This might have been the second for experimentation and maybe the beginning of one thing huge, with the Minnesota Timberwolves arriving to FTX Area on Tuesday evening for the Miami Warmth’s exhibition opener.
There arguably is not any higher opponent in right now’s NBA to check the probabilities and feasibility of going with twin huge males than towards what the Timberwolves will provide this season with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Cities.
Such direct evaluations, nonetheless, should wait, with Cities recovering from a non-COVID sickness that stored him out of coaching camp.
With the Warmth within the offseason bringing again veteran huge man Dewayne Dedmon at twice final season’s wage, even with Bam Adebayo and Omer Yurtseven already in place, the Warmth are positioned to roll out one thing alongside the road of twin facilities, significantly and not using a true energy ahead on the roster.
“Taking part in with two bigs is one thing that undoubtedly is in our wheelhouse,” coach Erik Spoelstra informed the Solar Sentinel throughout coaching camp.
Which additionally has been the case since Adebayo was chosen No. 14 out of Kentucky in 2017.
Which is also one thing that principally merely has not occurred with Adebayo.
Final season, Spoelstra utilized twin huge males for a complete of 33 minutes, under no circumstances within the playoffs.
It's a sample that started upon Adebayo’s arrival, when he performed simply 52 minutes alongside Hassan Whiteside through the 2017-18 common season, none through the Warmth’s five-game playoff run that postseason.
“I don’t understand how we’ll handle that through the common season,” Spoelstra stated, “however in coaching camp we do have to take a look at all of our totally different variants of our lineups. That’s what coaching camp is for, that’s what preseason is for.”
The Warmth’s five-game preseason schedule properly might go a good distance towards figuring out whether or not there might be a subsequent huge factor for Spoelstra.
The fixed in Spoelstra’s huge lineups has been the presence of at the very least one 3-point-shooting huge man.
For instance, earlier than Kelly Olynyk was dealt to the Houston Rockets on the March 2021 NBA buying and selling deadline, he performed 37 video games and 630 minutes that season alongside Adebayo.
The season earlier than, Adebayo performed 1,365 mixed minutes alongside both Olynyk or Meyers Leonard, one other outside-shooting huge man.
And in 2018-19, Adebayo performed 1,038 minutes alongside Olynyk.
Finally, it might come down as to whether any of the Warmth’s huge males can create the kind of 3-point spacing offered by final season’s beginning energy ahead P.J. Tucker, who left for the Philadelphia 76ers in free company.
Yurtseven stated he spent the offseason making at the very least 300 3-pointers a day, capturing them, he stated, at an 80% clip.
Adebayo stated he, too, transformed that many 3-pointers throughout his exercise days, “at about 70%.”
For his half, Dedmon shot a career-best .404 on 3-pointers final season on restricted makes an attempt with the Warmth, after averaging multiple 3-point conversion a recreation throughout a two-season stint with the Atlanta Hawks.
“You noticed me in Atlanta? I had two years the place they needed to respect the three,” Dedmon stated. “I didn’t go away from it. I wasn’t getting the identical alternatives. Got here right here, simply tried to work my manner into determining the offense earlier than I began doing different issues.
“Final 12 months I noticed my alternatives. I took ‘em once I might. That’s what I did this summer time. I labored on consistency, ensuring it falls extra usually.”
The difficulty with Adebayo is that if he turns into the floor-spacing huge man, it could additional take him away from the rim, in mild of all of the switching he does to the perimeter on protection.
“The best way the sport goes, you’re going to have to start out capturing extra threes,” Adebayo stated. “It makes it extra dynamic on your offense. I really feel like huge dudes have to shoot threes.”
So Adebayo & Yurtseven? Adebayo & Dedmon? Dedmon & Yurtseven?
“Spo’s a wise man,” Dedmon stated. “No matter he sees match, he’s going to do. I like to play with Bam, however we’ll see what occurs.”
Miami Warmth dual-center utilization
2021-22 common season
Adebayo-Yurtseven, 3 video games, 18 minutes.
Adebayo-Dedmon, 5 video games, 14 minutes.
Dedmon-Yurtseven, 1 recreation, lower than 1 minute whole
2022 playoffs
Adebayo-Dedmon, no time collectively
Adebayo-Yurtseven, no time collectively
Dedmon-Yurtseven, no time collectively
2020-21 common season
Adebayo-Olynyk, 37 video games, 630 minutes
Adebayo-Leonard, 2 video games, 16 minutes
Adebayo-Achiuwa, 6 video games, 7 minutes
Adebayo-Dedmon, 1 recreation, lower than 1 minute whole
2021 playoffs
Adebayo-Dedmon, one recreation, eight minutes
2019-20 common season
Adebayo-Leonard, 49 video games, 781 minutes
Adebayo-Olynyk, 58 video games, 584 minutes
Leonard-Olynyk, 3 video games, 4 minutes.
2020 playoffs
Adebayo-Olynyk, 9 video games, 39 minutes
Adebayo-Leonard, no time collectively
Leonard-Olynyk, no time collectively
2018-19 common season
Adebayo-Olynyk, 75 video games, 1,038 minutes
Olynyk-Whiteside, 50 video games, 458 minutes
Adebayo-Whiteside, 12 video games, 14 minutes
2017-18 common season
Adebayo-Olynyk, 39 video games, 477 minutes
Olynyk-Whiteside, 21 video games, 186 minutes
Adebayo-Whiteside, 11 video games, 52 minutes
2018 playoffs
Adebayo-Olynyk, 5 video games, 52 minutes
Olynyk-Whiteside, 4 video games, 12 minutes
Adebayo-Whiteside, no time collectively
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