, President

The T-Wolves and the Cavs will go on a playoff run and make the Conference Finals.

Karl-Anthony Towns moving to the 4 full time will be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. He’ll hit a career high number of threes this season, Ant Edwards will make his first All-Star Team, Rudy Gobert is gonna Gobert and D-Lo will get his, too. The Cavs already have a great young core with Garland, Mobley and Allen. Adding a perennial All-Star SG like Spida that can stretch the floor and facilitate will bolster an already potent offense. Garland and Donovan may be the best backcourt in the East. 

Max Resetar, Editor 

Stephen Curry will break his own record of 402 threes in a season. 

The Dubs finally have everyone healthy. Every player on the roster has a clearly defined role and they each understand that their number one target on offense is No. 30, whether that means passing to him, screening for him, or getting the f— outta his way when the reign starts to rain. With a complete season of all the major hitters, their offense is gonna hum all the way to an easy 450 threes for the most recent Finals MVP. 

Celebrate the return of the NBA season, the 2022 WNBA champs and the future of the game with SLAM 240.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post SLAM’s 2022-23 NBA Preview: Crazy Bold Takes for this Season appeared first on SLAM.

Now, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Herro and the Miami Heat have reportedly agreed on a contract extension for four years worth $130 Million.

During the 2021-2022 season, Herro averaged 20.7 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Since coming into the League, Herro has gone from averaging 13.5 points per game to 15.1 and, as of last year, 20.7.

Herro had even earned high praise from head coach Erik Spoelstra this past season, who said the Sixth Man of the Year “becoming one of the most skilled players in the League.”

Following the signing of Herro’s extension, Heat President Pat Riley said via NBA.com that, “Tyler is an impact multi-faceted player and we are excited to have him signed for the next five years,” said Riley. “His improvement every year since we drafted him has led to this day. We believe he will continue to get better per the Miami Heat.

Now with Herro officially extended, Heat fans are definitely looking forward to seeing many more performances this season.

The post REPORT: Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat Reach an Agreement on a Four-Year, $130 Million Extension appeared first on SLAM.

When he was asked at Miami’s media day about his contract extension negotiations and the upcoming Oct. 17 deadline to reach an agreement on a rookie extension, the fourth-year guard out of Kentucky offered the typical business-like response.

“I’m just focused on the season and basketball,” Herro said per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I’m going to let my agent take care of that.”

Media Day = major “first day of school” vibes pic.twitter.com/DZZJDIdQje

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 26, 2022

Herro also revealed that he was “active early” during extension negotiations but told his agent to “call me when it’s ready” after he realized that the deal wasn’t going to get done “until later.” He also said he’s “not in a rush” to get a deal done. Although Herro said it “be cool” to be the center of attention as a free agent, being recruited in such a fashion isn’t something he’s interested in.

“I was active early in the summer,” he said. “Then I realized it wasn’t going to get done, if it does get done, until later. So I just told my agent to call me when it’s ready.

“So we haven’t really spoken much about the contract. Obviously, I tell him to call me when it’s ready. If it’s not ready, I continue to play my game and figure it out next summer.”

Now the real fun begins.#HEATTrainingCamp @BahaMarResorts pic.twitter.com/q7pgvFDoXM

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 27, 2022

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year also said that he knows his worth and that he ultimately wants to stay in Miami, “but it’s got to make sense for my family.” Herro looks across the landscape and believes he’s better than some players who have gotten big contracts. So, whatever contract extension is offered, “it’s got to be the right number.”

If Herro and the Heat can’t come to an agreement, he will become a restricted free agent on July 1. Miami begins its season with an Oct. 19 home game against the Chicago Bull.

The post Tyler Herro On His Contract Extension: ‘Call Me When It’s Ready’ appeared first on SLAM.

The Miami Heat come off a 53-29 record that earned them first place in a loaded Eastern Conference. Their championship dynamic seemed to have shined all post-season long as they knocked off the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Vincent scored 17 points to go along with three blocks, helping Miami rally to a 118-107 victory over the Boston Celtics. Vincent’s production took a slight decline for the next few games as Miami ended up finding themselves down 3-2 in the series.

The back-and-forth bout left for a critical Game 6 in Boston’s roaring TD Garden. Players and fans around the league had already written off the Heat before the pivotal game, as Draymond Green boldly said that the Warriors were prepared to face Boston in the NBA Finals.

The confident statement from Green sparked Jimmy Butler to go off for 47 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to force a series-deciding Game 7.

The Heat had fought through Game 7, even when trailing by 15 with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. It came down to a transition three attempt from the top of the break by Butler that, had he made it, would’ve punched Miami’s ticket back to the NBA Finals. However, the ball went off the rim and landed in the hands of Boston, allowing them to ice the game and have a date with the Warriors.

That miss started the off-season of the Heat, and there were many rumors about everyone not named Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo. PJ Tucker joined the 76ers while Max Strus, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry were linked to trade talks for big-name superstars around the League like Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or now-Cleveland Cavalier Donovan Mitchell.

The summer of rumors had worn off, and the Miami Heat kept most of their pieces together. Miami will be on the short list of Eastern Conference Finals threats that can make it out of the conference and into the Finals.

The post Gabe Vincent: Miami Has ‘What It Takes to Get Back to the NBA Finals’ appeared first on SLAM.

“As for Kevin Durant, here’s what there is: nothing. There is no movement here. The executives are leaving Summer League. The executives are going on vacation. At this point, the Nets’ preferred situation is for Kevin Durant to stay with them. There is no trade they’ve got that they like.

“A huge question and what the league is in some ways waiting for is what does Durant feel? He’s the one who asked for the trade. Have his feelings changed with some of the avenues for trades dimming?”

Durant made his trade request public a few weeks ago through his business manager Rich Kleiman after the front office Kyrie Irving couldn’t come to terms with a long-term deal. Durant’s preferred trade requests are reportedly Miami and Phoenix.

However, the Nets are looking to receive the house in exchange for Durant’s services. Several teams have extended substantial offers that include multiple draft picks, but most of them weren’t enticing enough for Brooklyn to bite on.

Brooklyn appears to have the leverage since Durant has four years remaining on his contract. It’s doubtful that Durant would waste a season of his prime and sit out before he gets traded. It seems to be a standoff between the two parties as the offseason goes by. Going to Phoenix appears out of the question after they retained restricted free agent Deandre Ayton.

Durant’s best remaining option would be Miami, but Pat Riely would likely have to give up a talent like Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro to make it happen, along with several draft picks.

The post REPORT: Brooklyn Prefers to Keep Kevin Durant appeared first on SLAM.

Oladipo is on the verge of free agency and could draw legitimate outside suitors after playing well in 15 playoff appearances. The former Indiana Hoosier is also headed towards the first offseason where he could have an offseason where he can work on his game and conditioning for the first time in years after he’s worked his way back from rehabbing a few quadriceps procedures, most recently going under the knife in May 2021.

“He’s going into the summer physically able to work at his craft,” Spoelstra said. “He’ll get back to the player that people were accustomed to seeing.”

That player is the one who is the 2018 Most Improved Player. The one who averaged over 20 points per game for the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. After Oladipo showed, he’s still got some motion in him during Miami’s playoff run, and he’s likely to garner a better deal than the League-minimum deal he signed last year.

According to Ira Winderham of the South Floria Sun-Sentinel, the New York Knicks could be looking to sign the 2018 Most Improved Player of the year. The 2022 free agency market beings July 1, and Miami owns Oladipos Bird Right, which means the Heat can match a contract worth $20 million-plus this summer.

“So we’ll see where that goes,” Heat President Pat Riley said this week, “because Vic’s obviously a free agent, and we have his Bird Rights, and we’ll definitely be talking to his agent.”

Miami must ask themselves whether Oladipo would be worth that kind of money after showing enough playoff flashes of brilliance. With Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro already in tow, it could be challenging for Heat president Pat Riley to rationalize that decision. Herro is entrenched after bouncing back from a tough sophomore season and winning the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year. Lowry is 36-years-old but is still as cerebral as ever at point guard.

If Miami is to keep Oladipo, they could use him as a combo guard off the bench. He’s impressed Riley and Spoelstra with his hard work since coming back from being cleared for court work in January. He’s already got fans rooting for him within the organization, like assistant coach Chis Quinn, who has reminded Spoelstra just how unique Oladipo’s play has been after playing just 60 games over the last three years.

“Coach Quinn showed me — look, I’m aware of this, I’m fully aware because I’ve been with him for a full year — but that stat, in the last three years, how many games that he had missed, and then how many regular-season games he’s played in the last three years,” Spoelstra said, with that total at 60 over the three years, compared to a standard 82-game regular season. “For him to do what he did in this playoff run is really unheard of.”

The two-time All-Star has played 12 games in Miami since Houston traded him to South Beach in 2021. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game during that time.

During the Heat’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Oladipo averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 dimes per game, scoring 23 points twice against Atlanta (Game 2) and Boston (Game 4).

“There’s a great story in watching him work, watching him come back, and then watching him get into games,” Riley said of Oladipo’s progression this past season. “It wasn’t easy at the beginning. When he had 21 in Toronto, then 40 in Orlando, and you started to see some of the things he could do again, like you saw in the past.”

“And then in the playoffs, I thought he had some great moments for us. He was the kind of player that I felt as the series began to grow, and all of them began to grow and became more competitive defensively, that you do need players that can break down a defense on their own or with their quickness and slashing can create their own shots.”

The post Miami Mulling Re-Signing Victor Oladipo This Summer appeared first on SLAM.

Wednesday’s Game 5 was perhaps their best chance to head back to Boston with a 3-2 lead. The Heat was up by five coming out of the halftime break, but Boston outscored Miami 56-38, with their suffocating defense forcing the Heat to miss their first nine shots of the third quarter. The Celtics grabbed a lead they wouldn’t surrender with an 8-0 run, taking a 69-58 lead into the final frame.

From there, Boston blew the game wide open, creating a 23-point cushion in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown (25 points) took over in the fourth, knocking down a trio of three-pointers, slamming the door shut on any Miami comeback when he drove down the late and threw down this hammer in the half-court.

“As disappointing and as frustrating as this game can be,” Spoelstra said per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “We get on to Boston and just come together.”

JB RELAX (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/GPksWm5fuG

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2022

Now, the Heat have one more night to keep their season going, and should they win Friday’s Game 6, they host a win-or-go-home Game 7 in FTX Arena.

Miami’s consecutive losses have been flustering, starting with an uncharacteristic blowout loss 102-82 Game 4 loss in Boston after getting outclassed in the first quarter 18-1. In Game 5, Boston’s decisive 24-2 run in the third quarter put any notion of Miami taking a 3-2 lead into Boston to bed.

Miami’s problems are punctuated by the sudden ineffectiveness of their veteran leaders, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry.

Both have been a step slow in the ECF due to respective knee and hamstring injuries, especially Butler, who hasn’t played with his typical relentlessness. Lowry is 5-23 from the field in the conference finals, going 0-6 from the field and 0-5 from long-distance. Butler finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists, but he’s only attempted six free throws in the past three games after shooting 26 in Games 1 and 2.

To top it off, Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro has missed the last two games due to a groin injury. Miami’s numerous injuries make it challenging to thrive against a physical defense that ranks No. 1 amongst the final four teams in the playoffs.

“We’re not making any excuses for any kind of health or anything like that,” Spoelstra said. “We’re just going to figure it out and get on up there to Boston and enjoy that competition.”

BAM ON CLEAN UP DUTY!!! (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/oF9dSGWtPS

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2022

Now from this point on, it’s about surviving, taking it one game at a time

Lowry has held himself accountable, telling reporters that he has to play better while he’s out there.

The message is similar is from Butler. The six-time All-Star said that his bothersome knee is okay, but he needs to play better while on the court and help find ways to win. Bam Adebayo also said it’s time to adapt, not accepting the excuse that the Heat is injured when every team is dealing with the same bumps and bruises this late into the season.

“We’re still alive,” Spoelstra said. “We have an opportunity to play in front of a great crowd and an opportunity to make a memory that you’ll remember for a long time. That’s all we’re thinking about right now.

“And we have the kind of warriors that are going to tape up, brace up, do whatever we’ve got to do to get ready for the next one, and just embrace and enjoy that competition.”

Boston has a chance to close the ECF out on Friday when they host Miami for Game 6.

The post Miami Hopes to ‘Make a Memory’ in Wednesday’s Game 6 Against Boston appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat scored just 11 points in the first quarter and immediately found themselves down 18 at the end of one. Miami then went on to only reach 33 points at the end of the second quarter and was down by 24 points at halftime.

Heat star Jimmy Butler scored just six points on 3-for-14 shooting as Miami’s starters scored a combined 18 points in an underwhelming performance.

“This is part of the playoffs; there are these extreme highs and lows,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “We’ve proven that we can find solutions offensively in a lot of different ways.”

The Heat is struggling with multiple injuries, as Butler (knee inflammation), point guard Kyle Lowry (hamstring), and power forward P.J. Tucker (knee contusion) are all playing through nagging injuries. Tyler Herro, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year winner, is also hobbled and missed Game 4 with a groin injury.

“We are not making any excuse,” Spoelstra said. “We can do it in the mud. We can win it ugly. We can win it when the floodgates come open, hitting threes. We can do it with Jimmy taking over a game. We can do it when he’s facilitating. We have the mental fortitude and the collective toughness to be able to embrace what we have. It’s just a very competitive, good series.”

“No excuse for how I played tonight. It don’t got nothing to do with my knee,” Butler said. “I’ve just got to be better. I will be better. I’m not too worried about it.”

On the other side, Boston star Jayson Tatum scored 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Big men Al Horford and Robert Williams III combined for 22 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Both teams will look to take a 3-2 advantage as the series heads back to Miami for an 8:30 tip-off at FTX Arena Wednesday night.

The post Erik Spoelstra On Game 4 Performance: ‘We Are Not Making Any Excuse’ appeared first on SLAM.

#MIAvsBOS INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (groin) has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 4 vs the Celtics.

Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), Gabe Vincent (hamstring) & P.J. Tucker (knee) will all warm up with the intent to play.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 23, 2022

The injury preventing Herro from playing is a groin injury. The Heat also announced that Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), and P.J. Tucker (knee) would warm up and likely play, barring any setback.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished the season averaging 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 dimes per game.

The post Miami Heat Announce Tyler Herro Will Miss Monday’s Game 4 appeared first on SLAM.

Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo scored 14 each, and Tyler Herro followed up with 11 points of his own. The loss drops Miami to 7-1 at FTX Arena during the 2022 playoffs.

“This only counts as one,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what the experienced players in the locker room and staff understand. We don’t like it. They played extremely well. You have two really good teams, and we just have to figure some things out.”

The Miami Heat will have to have a short memory before Game 3 after this blowout loss. Everything that could’ve gone wrong did after Miami raced out to a 10-point in the opening minutes of the first quarter. That was about the only bright spot of the night before Boston went on a 17-0 fueled by five made triples in six possessions. The superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 51 points, including 33 in the first half.

Boston eventually outscored Miami by 39 points in the next 18 minutes and headed into the locker room with a 70-45 lead at halftime. After the break, Butler did everything he could to bring Miami back into the game, cutting the lead to 17 after scoring 16 points in the third quarter.

However, Boston responded with a 12-2 run to shut the door on any comeback bid, restoring a 27-deficit while heading into the final frame with a 96-71 lead that was never threatened. Had Miami not gone on a late run, Game 2 of the 2022 Miami-Boston ECF series would’ve set a Miami record for the biggest loss in their franchise history. Miami avoided that historic achievement, but Boston broke their franchise record for the biggest road playoff game lead at halftime (25).

“It has to hurt,” Butler said. “They tried to embarrass us. They did embarrass us. — Overall, we just have to be better.”

The next time Miami and Boston meet will be Saturday’s Game 3 in TD Garden. Whoever wins Game 3 will leave with a 2-1 series and home-court advantage.

The post Erik Spoelstra On Miami’s Game 2 Loss: ‘This Only Counts As One’ appeared first on SLAM.

With countless tunnel fits to choose from, the All-LeagueFits Teams were carefully selected by a voting system that include one-third of fan votes, one-third of votes from LF’s Survival of the Fitted Podcast, and the remaining votes from an exclusive panel that includes designer Mamadou, former WNBA star Ty Young, fashion publicist John Guidry, NBA champ Axel Toupane, NFL star and designer Rodney McLeod, designer Caroline Bentley Noble, Los Angeles Sparks’ star Liz Cambage, fashion Tik Tok influencer Ayeeron, former NBA standout and designer/ ‘Bucks in 6’ legend Brandon Jennings, Richard aka @thehapablonde and stylist Devon Byrd.

Here are the official results of the First, Second and Third Teams, as well as the All-Rookie and Honorable Mentions. Stay tuned for the individual award selections.

Jordan Clarkson is truly in a class of his own. This is his third consecutive first team selection, and he was one of only two unanimous picks between the panel, fans and pod. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the first-ever LeagueFits MVP, and he makes an epic return to the first team after showing out in a major way with charlotte this past season.

As for SGA, no debates to be had this time around. He showed off his versatility this season and rightfully secured his spot on the top team. Then there’s Devin Booker, who has the most defined aesthetic in basketball. he was one of two players to be unanimously voted to the first team.

Meanwhile, D-Lo elevated his looks to another level this season, and he did it in the classiest way possible.

These five did it their way and one time for some of the tunnel’s tuffest. Russ came back to Hollywood this year, and he owned the tunnel at STAPLES for the full 82, while CP3 has yet to miss out on the LeagueFits teams since we started doing this in 2018. Jerry Lorenzo’s favorite hooper, Frank Jackson is making his return to the LF teams, and so is Kuz, who was the first-ever LF Rookie of the Year and has turned up the heat more and more. He’s never afraid to push the boundaries of self-expression and is a permanent LF mainstay.

While these awards are based on the regular season, we’ll admit that JT is the last guy we want to see on the court, or in the tunnel, during this postseason.

Jalen Green claims his spot on the third team after a heavy dosage of love from the fan vote and bringing in some unique looks his rookie season. Caris LeVert is maybe the most underrated tunnel star in the League. No more sleeping on Levert, he’s like that on the court and in the closet.

