Kembali
Whose stock is up and whose on the downside after the Miami Heat lose to the Golden State Warriors. The Miami Heat are 10th in the Eastern Conference and have a 3-6 record. It’s been a real rough start to the season and even though some games have been encouraging, the Heat are far from a complete team.
Players like Klay Thompson and Bam Adebayo have been playing great lately, but there are also a few players who continue to disappoint. I did my first stock watch after five games, and a few things have changed since then. Some players have turned things around, while others are still struggling to make an impact.
Bam Adebayo was on my stock-down list after the first five games, and at the time, I thought he deserved to be there. He was struggling offensively, wasn't shooting the ball well, and looked uncomfortable at times trying to figure out how to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Over the last four games, Bam has looked much more like the player we're used to seeing, and I've really liked how aggressive he's been offensively. Bam has been very efficient from the field and he has been attacking the basket much more during this stretch and getting to his favorite spots. He has been shooting less threes and focusing more on the midrange and has been great at taking advantage of mismatches.
Even in the loss to Golden State, Bam was one of Miami's more efficient players, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting.
I still think there's another level Bam can reach offensively, especially playing next to Giannis, but I'm encouraged by what I've seen recently. He's being more assertive, and that's exactly what Miami needs from him.
I know Klay Thompson didn't have a great game against his former team on Thursday, but I'm still putting him on my stock-up list because of what we've seen from him recently.
Let's start with the obvious factor, that game-winning three-pointer against the Clippers was incredible, and considering how badly Miami needed that win, I don't think you can overstate how big that moment was for this team. This was Klay’s first three point game winning shot under five seconds left on the clock.
Klay was brought to Miami to provide outside shooting, and while he hasn't been as consistent as we'd like, he's starting to show why the Heat wanted him in the first place.
He struggled against Golden State, scoring 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting, but I'm not going to overreact to one bad game, especially after what he did against the Clippers.
Klay has been a more reliable threat from three-point range and his percentage from deep is now at 41%, he has been really valuable for this team over the past four games.
Andrew Wiggins was on my stock-down list after five games, and unfortunately, I haven't seen enough from him to change my mind.
Coming into the season, I thought Wiggins was going to benefit more than almost anyone from playing alongside Giannis and Bam. With defenses focusing so much attention on those two, Wiggins should have opportunities to attack closeouts, get easier looks, and provide Miami with another reliable scoring option.
Against the Warriors, Wiggins had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes, and for a player with his ability, that's simply not good enough.
Wiggins is playing with zero energy and urgency and you barely even notice him when he’s on the floor.
Miami needs Wiggins to be a consistent contributor, not someone who has one good game followed by two or three quiet performances. Until that changes, his stock is staying down.
I had some expectations for Tim Hardaway Jr. coming into the season because I thought his shooting could really help this team, especially with how much Miami needs floor spacing around Giannis and Bam.
But nine games into the season, I'm starting to wonder how much of a role he's actually going to have moving forward.
Hardaway has struggled to find his shot, and what's even more concerning is that his minutes are starting to disappear. Against the Warriors, he played just four minutes and missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.
That's not exactly encouraging for a veteran who was brought in primarily to provide outside shooting.
I still think Hardaway can help Miami when he's making shots, but the problem is that he doesn't offer enough in other areas to justify playing him heavy minutes when his jumper isn't falling.