The Miami Heat started the 2021-’22 regular season in the perfect way. Just after tipping off, Miami propelled to a 26-5 lead with lockdown defense and never looked back with a 42-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s dominating performance over the Bucks.
Tyler Herro’s performance sets the tone for this season
Tyler Herro had an incredible night of play with 27 points (team-high), six rebounds, and five assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the floor with four triples. Herro was good right off the bat and provided a huge offensive boost from the bench.
While the Miami Heat’s bench didn’t need that boost with 75 points, they won’t be putting out numbers like that every night. However, Herro’s performance is eye-opening since he will be the team’s sixth man this season.
Saying the 21-year-old guard looked good might be an understatement. Herro did all of that in 24 minutes and became the first Miami Heat player with a performance of 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 25 minutes or less in the last 20 years.
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There was much scrutiny over Herro’s play last season after he tore it up in the NBA Bubble but be reminded that last offseason was his first full offseason as a member of the Heat. If he makes a big jump, it would not be surprising.
Expectations were set high for Herro coming into the season and many people picked him to be the Sixth Man of the Year Award winner. Well, it is only one out of 82 games, but Herro could be poised for a breakout season.
Bam Adebayo’s aggression brings the Miami Heat’s offense to a new level
Bam Adebayo’s aggression on offense was noticeable right off the bat in Thursday night’s game. Adebayo attempted three shots in the first minute of action and wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball all night.
Last season, Adebayo lacked aggression and Brook Lopez gave him a disrespectful amount of room to shoot the ball in the Bucks’ series. However, the 24-year-old forward barely attempted to shoot until later in the series.
Things were different with Adebayo against the Bucks as he attempted the second-most shots on the team behind Herro. In fact, Adebayo went straight at the defending NBA Finals MVP and destroyed him at both ends of the floor.
When defended by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Adebayo scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting with three turnovers. It was a dominating offensive performance outside of the turnovers, which can be cleaned up.
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When Adebayo defended Antetokounmpo, the 26-year-old superstar scored three points on 1-of-7 shooting. It was a clinic on both sides of the ball. The defense has always been there for him, but the offensive output is what everyone wants to see.
If Adebayo can build on this performance and become consistently aggressive on offense, there are no limits to how good he can be as a player.
P.J. Tucker’s play was as advertised in the first game
P.J. Tucker’s stat-line wasn’t eye-popping with only eight points, six rebounds, and two assists, but it goes way beyond the box score with him. This will most likely be the case for a majority of the season and that’s great for Miami.
Tucker guarded Khris Middleton more than any other player last night and it definitely showed. When defended by the 36-year-old forward, Middleton shot 0-of-5 from the floor with two turnovers. It was a tough night for him with only 10 points.
However, the statistics provided in the previous section say everything you need to know. Tucker won’t go out and put up flashy numbers, but he’ll do his job on the court and put up a defensive clinic. That’s what we saw against the Bucks.
Overall, Tucker caused five turnovers in the game. Four of those were committed by Antetokounmpo and Middleton. Bucks’ players shooting on Tucker went 1-of-8 from the field with Antetokounmpo being the only player to make a shot.
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It was a very impressive outing from Tucker and Erik Spoelstra even sent out praise for his performance. He undoubtedly wanted to make a statement after he left the organization last offseason. Adebayo even called him the biggest reason why they won the game.
The Heat’s free-agent acquisitions last season did not do much of anything outside of the first few games of the year. However, you get the feeling that Miami nailed it with Kyle Lowry and Tucker. In fact, the Heat won by 42 with Lowry only scoring five points.
It was an incredible performance by the Miami Heat and one they will look to build on as they face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.