One time for Myles Turner, who’s gotta be the tallest dude to ever make a LeagueFits team standing at 6’11. We’re also not going to let y’all snub Jared Vanderbilt this year because he deserves this one, and Pj Tucker is gonna have a permanent spot on the LeagueFits teams as long as he plays in this League. True legend and true drip OG.

Nobody in the freshman class went harder post All-Star Game than Scottie Barnes. He’s surely cemented as a future LeagueFits and NBA star. Jonathan Kuminga’s been doing it his own way his entire life. No surprises he’s the same way in the tunnel.

Josh Christopher was the first (and we think the only) high school player to ever be posted on LeagueFits. This has been in the works for years. And, if you watched even five seconds of the 2021 NBA draft, you knew Jalen Green was going to be a superstar.

David Duke Jr held nothing back with his bold play on the court and in the tunnel his rookie campaign. The undrafted rook surpassed every expectation that was set, and it’s just the beginning.

Consistency matters in a season that’s 82-plus games long and Nickeil Alexander-Walker routinely delivered. Then we’ve got the LF fan favorite, Tyler Herro, who burst onto the scene as our rookie of the year a few years back and has kept the bar high since.

Jordan Poole might be from the midwest, but he embraced the laid-back California style to the fullest this year, while Thanasis Antetokounmpo used the Milwaukee winters as the perfect reason to consistently layer up, earning his first-ever LeagueFits award.

James Harden might be an OG in the tunnel, but he’s been dressing since before LF was even an idea. Tristan Thompson played in a few cities this year, and he dressed up in all of them. He earns LeagueFits awards honors for the second straight season.

And last but definitely not least, we confirmed on the Survival of the Fitted Pod that Gary Trent Jr. had the fit of the year. It’s only right he gets an LF awards nod.

The post The 2021-22 All-LeagueFits Teams Awards Results appeared first on SLAM.

Strus came out of DePaul in 2019 and thrived with Boston through the Summer League, even making it past the final preseason cut before former coach-now team president Brad Stevens cut him in favor of Javonte Green another undrafted prospect per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“I think they went with the more defensive-minded player,” Strus said, per Windeman. “But they said it was a tough decision for them to make. And everything happens for a reason.”

Now facing the team he took a cup of coffee with three years ago, Strus has a chance to make sure Stevens and the Celtics know how wrong they were in cutting him. When you peel back the curtain just a bit more, Strus sees one organization, Boston, giving up on him before his NBA career could start.

While the other, Miami, saw his potential and decided to take a gamble on Strus despite the former DePaul Blue Demon coming off a severe knee injury. The perspective allows Strus to seemingly play in the Eastern Conference Finals without much hate for Boston in his heart.

“No,” Strus said. “This isn’t about me. This is bigger than me. It’s the Eastern Conference finals. There’s no personal vendettas here. We’re just trying to win a series.”

However, Strus revealed that he had a Plan B after being cut by Boston. His hometown Bulls signed him to a two-way contract. Strus played two games with the Bulls before his rookie season ended after he suffered a bruised bone and torn ACL in his left knee while playing with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Strus averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 13 G League games.

Strus signed a training camp deal the following offseason, performing well enough to earn another a two-way contract. Strus scored 6.1 points per game in 39 appearances, dropping 21 points against the Rockets on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Strus then proved that he was worth more after playing well with the Heats summer league team in 2021, and the Heat rewarded that performance by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3.5 million to stay in Miami.

Since then, Strus has averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 41.0 percent from distance. The 26-year-old shooting guard has shined in the playoffs, hitting three triples in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to help Miami gain a 1-0 lead.

Technically, Strus didn’t play for Boston, but the memory of being cut by Boston wasn’t something he could control. The politics of the 2019 Celtics training camp led to him being kept off the Celtics roster. The front office decided to keep Tacko Fall, leaving Stevens and then-GM Danny Ainge to choose to keep either Strus or Green. A decision that Strus was told was difficult during that fateful meeting with Boston’s brain trust.

“Danny said it was a hard decision to make,” Strus said. “And I met with Brad, too, and he said the same thing. So it happens. It’s part of the business.”

While his teammates like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had no recollection of Strus playing in the legendary green Boston jerseys, he is seemingly in a better place, playing for an organization that, from the outside looking in, appreciates him.

Strus says he won’t play with any lingering bad feelings against Boston or his former, but he doe shave a chip on his shoulder from that fateful day. In hindsight, the move worked out. Coach Erik Spoelstra caught wind of Strus after assistant GM Adam Simon put him on. Spoelstra reportedly watched the film and was impressed enough to want to sign Strus, and a week later, they brought Strus to South Beach. The rest is history.

“Of course, always,” Strus said. “I have multiple chips on my shoulder, not just that. I have a lot of things that I could fall back on for motivation and to provide energy for me, so it’s not just that.”

Strus may have been willing to bleed green, but for now, he’s soaking in the radiant Miami sunshine, up 1-0 on the Celtics in the ECF. Game 2 will be on Thursday in FTX Arena, and it’ll be another chance to write another page about his time in Boston and a chance to gloss over his time in Beantown.

The post Max Strus’ Journey From Near Boston Celtic to Key Miami Heat Contributor appeared first on SLAM.

Butler’s 41-point effort is his fifth of the postseason. He is the second player in franchise history to record five 40+ point efforts.

Jimmy Buckets enacted an all around MasterClass.

41 PTS
9 REB
5 AST
4 STL
3 BLK
63% FGM

: @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/2R7iyMoMTQ

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Coming out of the break, Boston was up by eight; just three minutes into the third quarter, Miami took a lead they would never surrender after Butler knocked down a put-back layup. The lead-changing layup was a part of a game-changing 22-2 run punctuated by back-to-back-back steals from Max Strus and Butler to take a 10-point.

That double-digit lead eventually grew to 20 points after Tyler Herro hit three free throws a 1:15 into the fourth quarter after getting fouled on a three-point attempt.

“Keep the game easy,” Butler said about what was said in the locker room during halftime. “Simple. We gotta learn how to capitalize off of their mistakes, and we gotta get back. I think that’s what changed in the second half.”

Masterful in the midrange.
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/Q57Dh8Pgtx

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Butler was the catalyst for Miami imposing their will in the second half. The Marquette alum scored 27 points in the second half, along with three assists, three steals, and four rebounds (two on the offensive glass).

When Boston tried to capitalize on a 10-0 run that cut Miami’s lead to nine points with 7:35 seconds left on the clock, Miami continued to impose their will, silencing Boston each time they made it a single-digit game with triples from P.J. Tucker and Strus.

Their job on Jayson Tatum illustrated Miami’s second-half effort. Miami held the Duke alum to eight points after Tatum scored 21 in the first half, tied for a career-high in the first half. The defensive intensity on Tatum was highlighted by Butler blocking Tatum on a three-pointer from the left corner pocket. Miami also forced the St. Louis native to turn the ball over seven times.

“Contesting every shot,’ Butler said about Miami’s key to defending Tatum in the second half. “Try not to foul; he’s crafty as hell and just putting multiple bodies in front of him.”

Jimmy Butler is everywhere.
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/d8eKSNt2CK

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Boston will look to tie the Eastern Conference Finals when they face Miami on Thursday’s Game 6.

The post Miami Heat ‘Keep the Game Easy’ in Game 1 Win Over Boston appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat had seven scorers in double-figures, led by Jimmy Butler (23 points), Max Strus (19 points, and Gabe Vincent (15 points). Victor Oladipo scored 13, followed by a 12-point effort from Bam Adebayo and 10 points apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker.

Jimmy Buckets.

23 PTS
9 REB
6 AST

(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/Q07uFchjN7

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

Defensively, the Heat held the Sixers to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. As for the superstars of the Heat, Joel Embiid was held to 17 points (7-12 shooting) and five rebounds, while James Harden contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 5-13 shooting 2-6 from the three-point line.

BAM JAM!

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/hzLqkmDuvb

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 10, 2022

The 76ers had a rough night; overall, Miami came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring Philly in all four quarters. Miami shut the door on any comeback hopes immediately in the fourth quarter when they went on a 12-0 run powered by a 7-0 spurt from Herro and Struss, who scored five straight points to open the fourth frame. Adebayo stretched the lead to 25 with a three-point play, forcing Coach Rivers to sub out Embiid since Game 5 was no longer in question.

“We did what we were supposed to do once again,” Butler said during his postgame interview with Chris Haynes of YahooSports. “We won at home, we’re a different team when we make shots, and I don’t like that. I want us to be able to get spots no matter what, and then we worry about making shots. Right now, we’re cool.”

This interview is gold

(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/RlR8OdXRsd

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

The post Jimmy Butler on Miami’s 120-85 Win in Game 5: ‘We Did What We Were Supposed to Do Once Again’ appeared first on SLAM.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has won the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2022

The Kentucky product won the award over fellow finalists Kevin Love and Cam Johnson. Love finished as the runner-up for the award after receiving 214 total votes from award voters. Herro received 488 total votes, including 96 first-place votes.

Herro pulled the flamethrower out. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/069VqQ5lnl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 3, 2022

Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. He was the second-leading scorer for the No. 1 seeded Miami Heat. Herro thrived coming off the bench a season after he was maligned for not meeting expectations coming into his second season. He put up 15.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game during his up and down sophomore season.

The Boy Wonder's range is limitless. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/HGyraBkjF9

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 3, 2022

Herro became the first Heat player in franchise history to be named Sixth Man of the Year. He also broke up a streak of six straight Western Conference players earning the honor, with the Clippers winning four of them.

Herro is coming off a 25-point, seven-dimes performance in a 106-92 Game 1 win over the 76ers. Game 2 of the Heat-Sixers second-round series will take place on Wednesday.

The post Tyler Herro Wins 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

JA OFF A TRAMPOLINE WITH THE TWO HAND!!!!!

(via @NBAUK) pic.twitter.com/jMoqZrlCCA

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 16, 2022

However, Anthony Edwards showed the NBA world that he is not a young player that is not afraid of the moment. Edwards matched Morant’s 19 first-half points and engineered the Wolves’ offense in the second half to the first upset of the NBA playoffs.

Edwards shined in his first playoff game scoring 36 points while adding six assists in a 130-117 Minnesota win over the Grizzlies for their first road playoff victory since 2004. The Timberwolves now lead 1-0 going into Game 2 on Tuesday night with the win.

@theantedwards_ was feeling it in his playoff debut dropping 36 points to give the @Timberwolves the 1-0 series lead!

36 PTS | 6 AST | 2 BLK | 4 3PM

GAME 2: T-WOLVES/GRIZZLIES
Tues. 8:30pm/et on NBA TV#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/iyE4Jet5Fj

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2022

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the former top pick in the 2020 NBA draft is now one of only four players with more than 35 points in a playoff game before turning 21-years-old. The others were Derrick Rose, Tyler Herro, and Magic Johnson. Edwards was dominant from all areas of the court, knocking down four three-pointers, finishing strong at the rim, and hitting all eight of his free throws.

Although it surprised many, Edwards’ confidence did not waver in any way in this game, as he stated after the game.

“I told [teammate Taurean Prince] I treat every game the same,” Edwards said via ESPN. “I didn’t feel any different — like a regular-season game to me.”

“I love my shots,” Edwards said. “Whatever shot I take, whether it’s a step-back trey-ball or a step-back midrange or a floater or a layup — whatever my shot is — I like it. Sometimes, [Timberwolves coach Chris Finch] may not like it, but I love my shot. I’m just trusting myself.”

The two young stars, Morant and Edward, will continue to share the spotlight for the rest of the series after a historic performance in Game 1, becoming the first opposing players in NBA history to each top the 30-point mark in a playoff game at 22 or under. Morant finished with 32 points.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch wants to see how consistent Anthony can be going forward.

“Let’s just see what he does over the long haul. He’s had two really good games,” Finch said via Twincities.com. “I know he’ll be locked in. Can’t get bored, you know? Can’t get bored.”

Tune in to see Game 2 on Tuesday night and find out.

The post Anthony Edwards Makes Playoff Debut History in Game 1 Win appeared first on SLAM.

The 22-year-old shot 61 percent from the field and 6-10 from three-point range to give the Heat their fifth straight win in the final week of the NBA season.

In a press conference after the game, Herro told reporters, “I’m playing the best I’ve ever played in my life.”

Herro is averaging 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game off the bench, making him a clear favorite for the sixth man of the year award. Lou Williams is the only other player to average at least 20 off the bench in the last 30 years.

As the season winds down to its final two regular-season games, the Heat are 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. With a playoff ticket already punched the Heat will end the season hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and traveling to Orlando to face the Magic Sunday.

The post Tyler Herro After Tying Dwyane Wade’s Scoring Record: ‘I’m Playing the Best I’ve Ever Played’ appeared first on SLAM.

KD’s first appearance in SLAM? Issue #92 in November of 2005.

Subscribe now for more gems like this in the SLAM Digital Archive: https://t.co/bjzCbjnqmw pic.twitter.com/Mc9IyV8mWl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 3, 2022

After missing almost a month of basketball due to a sprained MCL, Kevin Durant was surely ready to get back to work. Coming into the contest against Miami, the nine-time All-NBA selection made it clear he didn’t want to be deemed the savior of the Nets’ title hopes.

Easy Money Sniper dropped 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the first half of action. His first bucket of the night was a smooth mid-range jumper over Heat center Omar Yurtseven.

After scoring nine points in almost nine minutes of play in the first quarter, Durant didn’t touch the floor again until late in the second quarter when he strung together a vintage scoring outburst, starting with a two-dribble middy over Bam Adebayo.

Moments later, Durant knocked down another mid-range jumper from the right elbow over Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin.

Then the former MVP turned the temperature up a notch on the Heat after cashing in a hesi pull-up triple with ninety seconds left in the 2nd quarter over Martin, AGAIN!

As expected, the Durants second half was just as good as his first. With the Nets trailing the Heat, 88-84, Durant continued to do what he usually does, get buckets.

Durant tried his best to bring his team back during a gritty fourth quarter during the final frame. The Heat built a lead as large as 10 after two free throws from Tyler Herro. Durant made it interesting late after burying a 13-foot jumper and sinking a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two, but that’s as close as the Nets would get.

Adebayo slammed the door shut after making a short jumper, and Herro iced the game from the line to give the Heat a 113-107 win.

Although the performance felt sweet to most, winning would’ve put the icing on the cake. Durant ended his comeback game, scoring 25+ for the 30th time this season.

There’s no doubt that Kevin Durant was locked-in and eager to play in front of a jam-packed Barclays Arena, debuting what looks like a new signature colorway for his 14th signature shoe.

After putting on an outstanding performance, Kevin Durant and the eighth seed Brooklyn Nets (32-32) will look to break their four-game losing streak when they take on the sixth-place Boston Celtics (38-27) on Sunday afternoon.

The post Kevin Durant Pours in 31/4/4 in Return Against the Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

According to StatMuse, Herro leads the League in total points off the bench with 157. Carmelo Anthony ranks second, 25 points behind Herro with 132. Herro’s production this season has been spectacular, reaching career-highs in nearly every single statistical category.

“You’re talking about somebody who’s becoming one of the most skilled players in this League,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said via Sports Illustrated

Herro’s gettin BUSY. (via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/A833ZMpNrp

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 3, 2021

Herro, who is currently averaging 22.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, is already getting his much-deserved flowers so early in the season. He and the Miami Heat (6-1) will take on the Boston Celtics (2-5) on Thursday.

The post Erik Spoelstra Says Tyler Herro is ‘Becoming One of the Most Skilled Players in this League’ appeared first on SLAM.

Herro has started the season on fire, averaging 28.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 47.8 percent shooting. This stretch is a continuance of his strong play in the preseason when he was fifth in scoring at 22.4 points per game. 

Herro’s early numbers are highlighted by his 30 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in a 102-91 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers last week. Those numbers made him the first player in Miami Heat history to accomplish that coming off the bench.

Big night for @raf_tyler vs the Pacers. Became the first player in team history to score 30 and pull down 10 boards off the bench pic.twitter.com/PONmJQmZvt

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 24, 2021

After his historical performance, Tyler gave the credit to his teammates and coaching staff for continuing to believe in his abilility and putting him positions to succeed.

Tyler Herro speaks after his 30-point performance in Indiana!@MiamiHEAT | #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/qHQo4h6VHd

— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) October 24, 2021

Earlier this month, he told the Miami Herald that he was “locked in” and his confidence was on a different level:

“Mentally, I’m really locked in. I love where I’m at,” he said. “Being confident is a big part of my game. I feel like I’m confident at even another level right now. That’s my plan for the whole season.”

The post Tyler Herro Has Historic 30-Point Performance Coming Off the Bench for the Heat appeared first on SLAM.

“If they’re in the NBA, or playing overseas in the G League, whatever they do obviously got them somewhere. So, you want to continue to groom that stuff,” he explains over Zoom. “Let’s say you watch 30 games of a guy and he’s a really good three point shooter [and] he shoots the ball really well from both wings and the top of the key, we’ll go through that stuff. And then when you see that he struggles from the corner, [or] he struggles off the pick and roll or off the dribble, then the workout would consist of trying to improve that.” 

Training typically starts in June following the NBA playoffs. As a coach, Derrick says he’s “super big on the details of the game,” and, through extensively studying a player’s film, he’s able to simulate in-game play to help player’s maximize their potential. 

“I’m not inventing some new style of training that doesn’t exist. What I try to do is watch film on these players so that when they come in, I know where they’re at out on the floor, I know what type of system that their team is currently running. So, when I’m putting together the drills, it basically mimics what they would do in the game.”

He continues: “[Using] SWOT analysis, one thing I do is track their percentages, even in the workouts. It holds them accountable. If we start in the middle of June and we’re shooting—let’s say we shoot 100 three’s at the end of every workout, and they’re making 60-70. And then by the time you get to July, you know, they’re consistently hitting 80-85, sometimes 90. Once they see that, they know what we’re doing is working. And then obviously a lot of this stuff is mental, so that when they get in the game, they just have the confidence that they put in those hours and those reps. Hopefully it leads to some kind of success in their season.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Derrick De La Grana (@coach.dd)

Derrick knows the game well, having grown up around it his entire life: his father, Octavio De La Grana is currently the Assistant Coach/Player Development for the Miami Heat, but prior to coaching in the NBA, he led the high school program at Florida Christian in Miami. During those early years, a young Derrick would often accompany his father to camps and clinics, where he’d be fully immersed in skills training and coaching. 

In high school, Derrick suited up for Florida Christian, where as a point guard he amassed over 2,000 career points and earned First Team All-County and All-State honors. He then took his talents to the NAIA’s Reinhardt University in Georgia.

While attending college, Derrick’s father joined the Miami Heat’s staff in 2007, the season after Shaquille O’Neal and D-Wade won the title. It was then that Derrick got an exclusive inside-peek at what it took to run a successful championship organization. After graduating in 2010, Derrick took his talents overseas to play for the Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. While there, he was also commissioned to run skills clinics in Chile, as well as China, Costa Rica, Germany, and Puerto Rico. 

Following his pro career, Derrick took on a head coaching job at Calusa Preparatory School in 2012. He says it was then that a lot of young hoppers in the area also started hitting him up to run through drills and workouts, prompting him to pick up a “side hustle” in training one or two players at a time. 

“I really started studying, watching film and designing my own workouts to cater to a specific player. So, if a kid was 6-foot-8 and he was a bigger type of guy, [I would try] to do stuff for that kind of kid,” he says. “Just kind of doing more detail oriented stuff.”

Since then, Derrick has worked with hoopers at every level of the game: from Tyler Herro’s lil’ bros Austin and Myles Herro to Columbia-commit Emily Montes and basketball influencer Tristian Jass, who has 2 million followers on Instagram.

He started consistently training pro players, such as James Johnson and Ellington, five years ago. With Miami being a vacation spot for many players, as well as his dad’s ties with the Heat, Derrick and a friend decided to put together an open gym.

It was then, Derrick says, that he started to learn the ropes, and through working with Johnson and Ellington, he built up his confidence as a trainer. 

“I’ve always been confident in what I did, and what I brought to the table with that stuff. But when those guys are telling you, you’re onto something, we like what you’re doing, that really gave me the confidence to just step into any gym or training facility and be able to do what I do without questioning stuff. That was probably what got me going.” 

His clientele has grown by fostering relationships with players and coaches around the League. He linked up with D-Lo through Johnson—the two played together on the Timberwolves, and Russell had even bought a house near him. 

“JJ was like, Hey, this is a guy that I work with sometimes, you know, if you ever need a gym, you ever want to workout, hit him up. And we spent last summer together when everything was shut down [during the pandemic], going from random gym to random gym trying to get working. It was cool.” 

Derrick uses the opportunity of working with NBA players to pick their brains and learn from them, as well as other coaches around the League.  

“Sometimes with different players on different teams, some of their coaching staff will sneak in, so that I get to coordinate with those guys and learn from them, too. It’s been pretty dope to [work with players] when [they] go to different teams and branch out a little bit.” 

While he didn’t necessarily see being an NBA Player Development coach as his exact career path—growing up with a coach as a father, he “always knew” he’d follow that route, and even aspired to become a basketball coach like Pat Riley “with all the swag and all that”—his journey has led him to skills training. With a “laid back” approach to his craft and music blasting in the gym, he tries to make sure that his players are comfortable and tapped in while they dedicate their offseasons to the grind.

“I try to keep a chill vibe, because at the end of the day, this is offseason,” he says. “These guys come in and they’re here to get better. They’re here to work.” 

Photos via Kimberly Toledo and Ethan Zabari. Follow them both on Instagram, @holytoledophoto and @ethanzabarifilms.

The post How NBA Player Development Coach Derrick De La Grana is Preparing Guys like D’Angelo Russell For the Upcoming Season appeared first on SLAM.

Wade quietly strolled along the makeshift memorial fence, paying his respects to the photos of victims and those still missing. The three-time NBA champ also spoke with and thanked the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team before they began their shifts Thursday afternoon.

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A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade)

According to Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the death toll has risen to 64 as of Thursday, with more than 76 individuals unaccounted for.

Wade is the latest Heat star to visit the Surfside site. On the morning of the tragedy, Tyler Herro and multiple Miami coaches brought aid items, food and water to victims and rescue personnel. Heat veteran and legend Udonis Haslem visited hours later and center Bam Adebayo visited the memorial on July 2nd.

The post Dwyane Wade Visits South Florida Collapse Site, Meets With Search Team appeared first on SLAM.

In an interview with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Herro said the current offseason would be crucial and exciting for him.

“I think this summer is a huge summer for me. I’m excited,” Herro said. “It’s my first real offseason where I’m able to focus on different things that I want to work on.

After playing a key role in getting the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020, Herro found himself coming off the bench in his second season. Although Herro played a reserve role, only starting 15 games all season, he still found ways to score, putting up 15.1 points per game.

Herro is currently spending time with Team USA’s Select Team, which practices with the Team USA Olympic team during their lead-up to the Olympics. Herro later went on to detail the exciting experience to Chiang.

“I’ll be able to really just see where I’m at and where I need to be,” Herro said. “I’m excited to just be able to take this whole week and just focus on basketball and continue to show myself and continue to get better.”

The post Tyler Herro Says He’s ‘Excited’ for Offseason appeared first on SLAM.

The roster, which features some of the most young and promising players in professional basketball, will be coached by Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, Gonzaga University head coach Mark Few and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley.

A roster of 13 young @nba standouts & 4 veteran players with international experience make up the 2021 USA Men’s Select Team that will train with #USABMNT July 6-9.

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 1, 2021

The roster features seven rookies from the 2020 NBA Draft class in Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Saddiq Bey (Detroit Pistons), Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings), Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks), Isaiah Stewart (Detroit Pistons), Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls) and Obi Toppin (New York Knicks).

Sophomores and three-year pros Miles Bridges (Charlotte Hornets), Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs), Naz Reid (Minnesota Timberwolves), P.J. Washington , (Charlotte Hornets) enter the mix as well, giving the US Select Team an intriguing stable of talent.

Four players on the roster—John Jenkins (Bilbao Basket, Italy), Cam Reynolds, Josh Magette (Darüşşafaka Tekfen, Turkey) and Dakota Mathias— all have NBA experience, and currently either play overseas or are unsigned.

Managing Director of Team USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo noted he felt confident in the program’s selection of the aforementioned players.

“This USA Select Team continues the legacy established by previous Select teams of helping prepare our USA National Team for the Tokyo Olympic Games,” said Colangelo, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director.

“With all the uncertainty of how many of our Olympic Team members will be available for the USA training camp because of the overlap with the NBA Finals, we chose a USA Select Team consisting of many of the top young NBA players and four players who not only own international experience, but who played recently for USA Basketball in important national team qualifying competitions.

If we need to add players to fill out our roster for any of our exhibition games, we feel this USA Select Team has an excellent variety of skilled players to choose from.”

Since the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program was developed in 2006, there have been six Select Teams fostered to help with preparation for events (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2021.)

The inaugural roster featured then up-and-coming players such as Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, David Lee and J.J. Redick.

Team USA’s Select Team begins their Olympic journey on July 25, where they will be competing in the Group A bracket.

The post Team USA Select Team Roster Announced for Tokyo Olympics appeared first on SLAM.

Herro, a popular player among both fans and his peers, is coming off a successful rookie season. While having the fourth-highest scoring average of the 2020 NBA Draft class, Herro also had the second-highest 3-point percentage among his draft class in 2020-21.

Showing his abilities as a shooter, Herro was named to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team and played a vital role in the Heat’s surprising run to the 2020 NBA Finals.

After such a strong start to his career, the Kentucky product admits that he thought he would be a starter coming into the season.

“Definitely thought I would be starting,” Herro tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Instead, Herro was moved to the bench after the first 14 games of the season, with fellow guard Kendrick Nunn supplanting him in the starting lineup thereafter.

Despite the move to the bench, Herro has remained positive, saying that “as the season goes on, things change and I’m OK with coming off the bench right now and just continuing to do that.”

“I think I can provide scoring off the bench,” Herro says. “Just come in with energy and try to really bring energy to the team and just try to keep going once that second unit comes in.”

As tangible evidence that Herro hasn’t let the role change hurt his production, he’s averaging career-highs of 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The post Tyler Herro: ‘Definitely Thought I Would Be Starting’ for Heat this Season appeared first on SLAM.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets are reportedly trading the 28-year old guard to the Miami Heat. Oladipo was traded to the Rockets last season in exchange for James Harden, who was sent to the Nets.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen, the Rockets will acquire Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 pick swap.

Houston is trading Victor Oladipo to Miami, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021

Rockets acquire Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 pick swap from Miami for Victor Oladipo, per source.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 25, 2021

This is the fourth time he has been traded in his career, yet the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported back in January that Oladipo had hopes to play in Miami. He also reportedly turned down a two-year, $45.2 million contract extension with the Rockets according to Wojnarowski.

Despite suffering a quad injury in 2019 that limited him to 55 games combined in two seasons, Oladipo has been making a comeback this year and is currently averaging 20.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds a game while shooting 41.1 percent from the field.

Now on the Heat, the two-time All-Star will add an athletic skillset and offensive game to a team that had a solid run in the playoffs last season and reached the NBA Finals. Oladipo, who is also a solid defender and led the League in steals (2.4) during the 2018-19 season, could pair well with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.

The post Houston Rockets to Trade Victor Oladipo to Miami appeared first on SLAM.

The U.S. Team will be headlined by LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) — four potential superstars with flair to match their talent. The quartet will be joined by James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors), Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings), De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks) and Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs).

The World Team will be comprised of R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards), Facundo Campazzo (Denver Nuggets), Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (New Orleans Pelicans), Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards), Theo Maledon (Oklahoma City Thunder), Precious Achiuwa (Miami Heat) and Mychal Mulder (Golden State Warriors).

As with the 2020-21 NBA All-Star rosters, there has been rapid response and passionate debates about whether any players were left off that should have been in. Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose game is easy on the eyes and has been productive for an improved Cavs team, is one such player.

However, while those players may not have received the recognition they (or their fans) desired, those that were awarded the honor of being on the Rising Star were undoubtedly deserving of their spots.

Traditionally, the Rising Stars Game would be played during All-Star Weekend but this year, there won’t be a physical game. The 2020-21 All-Star Game, Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest will all take place on Mar. 7 and aired on TNT.

The post 2020-21 Rising Stars Roster Unveiled by NBA Top Shot appeared first on SLAM.

Undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn of the Miami Heat came second in voting for the hardware. He recently talked to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com, saying that he thinks he deserved last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award due to how unique his situation.

“I should’ve won. I mean, if you think about it, [when have we seen] someone who was under the radar and who nobody knew and then they win multiple Rookie of the Months and has a season like that? It’s really rare for an undrafted player to perform like that and have the kind of season that I had. Obviously, it’s expected that a lottery pick — the No. 1 pick or No. 2 pick or No. 3 pick — will win that award. So, just from a ‘shocking-the-world’ thing, I feel like I should’ve won.”

When it comes to exceeding expectations, there is no question that Nunn led the charge. To go undrafted and even be considered among the best rookies in your class is an accomplishment in itself. Nunn finished his first NBA season averaging 15.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. Morant, who won the award over him, averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per contest as a rookie.

The post Kendrick Nunn On 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year Award: ‘I Feel Like I Should’ve Won’ appeared first on SLAM.

According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Spoelstra has noticed that Herro, who finished with nine rebounds, has been making improvements on defense, as well.

“He’s made significant jumps in his defense, when we had him guard Brandon Ingram one game, had him guard Jayson Tatum another game. It shows you how far he’s come defensively. He’s had 15 rebounds in a game. He’s making much better reads on different coverages, where it’s not always just the shot, but it’s making plays for others. I think his game is growing.”

Herro put the league on notice during Miami’s 2020 playoff run, showcasing just how great of a scorer he can be. Whether it’s hitting threes or creating his own shot from other spots on the floor, he was able to produce from nearly anywhere on the floor. 

If he’s able to continue to develop as a defender, Herro’s ceiling as an NBA player will only continue to rise. Getting defensive assignments like Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram shows just how much the Heat coaching staff trusts Herro’s ability on that end of the floor as those two guys are top scorers in the league. 

After being selected with the No. 13 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Tyler Herro is already making the case that he should have been taken much sooner than that. 

The post Tyler Herro’s Ceiling Continues To Rise With His Defensive Performances appeared first on SLAM.

To sit (virtually) with the very man who founded hoop mixtapes, who shifted the culture of basketball by creating a work of art that embodied it, is an honor. Hip-hop and basketball inspire the same kid, Set Free says over Zoom. Poetry in motion, set to a snare drum. 

“The ball is the sound of a drum,” he says. “The ball is the same beat as the drum in hip-hop.”

The AND1 mixtapes were born out of Set Free’s personal connection with hip-hop. Born in the Bronx, he lived “bicoastally’’ between Philadelphia and Queens and found the best of both worlds when it came to music. NY had the MCs: LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and Run DMC. Philly had the DJs: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Cash Money, DJ Mizz. He started DJing at 14, performing around the South Bronx in the 1980s.

While buying records one day at Footworks, a record store in Philly, Peter Smalls aka Biggie, a rep for AND1, approached him to ask what he thought about their sneakers. 

“I was like, they suck,” Richardson says with a chuckle. “But if you connect them with hip-hop right now, your company could be out of here. That’s how my first introduction to AND1 came [about].”

Even then, Set Free knew there was value in attaching a brand to the hip-hop community. When AND1 sent him merch, he gave it to his friends who were rappers, like De La Soul and Black Moon. He went back to Smalls and let him know that they were all wearing AND1. Then he left Tommy Boy records in 1997 and joined AND1 shortly after, where he started working in product placement. 

During a lunch break one day, Set Free says he was approached by the Head of Marketing, Jeffrey Smith, who wanted to show him some basketball mixtapes. Unsure of what to do with them but still curious, Set Free asked to take the tapes home.

He had a music studio in his basement and a VCR player above his turntables and usually liked to turn on the TV while DJing, to have it playing in the background. He popped the tapes in, and turned the volume down low as he started scratching. The snare drum hit just as a jump shot was made, a kick hit on a dunk. Boom, boom, boom.

He went back to the AND1 office the next day and was hyped for what he’d discovered. Next thing he knew, Jeffrey Smith was sending him to Miami to get in the studio to make the video mixtape. Just as he’d done with the merch, Set Free then sent one-minute snippets of the AND1 mixtapes via FedEx to his friends, like Sway and Common, and called them up to see what they thought of it.

“Some people were like, ‘Yo, where is this at? Who are these guys? Where are they from? Where do they play like this? Can we go there? Can we go see a game like this?’”

“To know that I was responsible for putting something together that touched so many people’s lives, touched some of my favorite NBA athletes today, to be a part of so many rappers’ careers, helping them break their record, I’m not gonna say AND1 was the reason they broke the records, but it helped add to record industry record labels’ plans. It’s just overwhelming, it’s a great feeling,” he says.

AND1 stopped making mixtapes in 2008 but the legacy has lived on. The very existence of hoop mixtapes today, like an NLE Choppa track playing over a Bronny James highlight video, is influenced by those AND1 tapes. 

That’s exactly why players like Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and the youngins’ like Tyler Herro and RJ Barrett mess with Set Free and his company, The Compound. They often visit his gallery and “creative hangout space” in the Bronx. 

This past NBA season, Richardson also saw an opportunity to artistically capture the movement that went on inside the NBA bubble in Orlando. Players were protesting and speaking up and the League had Black Lives Matter on the court and on the backs of jerseys. They were playing for change. 

“I wanted to create something that players would look at, see, and be like, That’s what I’m talking about,” he says. “That, for me, represents change through basketball.”

He had an idea, inspired by the image of a silhouette. Think Jerry West as The Logo and Michael Jordan as The Jumpman. He made his own silhouette of a basketball player holding a basketball, with a fist raised in the air and pitched the idea to the Players Association. 

They loved it and The Compound printed 300 shirts and sent them to different players inside the bubble—Jae Crowder, JR Smith, and Danny Green to name a few. Set Free saw his merch serving a bigger purpose.

“I created a logo and an image that wants people to stand for something and it addresses more than one issue in the world,” he says. “To be able to do it with my favorite athletes and my favorite sport in the world, it meant a lot seeing players at the podium like Jaylen Brown wearing, literally Danny Green wearing it the night of the championship. 

“To create drip with a purpose now is incredible,” he continues. “There’s not too many brands or many projects that feel like drip that means something.” 

Players like Carmelo Anthony and Kyle Lowrey all rock The Compound’s No.7 snapbacks, another product made with intention. The design is rooted in faith, as well as hip hop.

“When somebody asks me who’s my favorite artist, I say God. He created the world in 7 days. 6 days work, one day rest. That’s where it started, you know, God first is with me with everything. It’s the scripture about the whole armor of God [and] this was the physical aspect of the closest thing I could look at to create like that represents that armor of God.”

As for what’s next for Set Free, he’s moving into the production space. He’s executive producing a 30 for 30 (but can’t tell us what is yet) and is focused on continuing to tell stories and pushing The Compound beyond what people are thinking about. 

“Hey, I might do fencing and hip hop next. Ballet and fashion, who knows. It’s always the DNA of putting two things together that people won’t expect.”

The post The Man Behind The 7: Set Free Richardson Bridges The Gap Between Hoops and Hip-Hop appeared first on SLAM.

Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson have shown up to work through the first stretch of the season and will be instrumental in the team’s success for the rest of the year.

For more information about the numbers behind our Heat Check series, hop over to our main Heat Check 2020-21 post.

Tyler Herro	17.0p, 6.5r, 4.5a
Gabe Vincent	7.0p, 2.0r, 2.0a
Avery Bradley	14.0p, 2.0r, 1.7a
Max Strus	7.0p, 0.0r, 1.0a
Kelly Olynyk	8.3p, 5.3r, 2.3a
Goran Dragic	16.5p, 2.8r, 4.8a
KZ Okpala	1.5p, 2.0r, 0.0a	–
Duncan Robinson	12.5p, 3.8r, 0.5a
Bam Adebayo	19.0p, 7.3r, 5.0a
Andre Iguodala	2.0p, 5.0r, 1.7a
Chris Silva	1.0p, 0.0r, 0.0a
Jimmy Butler	11.5p, 4.5r, 6.0a
Meyers Leonard	4.5p, 1.5r, 0.5a
Kendrick Nunn	6.0p, 1.7r, 2.3a
Maurice Harkless	0.8p, 1.0r, 0.3a

Team-by-Team Breakdown

The post Heat Check 2020-21: Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

We broke down the Heat’s depth chart for the 2020-21 season below. We’ve also previously published a summary of the Heat’s offseason.

Biggest Questions

• Were the things the Heat did on the 2020 postseason run sustainable? They kicked it into another gear once the regular season came to a close. Will the Heat be a top three or four seed in the East?
• Can Goran Dragic stay healthy? He was one of their most important players early in the playoff run and ultimately got hurt. If he gets hurt again in the upcoming season, Miami will look like a completely different team.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Miami Heat: Projected 2020-21 Depth Chart appeared first on SLAM.

“We are not trading Ben Simmons—he is an important part of our future,” Morrey said on Thursday according to Shams Charania, who initially reported the news.

Charania had first reported that “conversations [between the two teams] aren’t fluid as of now,” while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that “those talks have come nowhere close to a deal.”

For those that have been following all of the recent drama surrounding Harden and the Rockets, the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets were two teams Harden had reportedly expressed interest in being traded to. The Miami Heat are also reportedly interested in the shooting guard and open to making Tyler Herro available.

Woj and ESPN senior writer Romona Shelburne also report that the Rockets have been talking to teams beyond Harden’s “preferred” list:

“Several playoff-caliber teams in the Eastern and Western conferences have told ESPN that they’re finding increased comfort in committing high-level trade assets in talks to acquire Harden,” ESPN’s staff writes. “The Rockets have ongoing discussions on several fronts and have been communicating with Harden about those scenarios,” sources said.

If a trade would have happened with Philly, the 76ers would have lost a major talent in Simmons, who averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists last season despite shooting troubles.

Simmons, 24, is a two-time All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team last season.

The post Daryl Morey: ‘We are not trading Ben Simmons—he is an important part of our future’ appeared first on SLAM.

In a recent media availability session, Spoelstra gave additional insight into the Heat’s priorities. He talked about how they owe it to Jimmy Butler to make sure they’re making moves to win now, rather than building for the future. 

“We feel a great responsibility for Jimmy to win now, instead of pushing this thing down the line.” 

After losing in the 2020 NBA Finals, Miami will look to run it back and try to win a title this season. This experience will be good for their young players in Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson. 

The post Erik Spoelstra: ‘We Feel a Great Responsibility tor Jimmy to Win Now’ appeared first on SLAM.

Harden reportedly wants out of Houston, and his lists includes the 76ers and, notably, the Brooklyn Nets so that he could join forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

It was only a few weeks ago that Rockets coach Stephen Silas said he was giving Harden “space” after he expressed interest in being traded, but Silas also mentioned that he’s “confident that [Harden will] be all-in” when the season starts.

However, Harden is continuing to push a trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne recently reported, specifically due to the “arrival of John Wall”:

“The arrival of John Wall has left All-NBA guard James Harden unmoved and uninterested in pursuing a new partnership and the franchise star continues to push the Houston Rockets for a trade,” Woj tweeted.

To make things even more interesting, Jackson reports that the Heat’s rising star, Tyler Herro, is not “untouchable” and could be “made available” in the deal:

“The source disputed any suggestion that Heat guard Tyler Herro would be untouchable in such a deal,” Jackson wrote. “Though the Heat loves Herro, the source advised against any conclusion that he wouldn’t be made available in a Harden deal if serious talks eventually happen. He would be in play.”

Herro averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists his rookie season.

The post Miami Heat Takes Interest In James Harden, Tyler Herro Not ‘Untouchable’ appeared first on SLAM.

Miami Heat center has reportedly opted to exercise his $13.6 million player option for the 2020-21 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

In his third season with the team, Olynyk averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 67 games last season. As a role player, he stepped up to fill in for an injured Bam Adebayo last season during the Heat’s playoff run to NBA Finals.

The post Kelly Olynyk to exercise player option in 2020-21 appeared first on SLAM.

Guided by one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra and one of the most influential NBA executives in Pat Riley, the Heat have excelled in the player development department and built a gritty culture in Miami. This bodes well for the Heat entering the 2020 NBA Draft, as they hold a top-20 selection that could be as impactful as Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro have been for them.

With Goran Dragic’s future with the team unclear though, Miami may not have the luxury of missing on the pick.

Related: Full Miami Heat 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Heat Draft Needs

Miami appeared to run out of gas in the 2020 NBA Finals, raising questions about whether or not the Heat truly have enough high-level shot-creators.

Yes, Miami had seven players averaging at least 10 points last season. Yes, the injuries to Dragic and Adebayo severely hampered the offense. Yet, the Heat ranked 15th in the NBA with 112.0 points per game in the 2019-20 regular season and only averaged 104.5 points in the NBA Finals.

This could be an effect of multiple Heat players being better as an off-ball option offensively rather than making a move with the ball in their hands.

In fact, four of Miami’s rotation players — Robinson, Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk — took at least 50 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Two others, Nunn and Herro, took at least 45 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Miami Heat: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

In a postseason press conference, Riley said that the Heat will focus on keeping their core group together this offseason.

“We know what our priorities are…It is to take care of the players that we have, that we have to make decisions on almost immediately. We know Bam has a decision to make and we do with him. We know the guys that have sacrificed for us that we really like, our free agents, especially Goran.”

With guys like Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and others, the Heat have great chemistry and play well together. Adebayo is due for a new contract, and Dragic is someone they want to bring back in free agency. 

While it’s likely that Miami is monitoring the Antetokounmpo situation, keeping their current core together will be crucial leading up to that potential opportunity.

The post Pat Riley Says Heat’s Focus Is Keeping Core Intact appeared first on SLAM.

In the past 10 NBA drafts, UK has had more players selected than any other school (38), the most first-round selections (29), the most lottery picks (21) and the most No. 1 overall selections (3). When the 2019-20 season started, once again, they also had the most active players on NBA rosters with 29.

Then came the 2020 playoffs and the Kentucky effect really started to show. Former Wildcats scored 2,249 points in the playoffs which was 1,458 more than the next-closest school (Marquette). In fact, Anthony Davis scored the most points by a Kentucky player in NBA Playoffs history.

For the fifth time in NBA history, four players from the same college played in the same NBA Finals while UK also became the first school with four former players to post 30 or more points in the Conference Finals with Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Tyler Herro.

Murray became first player since Michael Jordan in the 1993 to have three consecutive 40-point games while Herro was the youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points in a game off the bench. Davis shot 50-40-90 in the NBA Finals and was only the fifth player to ever do so. Rajon Rondo became the oldest former Wildcat to win an NBA Championship at age 34. His 105 assists off the bench were good for the most ever by a reserve player and helped him climb to sixth on the NBA’s all-time assists list in the playoffs.

When it comes to colleges that produce top-level talent, look no further than the University of Kentucky. For the last decade and especially in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, their former players have rose to the occasion and broken countless records.

The post Kentucky’s Unprecedented Impact on the NBA appeared first on SLAM.

In addition to a summary for each of the 30 teams (accessible in the link grid below), we’ve also tiered the top NBA free agents league-wide and published a general comparison of all teams’ cap space. Follow @SLAMnewswire on Twitter for constant offseason updates as we head into free agency.

Projected Roster Players

Projected Free Agents

Projected Dead Money

Projected Renouncements/Waivers

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Exceptions Available

• Room Exception – $4,767,000

Key Offseason Decisions

• Will the Heat stay over the cap or go under? Miami projects to get to about $22M in cap space this summer if they choose to that route. The other option is to stay over the cap and retain most of their own free agents.
• How much does planning for the 2021 offseason factor into the 2020 offseason? Miami is positioned to go big game hunting in 2021. The market will be filled with superstars and stars. Expect the Heat to be conservative this offseason, in order to retain flexibility for next year.

Projected Team Salary

$85,425,589

Expect the Heat to initially stay over the cap, but to dip under if an unexpected player or deal comes their way. Either way, look for Miami to re-sign Goran Dragic, and possibly Jae Crowder, to bigger than expected contracts, but for only one year. That way, the Heat can overpay both players as a form upfront payment now, for more team-friendly deals down the line. That will allow Miami to have them next year, while maintaining flexibility moving forward. (@KeithSmithNBA)

Cap Space Forecast

$21,917,791 (4^th out of 30)

Team Salary Cap Outlooks

The post Miami Heat: Salary Cap Space 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

Regardless of what happens, the Heat seem to be in one of the best positions in the entire league. According to Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer, front office executives around the league believe the Heat have become the league’s top destination for the next star with a wandering eye.

After the 2020-21 season, Miami is set up to potentially only have $50 million in guaranteed salary on its books, giving them enough cap space to sign a max player while also retaining their current core.

It’s worth mentioning that the free agent class that offseason could be one of the best we’ve seen in a while, headlined by guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gobert, Paul George, Jrue Holiday and Victor Oladipo.

Additionally, even outside of free agents, it’s believed that with Miami’s financial flexibility and assets that could be traded, they could be a top destination for a disgruntled star who demands a trade. With the excellent core they currently have comprised of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and others, the Heat are already one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

If you add another star to their roster, they could be the best team in the NBA down the road. It also helps that they have an excellent head coach in Erik Spoelstra who has a successful history of coaching some of the NBA’s top players.

The post Report: Executives Think Miami Heat Are Primed To Add A Superstar appeared first on SLAM.

It’s fitting then that on Friday, at just 20 years old, Herro became the youngest player to start in a Finals game when he got the nod at shooting guard for Game 2. Prior to Herro, the youngest player to start in a Finals game was Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson.

Magic was also 20 years old when he started Game 1 of the 1980 NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Magic was a week older than Herro when he started his first Finals game.

The difference between Herro and Magic’s ages at the time of their first Finals start is negligible. Nonetheless, Herro’s start in Game 2 became part of NBA history.

What’s more, this isn’t the first time that Herro’s name has been brought up alongside Magic’s. With 37 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, Herro was just five points away from tying Magic for the most points scored in a playoff game by a player 20-years-old or younger.

The post Tyler Herro Becomes Youngest Player To Start in NBA Finals appeared first on SLAM.

While the team leaders that have carried their squads through the gruelling 2019-20 campaign, out of the bubble and into the finale are household names like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler, those aren’t the only individuals who’ve graced the cover of SLAM over the years.

We didn’t break down each of the SLAM covers featuring a player representing a squad in the NBA Finals – James has been on 25 covers alone – but we did scour the archive for eight memorable ones from years past.

Regardless of which squad you’re rooting for to take home the 2020 title, the personalities on display in the seven-game series have left their mark on the league for the better part of the past two decades.

Join us as we re-live a history chronicled on the SLAM covers of yesteryear.

SLAM #134 – Dwight Howard

This wasn’t Dwight Howard’s first cover, not even his first with the Orlando Magic, but it’s an iconic one from right in the midst of his MVP caliber reign of terror. Howard had led the Magic to the Finals the summer prior to this cover dropping, he was one of the biggest stories in hoops at the time, but it’s still easy to gloss over just how dominant D12 was during his early prime.

SLAM #142 – LeBron James

LeBron James had already blossomed into SLAM royalty by the time his Miami Heat chapter unfolded – this was his 12th cover – but this is where the King would go ahead and win his first title. James eventually broke the curse in Cleveland after all but it took the detour to South Beach for the chosen one to start making his case as a potential GOAT. Nearly one decade later he’s back in the Finals lining up across from the same organization.

SLAM #145 – Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo has settled into his role as a surly veteran capable of the occasional playoff gem, so much so that it’s easy to take for granted how dominant he was early in his career. Rondo won a title as a sophomore with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and he legitimately complicated the narrative that the C’s were were led by their three higher profile superstars.

SLAM #160 – Anthony Davis

This wasn’t Anthony Davis’ first time gracing the cover of SLAM but it was his first time since taking the collegiate hoops world by storm at Kentucky. The Brow put forth a relatively modest rookie campaign after this shoot but transformed into a walking legend shortly thereafter.

SLAM #163 – Dwight Howard

After an enormous level of hype and speculation, Dwight Howard arrived in Los Angeles to co-star with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It didn’t go great. Howard’s first stint in California lasted just one season as personalities clashed in the locker room, so much so that it nearly soured him on the idea of returning. It’s 2020 now though and Howard has re-written the narrative surrounding the second half of his career. The purple and gold doesn’t look so bad on the big man after all.

SLAM #197 – Jimmy Butler

Words cannot sufficiently explain Jimmy Butler’s rise from fringe prospect to conference champion but the feisty wing has been making a name for himself since he was an understudy on a classic Chicago Bulls team. Butler bounced between franchises after leaving Chicago and finally found a home with an organization that sees the world much the same way that he does. We’re all better off as a result of it.

SLAM #220 – LeBron James

LeBron James’ free agency decision in the summer of 2018 would have sent shockwaves throughout the hoops world no matter where he signed but when the living legend put pen to paper with the Los Angeles Lakers we knew we were in for something special. It took a year for James to settle in but he’s back in the Finals for the ninth time in 10 seasons, now for the first time representing the Western Conference.

SLAM #225 – Miami Heat

We’re not going to sit here and say that we called the Miami Heat steamrolling their way to the 2020 NBA Finals but it turns out throwing love to an organization loaded with culture and high-ceiling talent would pay dividends. Butler’s arrival in South Beach took this team to new heights but Bam Adebayo’s star turn deserves recognition of its own. The fact that rookie Tyler Herro has had the confidence to shine on the stage he’s found himself on in his debut campaign is a feat in itself.

The post The 2020 NBA Finals, Chronicled in SLAM Covers appeared first on SLAM.

Both teams have had a great amount of success on their respective roads here. It took each team 15 games to get to this point, both losing just three games total through their three series. 

In the 2019-20 regular season, the Lakers and Heat matched up twice, both times before Christmas. Los Angeles took both games by a combined 18 points. What stood out most was that the Lakers dominated the glass by an average margin of 13.5 rebounds per game. While both teams struggled from deep in these two contests, it came more to the detriment of Miami who shot .235 from beyond the arc on average in the matchups. Just like they should in this NBA Finals matchup, James and Anthony Davis stole the show in the regular season series, producing a combined 112 points, 31 rebounds and 26 assists through two games.

With both teams playing very different now than they did when they last played over nine months ago, let’s take a look at what to watch for between the Lakers and Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals.

Three-Point Shooting

The Lakers are great at limiting their opponents’ three-point attempts. They allow 32.9 attempts per game, which is the second-fewest allowed in the playoffs. The Heat rely heavily on threes, shooting the second most of any team that made it out of the first round. Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Goran Dragic and several other members of the Heat produce a good portion of their points from beyond the arc.

On the flip side, Miami has shown that they like playing their zone defense. This will certainly be key in limiting James and Davis getting to the rim as easily. The one way to bust a zone is three-point shooting, which this type of defense is known to giving up. The Lakers have made the second fewest threes per game in the playoffs of any team at 11.3 per contest. In very different ways, shooting from beyond the arc will be crucial to both the Lakers and the Heat.

Getting to the Line

Both Miami and Los Angeles are excellent at getting to the free throw line to get easy points with the clock stopped and are second and fourth respectively in the playoffs when it comes to attempts per game. With that being said, Miami has shot 7.4 percent better from the stripe in the postseason.

With the way the games have been officiated in the bubble and the lopsided amount of fouls that have been called which have affected outcomes of several games, each team will need to put pressure on the refs to blow the whistle. Just like in most playoff series, it seems the team who is able to dominate the battle at the free throw line could have a lot of success, especially late in games.

Second Chance Points

Miami and Los Angeles have been nearly identical in the playoffs when it comes to generating second chance points. Heading into the Finals, both teams have scored 197 total points through second chance opportunities. When it comes to second chance points allowed, only six points separate the two teams through all three of their previous series combined.

Offensive rebounding is key in determining who will win this battle and the Lakers have the tools to win on the offensive glass. The Lakers pull down 10.1 offensive rebounds per game in comparison to the Heat’s 8.3 per contest. Los Angeles has gotten the offensive rebound on .297 of their missed attempts thus far in the postseason. While Miami has pulled down .260 of their missed shots and gotten the offensive rebound, the size the Lakers will roll out with Javale McGee and Dwight Howard gives them a slight edge.

Final Thoughts

The Lakers are certainly favorites in the 2020 NBA Finals behind one of the best to ever play basketball in James. However, looking at the numbers and how each of these teams got to this point, it should be a very even series that could go the distance. Game 1 of this series will take place Wednesday, September 30 at 8:00 PM EST.

The post 2020 NBA Finals Preview appeared first on SLAM.

“I won’t compare them,” Iguodala told Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated. “But [the] way they can handle the ball and get into their shots, Tyler shows some resemblances there.“

Iguodala had a front row seat to Herro’s 37-point display in the Miami Heat’s Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and noted specifically what about Herro reminds him of his future Hall of Famer former teammate.

“There are some resemblances in that he can get to his shot pocket off the dribble and off the shoot and catch,” Iguodala said.

Curry, of course, has been such a historically dominant shooter over the course of his career that his franchise essentially upended the NBA as we knew it. Herro has plenty of work to do to catch up to the perennial All-Star but he’s shown promise early on working with a similar skillset.

Herro has shot .378 from beyond the arc in the postseason thus far, down slightly from his regular season percentage of .389. What’s most impressive is the 20-year-old’s confidence to shoulder part of the offensive load on a team with legitimate championship aspirations.

The sheer depth of the Heat allows them to run the majority of their offense through a number of different weapons but Herro’s 37-point showing in Game 4 should give head coach Erik Spoelstra extra confidence to lean more heavily on his rookie.

We’ll join Iguodala in passing on the Curry comparisons and instead just appreciate what Kentucky product is doing so soon into his NBA career.

The post Andre Iguodala Sees Similarities Between Tyler Herro and Steph Curry appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s take a look at what to expect in this Eastern Conference Finals matchup. You can also view our Western Conference Finals Preview.

Regular Season Series

These teams matched up three times during the regular season, twice before the hiatus and once in the bubble. In the two games outside of the bubble, Boston looked like the better team by far, winning both contests by a combined 27 points. Although Jimmy Butler averged 28.5 points in these two games, it wasn’t enough to pull off the a win with the Celtics’ stars all stepping up.

However, more recently, Miami and Boston played in a bubble seeding game. Even with Butler resting, the Heat won this one by six points behind 20-plus-point performances from Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson. Although Butler has been the best player overall in the regular season series between these teams, the Celtics won the crown 2-1.

The Path Here

The Heat are perhaps the hottest team in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. After an impressive sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round, they were set to play the Milwaukee Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA during the regular season. Miami stepped up to the challenge, beating Milwaukee in just five games, bringing their playoff record to 8-1.

While Jimmy Butler has been great, as expected, the hero of their playoff run has been Goran Dragic. After starting just three games all season in a bench role, he has emerged as one of the most important players for the Heat, averaging 21.1 points per game as a starter.

The Celtics also swept their first round series, taking care of the Philadelphia 76ers without a problem. In the second round, however, it took everything they had against the Toronto Raptors. After starting out the series winning the first two games against the defending champions, they would lose their next two and the series was tied up.

From there, the teams would swap wins and ultimately play in a Game 7 to see who would advance. In a gutsy performance, the Celtics won Game 7 behind 50 combined points from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. These two young, rising stars have been the story of the playoffs for Boston, leading the team in scoring. Kemba Walker has also had his moments, averaging 19.6 points per game in the playoffs as the team’s third leading scorer.

What to Watch For

While the Celtics are slightly favored in this series, it’s not by much. Both teams have a great balance of experienced veterans and young talent. This is yet another series that could go seven games.

The Heat have a ton of shooters and it has shown in the playoffs to this point. They had a lot of success in the regular season, with their .379 three-point percentage being second best in the NBA. This has been consistent in the playoffs, as they’ve shot .380, good for third-best in the playoffs. Boston on the flip side has struggled from deep, at just .341 and worst of any team that made it out of the first round.

To combat their poor shooting, the Celtics have been great defensively. Their defensive rating of 101.9 is the best of any team in the playoffs. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart have anchored down the team on that side of the floor which has resulted in Boston winning quite a few low-scoring games. In fact, their Game 7 win against the Raptors came with a final score of 92-87.

When it comes to individual matchups, both teams are loaded with talent. The starting lineups seem to be fairly even. The trio of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum going up against Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will be fun to watch. However, this series will come down to the other players on each respective team.

While the Celtics have gotten great production from Marcus Smart in the playoffs, they’ve struggled to get consistent performances from anyone else. Luckily for Boston, Gordon Hayward is set to potentially return to action soon after an ankle injury in their first-round series. Boston’s bench has been their weakest link thus far, giving them just 18.2 points per game. Unlike the Celtics, when it comes to depth, Miami certainly has plenty. Getting 29.7 points per game from their bench has been key for their success behind guys like Tyler Herro, Andre Iguodala, Kendrick Nunn and Kelly Olynyk.

The Miami Heat took Game 1 of this series, winning by a final score of 117-114. Jayson Tatum’s 30 points wasn’t enough to get the win as Goran Dragic led Miami with 29 points.

The post 2020 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals Preview appeared first on SLAM.

We’ve listed the entire roster with comparisons to last year’s launch rating below. We’ve also identified some general NBA 2K21 ratings trends for the league as a whole.

Heat NBA 2K21 Ratings

View the NBA 2K21 player ratings for other teams below.

The post Miami Heat: NBA 2K21 Ratings appeared first on SLAM.

This year’s version of the game faced unusual circumstances as the 2020-21 version of the game is technically dropping before the conclusion of the previous campaign. Such is life in the year 2020.

Without so much as a 2020 offseason, let alone a rookie draft, the rosters themselves in the launch version of NBA 2K21 are in line with where they were in the most recently updated patch of NBA 2K20 but discrepancies among the ratings still exist. The game is geared toward next season, after all.

We’ve rounded up and sifted through the team-by-team overall rating data below. It’s on you to hit us here or on Twitter with the decisions you think the 2K developers nailed – and where they struck out.

Below the team-by-team grid, we’ve broken down additional trends, so scroll liberally.

The average player ratings were down across the board compared to last year which could indicate a slight game-wide recalibration but the numbers are indicative of how the teams stack up from top to bottom. Any generic average that weighs every single player on a team equally will be flawed, so don’t read more into this than you should, but it’s interesting to note the relative differences between the teams. It’s also a good reminder of just how scary the Warriors and Nets can be when fully healthy.

Average Overall Rating By Team

Biggest NBA 2K21 Ratings Increases

Biggest NBA 2K21 Ratings Decreases

The post NBA 2K21 Ratings: Team-by-Team Lists appeared first on SLAM.

We broke down both Monday night games below.

No. 5 Heat 115 at No. 1 Bucks 104

MIA leads series 1-0

A late revelation that Eric Bledsoe would sit out Game 1 with a hamstring injury didn’t help Milwaukee’s chances against a disciplined, well-rounded Heat club. Jimmy Butler led Miami with a personal playoff best 40 points but he wasn’t the only one that hit the Bucks where it hurt. Goran Dragic added 27 points of his own and the supporting cast of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jae Crowder proved too much. Milwaukee stung themselves by shooting just .538 from the line but the real issue that head coach Mike Budenholzer will need to address is how the Bucks can stay competitive when Giannis Antetokounmpo looks mortal. With a healthy and hungry Butler leading the charge against them, they can’t afford to make mistakes.

No. 4 Rockets 100 at No. 5 Thunder 104

Series tied 3-3

The Rockets erased a fourth quarter deficit to hop out in front of the underdog Thunder but veteran Chris Paul wasn’t about to give up on an opportunity to play into the Western Conference semis. At a time when Houston’s well-oiled offensive machine appeared geared to pull away, Paul hit a pair of gutsy step back threes, renewing Oklahoma City’s bid to force a Game 7 late. Paul scored 28 points in sum, while Danilo Gallinari’s 25 helped make up for the fact that the other two thirds of OKC’s three-headed point guard monster struggled from the field.

• Aug. 29: Post Up: A Guard Duel For The History Books
• Aug. 24: Post Up: Thunder Rally Back
• Aug. 23: Post Up: Where Luka Happens
• Aug. 22: Post Up: Lakers Hit Next Level
• Aug. 21: Post Up: Kawhi Carries Clippers
• Aug. 20: Post Up: The Empires Strike Back
• Aug. 19: Post Up: The Cavalry Has Arrived
• Aug. 18: Post Up: Crazy Eights
• Aug. 17: Post Up: Donovan Mitchell Makes History

The post Post Up: The Jimmy Butler Effect appeared first on SLAM.

Robinson may not see quite that volume of shots in Orlando but the fact that he’s emerged as another weapon that can blow up for north of 25 points gives Erik Spoelstra some interesting depth.

When the hiatus began, Tyler Herro had just returned to action after an ankle injury. In fact, the seven minutes he saw on March 11 were his first since early February. Expect business as usual – 12.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game – from the rookie at Disney World.

SLAM’s Heat Check series compares each individual player’s personal production in the month of March with their production prior. The goal is to get a sense of the direction in which players were trending when the league stood still. For a more in-depth description, check out our Heat Check (Hiatus Edition) introduction.

Heat Check Miami Heat

Duncan Robinson
Andre Iguodala
Derrick Jones Jr.
Bam Adebayo	–
Jae Crowder	–
Solomon Hill
Goran Dragic
Gabe Vincent
Kelly Olynyk
Jimmy Butler
Kendrick Nunn
Chris Silva
Tyler Herro

Team-by-Team Breakdown

The post Heat Check (Hiatus): Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

“The point is we’re right there and we’re a contender, and I’m proud of that,” Riley said in a video released by the team Wednesday.

Miami compiled a 41-24 record, good for the fourth-seed in the Eastern Conference, before the coronavirus global pandemic shut everything down last month.

Per The Miami Herald:

“We had a very, very good basketball team,” Riley said. “Very well-coached, and I think we proved it on the court night in and night out. We overcame some adversity, some injuries. When that happened, next man up. That’s one of [Erik Spoelstra’s] sayings. I think we were [41-24] or something along those lines and headed to home-court advantage in the playoffs. It was a great year. I’m really disappointed that we haven’t seen the finish, especially after we made the trade when we brought in Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder. I thought that was going to give us a little bit of an edge going into the playoffs.”

The NBA playoffs were scheduled to begin April 18, with the Heat owning home-court advantage in a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers based on the current standings.

“For all of us when we started the season, we thought we had something good,” Riley said. “Especially when we had the opportunity to sign Jimmy Butler. We didn’t really know how great Tyler Herro or Kendrick Nunn or Duncan Robinson, Chris Silva at times and a lot of our young guys, Derrick Jones Jr. And having Goran [Dragic] and having Jimmy Butler and having Bam [Adebayo], who has been around three years and having Meyers Leonard and his infectious personality and Kelly Olynyk. For all intents and purposes, I’m so happy that we turned a lot of things around and we found the right players, the right mix of pick-and-roll players, guys that can post up and really found a couple of guys that can shoot the ball — really shoot the ball — so we’re happy for that and we’re really optimistic about moving forward into the future with these players.”

Whether this season is saved or not, Riley’s goal hasn’t changed. At 75 years old, he wants to build another championship team.

“I don’t have much patience. You know me,” Riley said, with the Heat set to have enough cap space to sign a max player in the summer of 2021. “I want to build another championship team and we’re close. Maybe we need another player. Maybe we need less. I don’t know. The point is we’re right there and we’re a contender, and I’m proud of that.”

Related Pat Riley: Heat Drafted Dwyane Wade after a ‘Horrible Workout’

The post Pat Riley: Miami Heat ‘Close’ to Being a Championship Team appeared first on SLAM.

• Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks are going to be shorthanded at the center spot once again. Dewayne Dedmon had a non-surgical procedure to help alleviate some right elbow pain. Dedmon is expected to miss at least three games and will be re-evaluated after that. With Clint Capela still out for at least another week due to an injured heel, Atlanta will lean on rookie Bruno Fernando and Damian Jones for minutes at the five.
• Boston Celtics – The Celtics return home to Boston off a 3-1 trip to west coast. All four of those games were played without Kemba Walker. You probably know all about how Jayson Tatum went off, and you might be aware that Jaylen Brown had a big trip as well. But did you know that Daniel Theis averaged 16.8 PPG on 64.1% shooting and 10.3 RPG out west?

• Charlotte Hornets – Charlotte has begun to focus on their future, as the 2020 playoffs have slipped out of reach. Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington will all be in the starting five, while rookies Cody Martin, Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels are now rotation fixtures. That means veterans like Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo and Nic Batum will likely see sporadic minutes the rest of the way.
• Chicago Bulls – There might not be an NBA team more banged-up than Chicago. The Bulls are already without starting big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen and now their backup Luke Kornet is joining them on the shelf. Kornet has a severely sprained ankle and a fracture in his foot and will likely miss the rest of the season. The wing group is also struggling, as Kris Dunn is likely out for the year and Chandler Hutchison and Denzel Valentine haven’t been able to stay healthy. On the plus side, Otto Porter Jr. recently returned to practice, so he could come back soon on a limited basis.
• Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs are finishing the season in a bit of a weird spot. They’ve got older players in the frontcourt and mostly young players in the backcourt and on the wing. Collin Sexton and rookies Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. have all had flashes. Porter dropped 30 points this week in a win over the Miami Heat. Look for new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to emphasize the team’s youth the rest of this season.

• Detroit Pistons – Reports surfaced this week that Detroit will not attempt to work a buyout agreement with Derrick Rose. The Pistons like Rose’s fit with their team and he’s signed for a reasonable salary for next season. With Reggie Jackson out of the mix, Rose has taken over as the starting point guard for Detroit. He’s expected to hold that role for the rest of the season.
• Indiana Pacers – Indiana lost Jeremy Lamb this week to a torn ACL, torn meniscus and a fracture in his left knee. Lamb had started for the Pacers while Victor Oladipo rehabbed during the first half of the season, and went to the bench when Oladipo re-assumed his starting two-guard role. Now, instead of having a double-digit scorer off the bench, Indiana will ask more of Justin and Aaron Holiday and T.J. McConnell on their second unit.
• Miami Heat – The Heat’s road woes continued this week, as they dropped their sixth-straight game away from South Beach. Miami was also upset at home by the Minnesota Timberwolves. With key rotation players Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard out, the Heat’s depth has been tested. Erik Spoelstra is also dealing with the task of trying to work Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder into his rotation. All of that has added up to Miami slipping five games behind Boston in the race to stay out of Milwaukee’s half of the Eastern Conference bracket.
• Milwaukee Bucks – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Bucks are on a win streak. This time around it’s “only” four games (and counting!). The most recent of those games was a victory on the road against the Toronto Raptors. Giannis Antetokounmpo said that last year’s playoff loss to Toronto was on his mind entering that game and a motivating factor to come away with a win. The Bucks also became the earliest playoff-clinching team, when they locked up a postseason spot this week.
• New York Knicks – The Knicks continue to have flux at the point guard position. This week Frank Ntilikina went down with a groin injury. This time around Ntilikina will likely be out for a couple of weeks according to head coach Mike Miller. As Ntilikina went out, Elfrid Payton returned from a sore right ankle. Payton immediately reassumed his starting spot, which sent Dennis Smith Jr. back to the bench. The point guard revolving door continues in the Big Apple.
• Orlando Magic – The Magic have inserted trade deadline addition James Ennis III into the starting lineup. Ennis’ presence as a starter gives Orlando another shooter on the floor. While Ennis’ stats aren’t great, it seems to have opened things up for Aaron Gordon. In the month of February, Gordon is averaging 19.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 5.0 APG. That’s helped Orlando climb to within half a game of Brooklyn for the seventh seed in the East.

• Philadelphia 76ers – Philadelphia is going to be down both of their All-Stars for at least a little while, as Joel Embiid hurt his left shoulder on Wednesday. Embiid will join Ben Simmons on the sidelines, as Simmons’ return from an impingement in his back is still unclear. Philadelphia went back to Al Horford in the starting lineup with Simmons out, and Horford will remain a starter for however long Embiid is shelved.
• Toronto Raptors – The Raptors dropped a game to the Bucks, but have won 17-of-19 games, including a 15-game win streak. Toronto is getting a little bit healthier too, as they’re now down just Marc Gasol and Norman Powell from their regular rotation. Powell’s return is imminent, as he returned to full practice this week. Gasol will be a little bit longer, as he just started light practice, but the Raps are almost back to full strength in time for the stretch run.
• Washington Wizards – Bradley Beal is playing out of his mind right now. Beal has scored at least 26 points in 14 straight games. This week, he went supernova, as he scored 53, 55 and 30 points. That scoring binge has helped the Wizards cling to playoff life, as they’re 4.5 games behind Orlando for the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.

The post Newswire Notebook: Brad Beal’s Scoring Spree and More appeared first on SLAM.

Previous stories:

LIVE FROM MADISON STREET: Zach LaVine Talks Playing in Chicago

ALL OF THE LIGHTS: Remembering 1988 All-Star Weekend in Chicago

BORN & RAISED: Allie Quigley Has Been Repping Chicago Since Day 1

HOMECOMING: Kendrick Nunn’s Journey from Chicago to the NBA

—

Dear Chi,

We different. We know this. Not Paris different, not Harlem different, not Vegas, Lagos, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Sydney, New Orleans or South Central different. We stay a city within our own nation within our own world. Our flow, the way we roll, the way we think, feel about and react to things, the way we create, what we create, the reasons we create, different. We exist different.

This game ain’t just a game. It’s our export to the world. Our soul we keep. We bringin’ it back like it’s ’88. All-Star Weekend. Reminding the world who we are, where we stand and—more defiantly—what we stand on and for. We didn’t invent this game, just mecca’d it. GOAT’d it. Because we don’t follow our passion, we follow our effort. We don’t chase the end result, we embrace the process. While others trend set, we invent. We don’t just play D, we protect, baseline-to-baseline. Tony Allen and Pat Bev style. 

The mid-February classic that returns to us after a 32-year break is the culmination of decades of post-Jordan inspiration. It’s us contributing to the game in ways unmatched by any other place in the world. Since Jordan’s coming-out party that weekend (the same weekend that saw Mike Tyson marry Robin Givens here, too), the weekend where he ascended above the game and made the pound-for-pound alive title all his, all we gave to the game was the following: D-Wade, D-Rose, the Parkers: Candace and Jabari, KG via South Carolina, Tamika Catchings, three-time world champs Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Antoine Walker, Evan Turner, Cappie P, Michael Fin, Q-Rich, Jon Scheyer, officials James Capers and Marc Davis, the aforementioned Allen and Bev, Morgan Tuck, Juwan Howard, Jalen Brunson, Tyler Ulis, Sherron Collins, Will Bynum, Corey Mag, Jewell Loyd, Jamie Brandon, Ronnie Fields, the Pargos (Jannero and Jeremy), the Browns (Shannon and Sterling), and oh yeah, a kid named Anthony Davis. And they say the Dream Team changed the game. 

Shy people run. Chi people run things. We live by truism, not by code. A truism that creates a different character of man, woman and child that shed sweat on the streets that we call neighborhoods, on these courts we call home. It reflects who we are individually; it reflects what we rep as a city. Our character is defined between the water of Lake Michigan and the concrete of Kedzie; by the wind that hits our skin but never touches our bones; by the chain nets that hang from iron halos and nylon that will create string music inside the United Center come February. 

We are represented by Jake and Elwood, Cochise and Preach, Kanye and Parkay, Jordan and Pippen. We live by the difference between taking a gamble and being ambitious. Doubt to us equals not being prepared. Something we know nothing about. Our “Big Shoulders” alias comes with pride because it wasn’t given to us: we earned it. The world has always been resting on them. Second City to no one. And for those who don’t believe it, just ask someone from here during All-Star Weekend. We are not ashamed to remind those who don’t know or forgot who we are. We don’t argue, we simply disagree. We don’t create enemies, we just have low tolerance for all things faux, fake or phony. We don’t “friend” or “like” people we don’t know. We believe in shaking peoples’ hands. Eye to eye, I for I.

The new awakening has arrived. In the form of a basketball showcase we call the “Black Super Bowl.” We are its host. Here to put on, display our coexistence with a game that is, to us, what hip-hop is to NYC, film and movies are to L.A., modern technology is to Silicon Valley, capitalism is to Wall Street, corruption is to Capitol Hill, coffee is to Seattle, Nike is to Portland, Mickey Mouse is to Orlando, Donald Glover is to the ATL. That connectivity, that association. That bond shared between our city and this game called “ball” that is inseparable, undeniable and unconditional. That love.

So let’s show the world how we do. The real we. Where we shoot hoops, not people. Where presidents are from, not prisoners. Where we open the city’s door and say, “Take your Jordans off. Relax. Watch the carpet. Don’t chill, Chi-IL.” And let all visitors know that while other places play the game, we live it. And that sound everyone will be hearing all weekend is not basketballs dribbling.

It’s our heartbeat.

—

Scoop Jackson is a senior writer for ESPN.

Photos via Getty and Matthew Yarnell.

The post DEAR CHI: A Love Letter to Basketball in the Windy City appeared first on SLAM.

The Clippers were fully healthy for the first time in a while, and they made quick work of the struggling Wolves. Kawhi Leonard was his usual brutally efficient self, scoring 31 points in only 24 minutes of action. Paul George also enjoyed a complete game, pouring in 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals on 9-18 shooting.

Leading the bench, once again, were Lou Will (17 points) and Montrezl Harrell (16 points).

Karl Towns had 32 points and 12 rebounds, but nobody else on the team could muster a quality performance.

Heat 102 (33-15), Magic 89 (21-28)

Miami keeps plugging alone, and this time it was rookie Tyler Herro draining six 3-pointers off the bench, while Myers Leonard notched 18 points and 14 rebounds. Jimmy Butler led the way with 24 points.

Knicks 92 (14-36), Pacers 85 (31-18)

Good for the Knicks.

beating a respectable Pacers team while on the road deserves praise, even if Indiana is adjusting to their star player Victor Oladipo coming back. Marcus Morris Sr. led the way with 28 points and 6 rebounds, while Julius Randle contributed a beefy double-double of 16 points and 19 boards.

Warriors 131 (11-39), Cavaliers 112 (13-37)

Remember when this was a finals matchup for four straight years?

In the present day, we were treated to a strong D’Angelo Russell game, as he scored 19 points, grabbed 7 boards and dished 8 assists. Draymond Green also had a whopping 16 assists.

For the Cavs, Colin Sexton had a respectable 23 points and 3 steals.

Wizards 113 (17-31), Nets 107 (21-27)

Bradley Beal is aware he was not voted to the All-Star team.

So what does he do tonight? Well, go off for 34 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, of course.

The Nets lost again, and while Spencer Dinwiddie was a bright spot once again off the bench, Kyrie Irving exited the game late with a sprained knee and will undergo an MRI on Sunday, according to Woj. Let’s hope everything is ok.

Mavericks 123 (30-19), Hawks 100 (13-37)

No Luka Doncic and no Kristaps Porzingis?

Didn’t matter, as the Mavericks, behind 27 points and 8 assists from Jalen Brunson, took care of the Hawks.

John Collins (26 points, 11 boards), got his numbers, but Trae Young struggled before exiting with an ankle injury. At least we were treated to this high-arching beauty:

Celtics 116 (33-15), 76ers 95 (31-19)

Even without star guard Kemba Walker, the Celtics got a statement win over their rival 76ers. Jaylen Brown stepped up to the plate, with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals, as well as a beautiful handles display.

The 76ers had one of their puzzling night where they simply do not play to their full potential. Joel Embiid shot a surprising 1-11, Al Horford shot 4-11 and Tobias Harris shot 4-12.

Spurs 114 (22-26), Hornets 90 (16-33)

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and added 6 assists as the Spurs inch another game closer to the 8th seed in the West.

For Charlotte, Miles Bridges had 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, but 90 points as a team isn’t going to cut it.

Lakers 129 (37-11), Kings 111 (18-31)

At this point, it would have been understandable if the Lakers followed up last night’s close and emotional loss with another one, as they are still grieving as a collective unit. But they came out strong, scoring 81 points in the first half alone.

LeBron had a triple-double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, as well as this gorgeous pass to Avery Bradley:

Portland 124 (23-27), Utah 107 (32-17)

Damian Lillard is simply not of this world right now.

Even before tonight, Lillard’s last five scoring outputs were as followed: 61, 47, 50, 36 and 48 points.

Tonight, he added to his growing legend by dropping 51 points and 12 assists to lay waste to the Jazz.

The post Post Up: Lakers Defeat Kings Following Emotional Friday Night appeared first on SLAM.

The World

Team USA

Feb. 11: Collin Sexton replaces Tyler Herro on Team USA.

Notable

• Two players from this year’s Rising Stars game, Trae Young and Luka Doncic, have already been voted in as All-Star Game starters.
• Zion Williamson gets the nod despite having played in just four regular season contests. He’s technically a replacement player for Wendell Carter Jr.
• Shail Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are cousins from Canada. They’re joined by Brandon Clarke and RJ Barrett, making it a total of four Canadian players on The World squad.
• The Charlotte Hornets have three representatives in the game (Miles Bridges, DeVonte’ Graham and P.J. Washington). Two of those players are sophomores (Graham and Bridges) that didn’t qualify for the game last year when it was hosted in Charlotte.

Related: Check out the recently named All-Star Reserves

The post 2020 NBA Rising Stars Roster appeared first on SLAM.

In this post, just one of a series of 30, we’ll break down the reports that have started to trickle out about Heat players that may or may not be on the move. While there’s no guarantee when it comes to a league as wild as the modern NBA, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on each squad’s roster as the deadline draws near.

Players Unlikely To Be Traded

• Jimmy Butler
• Tyler Herro
• Bam Adebayo
• Kendrick Nunn
• Udonis Haslem
• Chris Silva

Offseason addition Jimmy Butler has helped raise Miami’s ceiling and the Heat are unlikely to move him as they have hopes of making some noise come playoff time. Bam Adebayo, who is a serious candidate for the Most Improved Player award, isn’t going anywhere either. Rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn seem like safe bets to remain with the squad through the deadline unless the team makes a major trade. Udonis Haslem, who is in the midst of his 17th year in the league, has a no-trade clause by virtue of re-signing on a one-year deal but let’s be real, the Heat would not likely trade the Florida-native anyway. Chris Silva inked a three-year deal with the club earlier this month and isn’t eligible to be traded before the deadline.

Biggest Name Available On Market

• Goran Dragic

Miami agreed to trade Goran Dragic over the summer only to see Dallas pull out of the deal. While it could have been an awkward situation, Dragic has remained professional and he continues to contribute to the Heat’s winning ways. He’s on a $19.2M expiring deal, so this could be his last season in Miami regardless of whether the team trades him or he looks for work elsewhere this offseason.

Logical Trade Pieces

• James Johnson
• Dion Waiters

Miami is paying James Johnson $15.3M this season and up until recently, he hadn’t played much. Dion Waiters is seeing $12.1M this season and his playing time has been non-existent because of several suspensions and him falling out of favor with the team. Both players have pricey player options on their respective contracts for next season and both players could be tricky to trade should the Heat decide to go that route. 

Trades Are Possible

• Justise Winslow
• Kelly Olynyk
• Meyers Leonard
• Derrick Jones
• Duncan Robinson
• KZ Okpala

Justise Winslow is making $13M this season and he’s missed significant chucks of time with various injuries this year. He’s expected to be back on the court in February, just before the trade deadline. Kelly Olynyk’s role has fluctuated during the 2019-20 campaign. He’s making $12.7M this year and has a $13.2M player option on his contract for next season. Meyers Leonard’s first season in Miami has gone quite well. He has started every game for the team so far. Derrick Jones has been able to showcase his abilities lately and he’s going to make Erik Spoelstra’s rotation decisions much harder once the whole team is healthy. Duncan Robinson is one of just six players who are making at least three triples per game and shooting at least 40% from deep. KZ Okpala has only appeared in three contests for the Heat this season, seeing a total of three minutes of action.

The post 2020 NBA Trade Deadline Primer: Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

Zion Williamson had the world buzzing as he scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter, nearly taking down San Antonio by himself. The No. 1 pick finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in just 18 minutes of work in his NBA debut.

Pacers 112 (29-16), Suns 87 (18-26)

TJ Warren scored a team-high 25 in his return to Phoenix to lead the way to victory. Domantas Sabonis did his part, too, adding 24 points (8-for-11 shooting) and 13 boards for the Pacers.

Jazz 129 (31-13), Warriors 96 (10-36)

D’Angelo Russell put up 26 points in 28 minutes, but the Jazz’ depth — 13 different players got on the scoreboard — was far too much to overcome for the depleted Warriors. Rudy Gobert had 22 points and a team-high 15 boards and Donovan Mitchell scored 23 in just 22 minutes.

Nuggets 105 (30-14), Rockets 121 (27-16)

The Rockets’ backcourt was completely in sync as Russell Westbrook and James Harden combined for 55 points, 21 rebounds and 13 dimes to edge the gap between them and the second place Nuggets.

Timberwolves 110 (15-29), Bulls 117 (17-29)

Zach LaVine (team-high 25 points) was able to get the W over his former team despite a 40-point outing from Karl-Anthony Towns. Lauri Markkanen added 21 to aid the Bulls.

Wizards 129 (14-29), Heat 134 (31-13)

The Heat’s bench backcourt duo of Tyler Herro (25 points, 7 threes) and Goran Dragic (22 points, 10 assists) took care of business as Miami scored 16 points in overtime to down the Wizards.

Bradley Beal scored a team-high 38 for Washington.

Grizzlies 95 (20-24), Celtics 119 (29-14)

The Grizzlies had the lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Celtics bounced back to dominate the rest of the night as Jayson Tatum scored 23 in 26 minutes of work.

Lakers 100 (35-9), Knicks 92 (12-33)

LeBron James picked up a win in his favorite arena to travel to, leading the way with 21 points, 6 boards and 5 dimes for Los Angeles.

Thunder 120 (26-19), Magic 114 (21-24)

Dennis Schroder scored 31 points (13-for-18 shooting) and had 9 dimes off the bench to lead the Thunder.

Clippers 95 (31-14), Hawks 104 (11-34)

The Clippers were only able to score 35 points in the second half as John Collins’ 33-point night pushed the Hawks ahead. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley didn’t suit up for Los Angeles and Trae Young missed the night for Atlanta.

Kings 106 (15-29), Pistons 127 (17-28)

Derrick Rose, Christian Wood and Reggie Jackson combined for 67 to lead the Pistons’ charge against the Kings.

De’Aaron Fox had 22 in the effort.

76ers 95 (26-17), Raptors 107 (30-14)

Fred VanVleet’s 22 points and Pascal Siakam’s 18 points and 15 boards led the Raptors past the Sixers in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The post Post Up: Zion Williamson TOOK OVER in his NBA Debut appeared first on SLAM.

Denver led the entire game, and mostly by double-digits.

Nikola Jokic dropped a game-high 31 points with 10 boards and 10 dimes.

Raptors 113 (22-10), Celtics 97 (22-8)

Toronto successfully countered every Boston run to snap the Celtics’ 5-game win streak.

Kyle Lowry dropped a game-high 30 points with 7 dimes.

Pacers 98 (21-12), Pelicans 120 (10-23)

New Orleans outscored the Pacers by a combined 31 points in the second and third quarters.

Brandon Ingram dropped a team-high 24 points with 7 dimes.

Jrue, Aaron and Justin Holiday became the first trio of brothers to play in the same game.

Hawks 81 (6-27), Bulls 116 (13-20)

Chicago controlled the entire game against the Trae Young-less Hawks.

Zach LaVine dropped 19 points with 7 boards. Lauri Markkanen added a team-high 25 points.

Atlanta has now lost an abysmal 10 straight games.

Cavs 94 (10-22), Wolves 88 (11-20)

Cleveland led for the majority of the game against the Wolves, who were without Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Tristan Thompson dropped 12 points with 15 boards. Collin Sexton added a game-high 18 points.

Knicks 107 (9-24), Wizards 100 (9-22)

New York built a few double-digit leads only to see them disappear to the Bradley Beal-less Wizards. But they held on to the lead when it mattered the most during crunch time.

Julius Randle continued his strong play, dropping a game-high 30 points with 16 boards and 6 dimes.

Sixers 116 (23-12), Heat 117 (24-8) (OT)

Miami battled back from a 5-point deficit with 1 minute to play to take the lead on a clutch three-pointer by Tyler Herro. But the Heat fouled Josh Richardson with less than a second left. J-Rich intentionally missed his second free-throw and Ben Simmons got a putback to send the game to OT.

The Heat would hold on to improve to an incredible 6-0 in OT this season.

Jimmy Butler dropped a team-high 25 points with 9 dimes and 9 boards. Herro added 17 points (4-8 3FG) off the bench.

Miami has now won 5 straight.

Nets 98 (16-15), Rockets 108 (22-10)

Brooklyn battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter after falling down by 18 points in the third. But the Rockets would pull away during the final minutes of the game.

James Harden dropped a game-high 44 points with 10 boards and 6 dimes.

Pistons 109 (12-21), Spurs 136 (13-18)

San Antonio would outscore the Pistons by 17 points in the third quarter and go up by as much as 29 points during the fourth.

LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 25 points (5-6 3FG) with 12 boards. DeMar DeRozan added a game-high 29 points.

Mavs 141 (21-10), Warriors 121 (9-25)

After going off for 30 points in the first half, D’Angelo Russell went down with a scary-looking shoulder injury with 5:20 left in the third quarter—and the Mavericks proceeded to blow open the game.

Luka Doncic dropped a team-high 31 points with 15 dimes and 12 boards as Dallas snapped the Warriors’ 4-game winning streak.

Magic 100 (14-18), Bucks 111 (29-5)

Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) missing his second straight game, Milwaukee jumped out to a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

Ersan Ilyasova dropped 17 points with 14 boards and 5 dimes. Khris Middleton added a team-high 21 points.

Suns 112 (12-20), Kings 110 (12-20)

Phoenix blew a 14-point third quarter lead but held on to snap an 8-game losing streak.

Devin Booker dropped a game-high 32 points with 10 dimes.

Sacramento has now lost 6 straight.

Lakers 128 (25-7), Blazers 120 (14-19)

The Lakers looked sharp after their Christmas Day loss to the Clippers, snapping their 4-game losing streak.

LeBron James dropped 21 points with 16 dimes and just 1 TO. Kyle Kuzma added a team-high 24 points.

Jazz 120 (20-12), Clippers 107 (23-11)

Utah outscored the Clippers by 12 points during the fourth quarter to pick up a big road win.

Donovan Mitchell dropped a game-high 30 points with 9 dimes and 7 boards.

The post Post Up: Heat Defeat Sixers Behind Tyler Herro’s Clutch Heroics appeared first on SLAM.

While Waiters’ latest six-game ban is coming to an end, Marks writes in a much recommended Insider feature that executives he’s spoken to agree that the guard’s career is likely over barring a turn of events.

Given the distractions that Waiters has caused over the course of the 2019-20 campaign the Heat could look to move the swingman’s contract but there are few scenarios in which a trade seems realistic.

Waiters is owed $12.1 million and an additional $12.7 next year, so the Heat would need to include some sort of sweetener to a franchise willing to take on that obligation.

Marks writes that Miami’s young core of Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro aren’t available to be thrown in as incentive to facilitate a move. The franchise is unable to include a first-round pick this year, as well.

The Heat, then, have to consider the benefits of buying Waiters’ contract out and eating the money or simply just eating the money and keeping Waiters on the roster but away from the team.

The unceremonious end to Waiters’ tenure with the Heat is difficult to watch given the narrative that unfolded in Miami during the team’s impressive 2016-17 campaign.

Waiters averaged 15.8 points per game for the Heat that season and played a major role in the club’s memorable push for a playoff spot. He was rewarded with a four-year contract months later.

The post Report: Dion Waiters’ Career In Jeopardy Barring Turnaround appeared first on SLAM.

Kristaps Porzingis stepped his game up in Luka Doncic’s absence, racking up 26 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. His plus-minus of +20 led all players.

Seth Curry added 26 points off the pine to help bring an end to the Bucks’ 18-game win streak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo brought his game, leading all players in points (48) and rebounds (14). No other Bucks starter scored double-digit points as the rest of the team shot just 35.1 percent from the field.

Wizards 133 (8-17), Pistons 119 (11-16)

Bradley Beal led the way with 35 points and 10 assists and Isaiah Thomas scored 23 in his return from injury as the Wizards scored 43 points in the first quarter and never looked back.

Derrick Rose scored 22 off the pine, but the Pistons suffered from the absences of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

Cavaliers 113 (6-21), Raptors 133 (18-8)

Pascal Siakam (33 points), Kyle Lowry (20) and Norman Powell (26) lit up the scoreboard as Toronto picked up a blowout win.

Spurs 107 (10-16), Rockets 109 (18-9)

The Rockets overcame a 25-point deficit — its largest ever in a victory — to deliver a payback blow to their in-state rival.

Russell Westbrook scored a team-high 31 points and James Harden scored 28 on 10-for-29 shooting.

Heat 111 (19-8), Grizzlies 118 (10-17)

The rookies ran the show for both sides as the Grizzlies picked up a win while wearing their Vancouver-inspired throwback jerseys.

Ja Morant had a team-high 20 points and 10 dimes and Brandon Clarke added 14 points and nine boards off the bench.

Tyler Herro scored 22 for Miami and Kendrick Nunn added another 18.

Trail Blazers 111 (11-16), Suns 110 (11-15)

Kelly Oubre (24 points) completed a four-point play in the final minute to give Phoenix the lead, but Dame Lillard came right back with an and-1 of his own to give Portland the win.

CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony and Lillard combined for 80 points.

Bulls 106 (10-19), Thunder 109 (12-14)

Zach LaVine dropped 39 on just 25 field goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Bulls let go of a 21-point first quarter lead as Chris Paul (30 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals) led the OKC comeback charge.

The post Post Up: Porzingis, Curry Snap Bucks’ 18-Game Win Streak appeared first on SLAM.

Spencer Dinwiddie finished a tough, go-ahead layup with 26 seconds left to lift the Nets to their 3rd win in a row and 8th in their last 10. Dinwiddie dropped a team-high 24 points and added 8 assists, and Jarrett Allen finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Nikola Jokic stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists, and Jamal Murray added 21 for Denver.

Hawks 122 (6-17), Hornets 107 (9-16)

The Hawks outscored the Hornets 34-24 in the fourth quarter to secure the win in Charlotte. Trae Young did his thing, dropping a game-high 30 points and adding 9 dimes. The Hornets were led by PJ Washington and Miles Bridges, who both finished with 20 points in the loss.

Clippers 135 (17-7), Wizards 119 (7-15)

The Clippers’ superstars were dominant as LA cruised to a win in Washington. Kawhi finished with 34 points, 11 boards, and 5 assists on 12-18 shooting, and PG dropped 27, 6, and 6. Montrezl Harrell added 20 points off the bench. For the Wizards, Davis Bertans hit 6 threes and finished with 25 points in the loss.

76ers 110 (17-7), Raptors 104 (15-7)

Philly came away with a big win in a battle between two of the top teams in the East. Tobias Harris led the way with 26 points, and Ben Simmons added 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. Kyle Lowry dropped 26 on 7-14 shooting for Toronto.

Heat 110 (17-6), Bulls 105 (8-16)

It was the Tyler Herro show in Miami.

The rookie hit big shot after big shot in the Heat’s thrilling overtime win over the Bulls. Herro finished with 27 points, including 16 of the team’s last 18 and 11 of 13 in overtime. It’s safe to say that this young bucket getter has officially arrived.

Jimmy Butler added 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. The Bulls were led by Lauri Markkanen, who dropped 22 points in the loss.

Kings 110 (9-13), Mavericks 106 (16-7)

The Kings went up big early and held off the Dallas comeback to secure a big road victory. Nemanja Bjelica led Sacramento with 30 points on 13-18 shooting, and Buddy Hield added 26 points on 10-15 shooting. For Dallas, Tim Hardaway Jr. dropped a team-high 29 in the loss. Luka Doncic (27p, 7r, 8a) extended his streak of consecutive games with 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists to 19, passing Michael Jordan for the most since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. The 20 year old has been unstoppable all year and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Thunder 108 (10-12), Blazers 96 (9-15)

OKC outscored Portland 26-18 in the fourth quarter to grab their 10th win of the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 14 of his team-high 21 points in the 4th quarter for the Thunder. For the Blazers, Damian Lillard finished with 26 points and 7 assists, and CJ McCollum added 20 in the loss.

Lakers 142 (21-3), Timberwolves 125 (10-12)

There’s something special brewing in LA, and it all starts with the dominant duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

AD went OFF for a season-high 50 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 20-29 shooting, his first 50-piece as a member of the Lakers. The King added 32 points and 13 assists on 12-20 shooting in the win. The LakeShow secured their NBA-best 21st win of the season and have won 9 of their last 10.

Are the Lakers the early favorites to win it all? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The post Post Up: AD Drops 50 to Lead Lakers to Win Over Wolves. appeared first on SLAM.

GOIN’ UP. HEAT WAVE. THE COLDEST

SLAM 225 highlights rising stars at every level of basketball. The issue has features on three ridiculous high school hoopers pushing the culture forward (Sharife Cooper/Josh Christopher/Jalen Green), a certified bucket out in Atlanta (Trae Young), Miami’s new fire squad (Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro), a future UConn Huskie with the swaggiest game in the country (Paige Bueckers), two young ascending NBA guards (Devonte’ Graham and Collin Sexton) and much more. Pull out posters of Luka Doncic and Elene Delle Donne included. COP UP!

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 225

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We thought we were ready to start shooting. The strobe lights and C-stands were set in their proper positions. The seamless background paper had been unfurled, stabilized and secured to the ground so that when the three Heat players were to arrive inside our designated room (the old WNBA’s Miami Sol locker room), they’d be able to step right on set and begin their cover shoot immediately. It didn’t quite happen that way, though.

On this Monday afternoon in early November, the AmericanAirlines Arena in downtown Miami is bustling with foot traffic throughout its event level hallways. The arena operations crew is breaking down the stage equipment and seating that had been occupying the event floor all weekend when motivational speaker Tony Robbins came to town for four shows in four days. The Heat were on a three-game west coast trip during that period. Workers wheel out sets of chairs and stage equipment through the hallways, preparing the arena for tomorrow’s home game against the Detroit Pistons. 

In the midst of all the movement and clamor, we realize that the three official NBA game balls needed for our shoot have yet to arrive to the room when Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro begin walking in. The team’s PR representative quickly steps out to track down the basketballs. Without them, the shoot is on halt.

Jimmy, Bam and Tyler stand around waiting in the meantime. The players’ moods could understandably turn sour at any moment. They’re fresh off practice. They’re probably hungry and/or tired. And standing in the way of food and rest is a photoshoot that is currently on hold until three basketballs arrive on set. 

Yet, the mood in the room is everything but sour. Jimmy has decided to take over DJ duties, and now blaring through his phone’s speaker is country music. Lots of it. For the next 20 minutes, we listen to Edwin McCain’s “Walk With You” and Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses” and everything in between. Jimmy would later go on to name Luke Bryan, Luke Comb, Jimmy Allen and Kane Brown among his other favorite country artists at the moment. The only time the music genre changes during our shoot is when Bam decides he’s had enough of Jimmy’s country tunes and counters it by playing music on his own phone simultaneously from the opposite side of the room.

“He listens to this one all the time though, bro,” says Bam while shaking his head. “Me? I listen to soul—soul!” He then proceeds to play Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” while making eye contact with Jimmy and bopping his head. Jimmy smiles back. 

Back to the beginning of the shoot, though.

We’re all sitting there listening to Jimmy’s country music playlist while waiting for basketballs to arrive. Suddenly, Butler decides it’s time to begin the shoot—with or without the balls—and simply starts art directing.

He begins by laying on the floor on his left side, with his right arm on his hip and his left arm in a 90-degree angle while resting his head on his hand—encouraging the photographer to snap away. Bam, joining in on the joke, stands behind him and places his right foot on Jimmy’s leg. Tyler, unsure if he is really supposed to participate or just wait for the PR rep to return, decides to stay seated in a nearby locker. 

“Come on, T! It’s a photo shoot! Be a part of the team,” a cheerful Jimmy yells. 

Tyler gets up and walks over to him. Jimmy changes his pose. This time he lays flat on his stomach, both hands under his chin with his elbows on the floor and his legs kicked up. He sports a huge smile from ear to ear and faces the camera. Bam stands behind him, softly resting his right foot on Jimmy’s back. Tyler stands next to Bam with his two arms out holding peace signs.

Jimmy then quickly gets ups and yells, “Oh, I got it! Look! Let’s do the cheerleading pyramid! I’ll be on top!”

No, the team’s PR rep isn’t back yet. It’s only been, like, a minute. But in the past 60 seconds alone the energy in the room has skyrocketed exponentially. It’s like when the teacher steps out of the classroom for a little bit and the kids in the room decide it’s party time.  

Jimmy places his hands on his teammate’s backs, motioning for them to get down so that he could climb on top to complete the pyramid. “Hell no!” yells Bam. A light-hearted debate ensues. Bam argues that Tyler should be on top since he weighs less. Jimmy insists that he wants to be on top—it’s his idea after all. They turn to Tyler to settle the debate. Tyler volunteers to be on the bottom. Jimmy raises both of his arms up, fists pumped in the air. “Ahhh!” Bam disapproves of Tyler’s decision and refuses to participate. Jimmy once again motions for both to get down. Tyler is ready to oblige and begins setting his knees on the floor. And then in walks the team’s PR rep. He’s holding the three basketballs but his attention quickly turns to what his players are trying to do. Jimmy says they must complete the pyramid before the real shoot can start. 

“Hey, don’t you remember what we just learned in media training?!” the PR rep tells them, smiling. “Really?!” 

“This is a great photo,” Jimmy responds. 

“This is not a great photo!” Bam says, laughing.

Jimmy agrees to be on the bottom and lets Tyler be on top, in order to get the photo to finally happen. “Give me an M. M! Give me an I. I!” Jimmy yells.

“I’m telling y’all right now, I do not approve of this,” the PR rep tells the trio while laughing and shaking his head. 

It’s a light-hearted moment and everyone gets a good laugh from it. The real shoot will now commence. But in between the jokes lies an obvious truth.  

The bond within this team is genuine. It’s not a front. They really click and they’re fun to be around. This trio, specifically, appears to have strong chemistry—especially when you consider that two of them just joined the team this past summer and that they’re barely one month into the regular season when this shoot is happening.   

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 225 FEATURING THE HEAT

They could have easily lost interest in the shoot while waiting for the basketballs to arrive. It would have been understandable—they were coming off practice after just returning from a west coast trip. They could have just chosen not to interact with anyone until the PR rep returned. They could have just kept to themselves, strictly business and formal, as many NBA shoots are.   

But Jimmy is just genuinely too happy at the moment for all of that, and so instead he figures out a way to keep everyone loose and engaged while we wait. 

Jimmy chose this destination and couldn’t look more pleased with the decision and where he’s at in life right now. After a couple of years of trying to find himself and where he fits within the team, Bam is primed for a breakout season and the national notoriety he rightfully deserves. And Tyler—after watching many teams on the draft board pass on him last spring, he’s landed in a perfect spot that has allowed him to flourish early on in the season.  

It’s a new era in Miami basketball, where the same tough-minded Heat culture continues to thrive, while new faces form a gritty but tight-knit environment that looks to take the franchise into its newest chapter. 

Butler raised eyebrows during the summer when he decided to sign with the Heat as a free agent. Miami has missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, and three of the past five. Playoff teams like the Clippers and Rockets were rumored to be in pursuit of him, along with the 76ers, who were looking to re-sign him to a max deal. But Butler chose the franchise that had finished 10th in the East last season instead. Haters claimed that winning wasn’t a priority to him and that he didn’t have championship aspirations.

Fast forward four and a half months and Butler has a lot to smile about. He’s already dispelled any of the narratives that his foes tried to spark during the summer. The Heat are 14-5, which is tied for the best start in franchise history through 19 games. Butler has helped bring back a winning culture to South Beach. And a championship is indeed the ultimate goal within the locker room. 

So yes, Jimmy Butler has every reason to be smiling from ear to ear while art directing pyramid poses during our cover shoot. He’s found the perfect home. Heat legend Dwyane Wade described Butler in early October as the epitome of “a Miami Heat culture guy.” The hard-nosed, demanding, no-nonsense culture that team president Pat Riley has built goes perfectly with Butler’s intense blue-collar work ethic. 

“It’s real and it’s not for everybody,” says Butler of the culture that attracted him to Miami. “But it’s for the three people that are sitting right here. We love it and it’s great to be in the trenches with all the guys we get to be in the trenches with. It’s tough, but when the times really get hard, we know what we can bank on to take us over the edge—whether it be the physical toughness, the mental toughness. Emotionally, we’re ready for any and everything anybody throws at us.”

He continues: “We got a lot of dogs. A lot of guys that feel like they got something to prove. That’s what I’m rocking with. We got people you can talk to, and it might be in a harsh way sometimes, but it’s never personal. You say what you have to say and you move on because y’all still have the same goal in mind and that’s to win. Everybody works relentlessly here. If you don’t, you wouldn’t come here or they wouldn’t bring you here. I think that’s why we all get along so well. We like being around one another because we all think alike, we all work the same, and that’s the common goal. Me and my guys.”

He arrived to the first day of Heat training camp at 3:30 am. The news went viral. For Butler, though, it was just another early morning routine. While appearing as a guest on Vince Carter’s “Winging It” podcast in early November, he noted that he usually goes to sleep at 7 pm on non-game days. When asked about it during our shoot, he confirmed. 

“I do, because I wake up so early to work. I don’t really do nothing at night. During the year, [because of] games we play, I go to sleep later. But if we just got practice or something, and it’s not a long day like today is, I’ma sleep,” he says. 

“I need my nine [hours of sleep]. It’s not a game. If I don’t get my nine, you can count me out.”

Tyler Herro, meanwhile, is new to all of this. The rookie found himself having to adjust to the Heat culture immediately. 

“Oh, we threw him in the fire—day 1! First day of pickup we made him guard Jimmy!” says Bam while bursting into laughter.    

Butler and Herro then proceed to debate who won the most games between their respective teams during that practice.

“I was killing you,” says Butler playfully, with a smirk on his face. 

“I wasn’t scoring?” Herro responds. 

“You weren’t scoring on me!” Butler counters.

The chemistry between the two teammates is glaring, despite the 11-year age difference. 

“I think both of them have really been like big brothers to me. Bam, just coming from Kentucky. We’ve had similar paths. And Jimmy, he took me under his wing since this summer and really pushing me and showing me the right ways, giving me confidence and really just putting me in the right spots,” Herro tells SLAM. “They threw me in the fire first day Jimmy was in Miami. Had to guard him in pickup. I thought I did pretty well but they just wanted to see how I would react. They were going at me but it was fun.”

Butler flew Herro into Chicago during the summertime to work out with him. The two quickly developed a bond. 

“To tell the truth, it’s been the same shit different day with this kid down here,” says Butler of Herro. “He’s always one of the first ones in the gym. Always one of the last ones to leave. And that’s the marking to the beginning of a true pro—a great player at that. He’s going to continue to be who he is and show why he’s going to be in this League for a long time.” 

The work has already paid dividends early on. In only the fourth game of the season, Herro exploded for 29 points against the Atlanta Hawks—the most by a Heat rookie since D-Wade. He’s been one of the most consistent rookie performers in the League thus far this season. 

And then there’s Bam—the only returning Heat player of the trio. He’s enjoying the best season of his career so far. As of this writing, he’s averaging 13.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game—career-highs in every single category.

He humbly brushes off the numbers. Butler intervenes. 

“Don’t be humble, tell them how you do everything well! Because he does. He won’t say it. I’ll say it,” says Butler. “He works super hard and he’s everywhere on the floor. You need him to pass it, he can pass it. He needs to shoot the corner three ball more. He rebounds, he handles the ball, he sets great screens. You can’t take him off the floor. He’s a key part to what we want to do and what we will continue to do. Spo [head coach Erik Spoelstra] knows—in order to win, you gotta have Bam out there on the floor.” 

Although the numbers are definitely welcoming for Bam, he’s more interested in discussing the dynamic of this team. He doesn’t answer the question regarding his career-high stats after Butler chimes in. Now in his third year with the Heat, Bam would much rather talk about the transformation he’s witnessed this season among the entire squad. 

“This team has more intensity around it. It’s more—I don’t know the word to describe the aura around it but it’s like a lot [more] hype around us. We enjoy each other’s success. I feel like that’s a big thing about us. We’re pure about it. And we’re not scared to talk to one another. Like Jimmy said, it might come off rude, but at the end of the day we all have one goal in mind. It wasn’t like that my first two years,” says Bam. “It was more like our team was kind of cliquey; like three people over here and three people over here. This team, everybody is one whole unit. And that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 225 FEATURING THE HEAT

Franklyn Calle is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @FrankieC7.

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson and via Getty.

The post EVERYTHING LITTY: The Miami Heat Are On Fire 🔥 appeared first on SLAM.

After succumbing to a pre-Thanksgiving loss to the Celtics, the Nets roared back in their second consecutive game against Boston. Guard Spencer Dinwiddie was fantastic in Kyrie Irving’s absence, scoring 32 points, dishing out 11 assists and swiping 2 steals. Third year center Jarrett Allen continued his solid play of late, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 boards on 7-12 shooting.

The Celtics have played excellent ball recently, despite losing Gordon Hayward to a hand injury. Jayson Tatum has bounced back from his sophomore slump to take over the scoring reigns this year, and he scored 26 points, corralled 9 rebounds and collected 4 steals in the first game of Black Friday.

Raptors 90 (14-4), Magic 80 (7-11)

The Raptors just keep on winning. Amid a slew of free agent departures and injuries to Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Toronto has kept on chugging. They can even sustain an off-night from Pascal Siakam thanks to Norm Powell exploding for 33 points and Fred VanVleet putting up 22 and 7 steals.

The Magic shot 34% from the field, and that’s really the only stat you need to know to get an idea of how their night went.

Hornets 110 (8-12), Pistons 107 (6-13)

PJ Washington has continued his impressive rookie campaign, scoring 26 points and grabbing 4 steals on an efficient 9-12 shooting performance.

It’s been an uninspiring start to the season for Detroit, but at least Derrick Rose has proven to be a spark plug off the bench. He dropped 23 points on 8-12 shooting, and also provided us this adorable moment with his son, PJ, before the game.

Bucks 119 (16-3), Cavaliers 110 (5-14)

Giannis set the tone instantly with a dunk on the first play of the game, as the Bucks won their 10th straight game to finish off the Cavaliers. The Greek Freak remains a beast, and it’s incredible that he makes 33 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks seem ordinary.

Even in defeat, the Cavs have been competent. Rookie Darius Garland showed out with 21 points, 6 assists and 5 three-pointers. Keep an eye on the rook, because he’s going to be a stud in this league for a long time.

76ers 101 (13-6), Knicks 95 (4-15)

The 76ers had a sluggish start, as they were outscored 18-31 in the first quarter, but they eventually got their act together to take care of business. Joel Embiid was fantastic, scoring 27 points (albeit on a subpar 7-19 shooting), corralling 17 boards and swatting 3 shots, while Ben Simmons brought the 76ers home with a late-game inbounds steal and score.

He also converted this acrobatic layup on the move.

Jazz 103 (12-7), Grizzlies 94 (5-13)

In perhaps the most visually appealing game this season (seriously, each team absolutely nailed their throwback jerseys), the Jazz were too much to handle for the young Grizz. Bojan Bogdanovic put up 33 points, Rudy Gobert chipped in a solid double-double and Donovan Mitchell added 20 points of his own.

Thunder 109 (7-11), Pelicans 104 (6-13)

The Thunder came back by outscoring the Pelicans 30-20 in the 4th quarter. Dennis Schroder led the way off the bench with 25 points and 7 assists, while Steven Adams finished them off with a thunderous (pun intended) slam dunk down the stretch.

The Pelicans are swill biding time before the Zion Williamson’s highly anticipated debut, but in the meantime, Brandon Ingram seems content to keep on cooking. He had the smoothest transition from spin move to dunk:

Heat 122 (13-5), Warriors 105 (4-16)

It’s so weird to see the record 4-16 next to the Warriors, but that’s what happens when Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston are absent.

The Heat have been one of the best stories of the young season, riding a new wave of their young talent (Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow) to supplement their veteran core of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk. the team shot a blistering 52% from deep. Also, they never miss on the gorgeous Miami Vice city edition jerseys.

Spurs 107 (7-13), Clippers 97 (14-6)

The Spurs broke out of their surprising downward spiral by giving the Clippers their first loss when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both shared the court together.

For the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge had one of his most complete games of the season, going for 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks.

Pacers 105 (12-6), Hawks 104 (4-15)

Despite a monstrous Trae Young performance (49 points on 16-28 shooting with 8 three-pointers and 9-9 from the line), the relentless Pacers pulled away in overtime. No other starter on the Hawks scored more than 7 points.

With Malcolm Brogdon back in the fold, Indiana has been rock solid this season. Every starter scored between 16 and 20 points; the epitome of a group effort.

Mavericks 120 (12-6), Suns 113 (8-10)

Luka Doncic went scorched earth all over the poor Suns. The Slovenian sensation dropped 42 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists in a convincing victory against the Suns. Tim Hardaway Jr also chipped in 26 points.

The Suns have slowed down a tad after an impressive start to the season, but a core four of Devin Booker, Aron Baynes, Kelly Oubre and Ricky Rubio has outscored opponents by 8 points per 100 possessions all season, and center DeAndre Ayton is set to return soon. The future is bright in Phoenix.

Blazers 107 (8-12), Bulls 103 (6-14)

Melo is looking like his old self, and every moment is beautiful to watch. He scored 23 points and grabbed 11 boards, while teammate Hassan Whiteside swallowed a Blazers franchise record 10 blocks to go along with 15 rebounds. Maybe he grew dissatisfied with his NBA 2K rating again.

For the Bulls, Zach LaVine led the way with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and so far, zero public disputes with Jim Boylen today.

Lakers 125 (17-2), Wizards 103 (6-11)

Well, that was certainly a blowout. The Lakers have been on fire this season and they showed no signs of letting up Friday at Staples. LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way per usual, with commendable contributions from Rajon Rondo (who threw two beautiful alley-oops), JaVale McGee and Danny Green.

The post Post Up: Trae Young Drops 49 Points, But Hawks Succumb to Pacers in OT appeared first on SLAM.

Kemba Walker made his return to the court following a neck sprain sustained last week and he delivered. Walker registered a season-high 39 points as he scorched the Nets’ defense. Kyrie Irving was inactive for his return to Boston.

Pistons 101 (6-12), Hornets 102 (7-12)

Detroit failed to get a shot off as the buzzer sounded, losing this game by just one point. Charlotte meanwhile boasted six double-digit scorers, led by Bismack Biyombo (19 points). Blake Griffin put up 26 in the loss.

Magic 116 (7-10), Cavaliers 104 (5-13)

Orlando dominated in the second half to get win No. 7 this season. Evan Fournier led the team with 30 points. Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Cleveland.

Jazz 102 (11-7), Pacers 121 (11-6)

Indiana continues to turn heads as they keep the wins coming. The Pacers received big scoring nights from Domantas Sabonis (23 points), TJ Warren (23 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (22 points). Bojan Bogdanovic notched 30 points against his former team.

Kings 91 (7-10), 76ers 97 (12-6)

Despite the close score, Philly was in control throughout. Joel Embiid put up 33 points one game after going scoreless.

Knicks 98 (4-14), Raptors 126 (13-4)

Toronto scored 37 points in both the second and fourth quarters as they pulled away. Pascal Siakam scored 31 points in 30 minutes of action.

Heat 108 (12-5), Rockets 117 (12-6)

James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 61 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in the win. Heat rookie Tyler Herro contributed 22 points.

Clippers 121 (14-5), Grizzlies 119 (5-12)

Montrezl Harrell hit the game-winning tip-in layup with 2.3 seconds left to break the tie. Harrell co-led the team in scoring (along with Lou Williams) with 24 points.

Hawks 102 (4-14), Bucks 111 (15-3)

Giannis Antetokounmpo recored a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds in Milwaukee’s home win. Jabari Parker put up an impressive 33 points against his former team.

Timberwolves 113 (10-8), Spurs 101 (6-13)

The duo of Andrew Wiggins (26 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (23 points) helped pace Minnesota’s scoring as they outlasted San Antonio. LaMarcus Aldridge notched 22 points in the loss.

Wizards 140 (6-10), Suns 132 (8-9)

Washington had the scoring edge thanks to Bradley Beal (35 points), Thomas Bryant (23 points) and Ish Smith (21 points). Devin Booker scored 27 points to lead the Suns.

Lakers 114 (16-2), Pelicans 110 (6-12)

Anthony Davis came up clutch in the final seconds, knocking down three free throws to steal the win in New Orleans. Davis finished with a monstrous 41 points against his former team. LeBron James made history as the fourth player ever to reach 33,000 points.

Thunder 119 (6-11), Blazers 136 (7-12)

Portland continues to click on all cylinders, getting their second win in a row. Damian Lillard led the team with 27 points, while the team also got key contributions from CJ McCollum (22 points), Hassan Whiteside (21 points) and Carmelo Anthony (19 points).

Bulls 90 (6-13), Warriors 104 (4-15)

Warriors rookie Eric Paschall gave the team a spark with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Zach LaVine scored 36 points for the Bulls.

The post Post Up: Anthony Davis Comes Up Clutch in Return to New Orleans appeared first on SLAM.

Nothing beats the first set of returns that come in after the early success stories around the NBA. Time and again we see both fresh and familiar faces take the first weeks of the season to make a statement.

NBA 2K20 has released its first batch of rating updates and the names that have gained the most are turning heads across the country.

We’ve assembled team-by-team breakdowns for each squad, which you can access in the table below. See which players are trending up and which saw their ratings decline since the video game launched in September.

Early Season Risers

+7 Devonte Graham (76): It’s a brave new world in Charlotte as the Hornets adapt to life without Kemba Walker. Fortunately, 24-year-old Devonte Graham has burst out of the gates with some enormous performances in the first stretch of his sophomore campaign. Graham dropped 23 in the season opener, 35 earlier this week and even dropped 12 dimes in a game late last month.

+6 Eric Paschall (77): The injury ravaged Golden State Warriors needed all the help they could get early on and found some in the form of their 2019 second-round pick Eric Paschall. Paschall followed up a 25-point gem with a 34-point showing on his 23rd birthday last week and could be a big part of the Dubs rotation heading forward.

+6 Kendrick Nunn (76): If Kendrick Nunn’s 40-point preseason finale wasn’t enough of an indication that the undrafted rookie can fill the statsheet, his three games of 24-plus in October may have done the trick. No player since Kevin Durant has scored more points across their first five games in the league. Now we wait to see if the volume can hold now that Jimmy Butler is back in the lineup.

+6 Duncan Robinson (73): The Heat have always been good at filling out their rotation with homegrown, meticulously developed talent. Consider Duncan Robinson one of the latest to prove that he’s capable of more than we initially expected. Robinson hasn’t filled the statsheet quite like the players above him on this list but he’s topped 20 twice, showing that he’s got an extra gear when head coach Erik Spoelstra needs it.

+4 Trae Young (89), Brandon Ingram (85), Derrick Rose (84), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (83), OG Anunoby (77), P.J. Washington (76), Isaac Bonga (72),

+3 Luka Doncic (90), Andre Drummond (89) , Malcolm Brogdon (86), Wendell Carter Jr. (81), Aron Baynes (78), Tyler Herro (76), Josh Okogie (76), Brandon Clarke (76), DeAndre Bembry (76), Mortiz Wagner (74), Damion Lee (73)

The post Updated NBA 2K Ratings Show Early Movers appeared first on SLAM.

Through six games, Washington is averaging 15 ppg and 6.7 rpg. We caught up with the 21-year-old to talk about life in the NBA, his opening night performance, video games and more.

SLAM: I know you’re five games into the season, but let’s take it back to draft night. What was that feeling like hearing Adam Silver call your name?

PJ Washington: I was sitting at the table and when you’re in the green room, you kind of know who the camera’s going to that person. I looked up, Adam Silver was walking to the stage and all the cameras were in my face, so I was like now’s the time. I was excited, I heard my name get called [and] I couldn’t really say much. I hugged my family, hugged Coach Cal, dapped up my teammates Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson. I went on stage and was just excited—a lot of smiles and emotions from that night.

SLAM: How’s the NBA life been for you since then?

PJW: It’s been great. Everything’s been moving fast. A lot of travel and loving every bit of it. I get to follow my teammates, play video games a lot, listen to music and try to do a lot of other things to keep my mind off the court.

SLAM: You showed out in your debut scoring 27 against the Bulls. Walk me through what’s going through your mind when you see the first 3 three-pointers go in?

PJW: When I hit the first three [shots], man, I don’t even know how to describe it. It just felt good to finally be in an NBA game and make a shot. And then… once I seen a couple fall, I tried to keep being aggressive on both ends and whenever I had an open shot, I’d take it with confidence.

SLAM: What are some goals you’ve set out for yourself this season?

PJW: I want to win as much games as possible and be able to contribute on both ends. I want to average at least 8 rebounds and score at least 15 points. I gotta be out there on the court not fouling and be in my right mind to be able to guard on the defensive end. And eventually win Rookie of the Year.

SLAM: Tim Martin is someone you’ve been working with for a minute. How’s he helped you expand your game?

PJW: I’ve been working with Tim since I was a freshman in high school. We’ve been working on the basics—mechanics since day one—and trying to master that. I feel like that’s been a big reason why I’m making shots and why my confidence is up since working with him. He works on all the little things to make me better, helping me get better at watching film and just off the court like chilling and trying to get our minds off basketball.

SLAM: I know you said you’re a big gamer. What are your go-to games you’re playing on off days?

PJW: I play a lot of 2K, Call of Duty, Madden, Fortnite—pretty much anything, honestly.

SLAM: Who’s the best gamer on the team?

PJW: Without a doubt it’s definitely me. I’m the best in Fortnite, best in Madden, definitely the best in 2K and I haven’t seen anybody else play Call of Duty, so I would say I’m the best in that, too.

SLAM: Would you say you’re the best gamer in terms of all rookies too?

PJW: Oh yeah, without a doubt.

SLAM: Have you found any favorite food spots in Charlotte?

PJW: Not yet. Everybody’s been telling me there’s a lot of good food places, but they can never give me names, so I’m always confused. I don’t know where to go, so I just have to look into that a little bit more.

—

Drew Ruiz is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @DrewRuiz90.

Photos via Getty

The post PJ Washington Talks Opening Night, NBA Life & More appeared first on SLAM.

Jimmy Buckets made his debut and dropped 21 as the Heat cruised to their third win of the season. The rookie Tyler Herro shined, finishing with 29 points on 7-9 shooting and 3-4 from downtown.

The Hawks were led by John Collins, who finished with a game-high 30 points (10-17 FG) in the loss. Trae Young went down in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Thankfully, X-rays were negative and it’s being called a right ankle sprain. Hoping for a speedy recovery, Trae was hooping to start the season.

Mavericks 109 (3-1), Nuggets 106 (3-1)

The Mavericks outscored the Nuggets 26-18 in the fourth quarter to pick up a statement win on the road. It was a full team effort for Dallas, with nine players scoring in double figures. They were led by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber, who both dropped 14 apiece off the bench.

Paul Millsap led the nuggets with a game-high 23 points to go along with 8 rebounds. The Joker added a clean triple double, finishing with 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists in the loss.

Lakers 120 (3-1), Grizzlies 91 (1-3)

Lakers fans, meet AD.

Anthony Davis had the best game of his young Laker career tonight, going OFF for 40 points and 20 rebounds in just three quarters (31 minutes). Davis set the franchise record with 26 free throws made and became the first Laker since Shaq in 2003 to post a 40-point, 20-rebound game. It’s safe to say the AD era has officially begun in LA.

Lebron added 23 points and 8 assists in the blowout Lakers win. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies, dropping 16 points in the loss.

The post Post Up: Anthony Davis’ Monster Night Leads Lakers to Win appeared first on SLAM.

While this year’s rookie class was rocked by the news that No. 1 pick Zion Williamson would miss the first few weeks of the regular season with a knee injury, the Pels’ bruiser isn’t the only first-year player worth flipping on League Pass for.

We’ve seen two days of NBA action thus far and the majority of teams have already tipped off for their first game of the season. Here’s a quick run down of the 2019 NBA Draft picks that logged minutes in their team’s opener.

Ja Morant (MEM) • 2019.1.2

R.J. Barrett (NYK) • 2019.1.3

Darius Garland (CLE) • 2019.1.5

De’Andre Hunter (ATL) • 2019.1.4

Jarrett Culver (MIN) • 2019.1.6

Coby White (CHI) • 2019.1.7

Rui Hachimura (WAS) • 2019.1.9

Cam Reddish (ATL) • 2019.1.10

P.J. Washington (CHA) • 2019.1.12

Tyler Herro (MIA) • 2019.1.13

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (NOR) • 2019.1.17

Matisse Thybulle (PHI) • 2019.1.20

Brandon Clarke (MEM) • 2019.1.21

Grant Williams (BOS) • 2019.1.22

Darius Bazley (OKL) • 2019.1.23

Jordan Poole (GSW) • 2019.1.28

KZ Okpala (MIA) • 2019.2.32

Carsen Edwards (BOS) • 2019.2.33

Bruno Fernando (ATL) • 2019.2.34

Eric Paschall (GSW) • 2019.2.41

Admiral Schofield (WAS) • 2019.2.42

The post Count ‘Em Up: 2019 NBA Rookie Debuts appeared first on SLAM.

The Miami Heat have announced that star guard Jimmy Butler will miss the team’s season opener for personal reasons. The team is scheduled to host the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center at 7:30 pm EST.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that head coach Erik Spoelstra says “everything’s fine” and that “the truth will come out” but the absence will put the Heat to the test in their opening matchup. Butler was at the team’s morning shootaround, Winderman says.

Butler was the prized addition that the Heat landed over the course of the summer and his absence will create an opportunity for Tyler Herro to see more minutes in his NBA debut.

Dion Waiters, suspended by the team, is also unavailable to play.

The post Jimmy Butler Sidelined To Miss Opener For Personal Reasons appeared first on SLAM.

NBA Award Predictions

Champions: Los Angeles Clippers

Most Valuable Player: Anthony Davis

Rookie of the Year: Zion Williamson

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

Sixth Man: Lou Williams

Most Improved: Terry Rozier

Rookies Most Likely To…

Drop a fire album: Coby White

Appear in a Gunna music video: Cam Reddish

Be a second-round steal: Bol Bol

Start dancing in the middle of a game: Darius Garland

Steal your girl: Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Average 10 rebounds: Rui Hachimura

Average 10 assists: Ja Morant

Average 20 points: RJ Barrett

@Leaguefits Most Likely To…

Wear his own jersey to the arena: Gerald Green

Be posted on @LeagueFits and @SLAMKICKS the same night: PJ Tucker

Be @LeagueFits ROY: Tyler Herro

Be @LeagueFits MVP: Kelly Oubre

Have a breakout season: Dwayne Bacon

Wear a tuxedo to a game: Serge Ibaka

Have their entire roster at fashion week: Houston Rockets

Wear sunglasses Inside: John Wall

@SLAMKICKS Most Likely To…

Have the most diverse collection: Montrezl Harrell

Have the best PEs: Kyrie Irving

Have the most heat this season: PJ Tucker

Surprise people with his collection: Taurean Prince

Play in designer shoes: Russell Westbrook

Be @SLAMKICKS ROY: Bol Bol

NBA Most Likely To…

Be Comeback Player Of The Year: Dejounte Murray

Have the best handshake: Russell Westbrook & James Harden

Dunk on your head: Miles Bridges

Be the best duo: LeBron James & Anthony Davis

Be a first-time All-Star: East—Trae Young, West—Donovan Mitchell

Be the best Twitter duo: Damian Lillard & CJ McCollum

Have the best bench celebrations: Brooklyn Nets

Block your shot: Mitchell Robinson

Drop 70 points in a game: Bradley Beal

Be the best LeaguePass team: Atlanta Hawks

Photobomb an interview: Jared Dudley

Break your ankles: Kemba Walker

Have the best social media clapback: Joel Embiid

Invent a new move: Stephen Curry

Roast a reporter at a press conference: Mike Scott

Use a Drake lyric as an Instagram caption: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The post NBA 2019-20 SEASON PREVIEW: Award Predictions and Superlatives appeared first on SLAM.

Below is a list of the contract types the Miami Heat have heading into training camp. This resource will be updated as players are signed and waived. Check back often to see if your team’s roster configuration has changed.

Miami Heat

For a complete list of all the NBA teams and links to each team’s roster breakdown, check out our 2019 NBA Training Camp Index. Follow the curators of this database, Chris Crouse and Austin Kent, on Twitter.

More NBA Training Camp Rosters

The post Miami Heat Roster Count: 2019 Training Camp appeared first on SLAM.