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Portis proving to be more than Part B of Antetokounmpo addition; NBA GMs have Heat 7th in East
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- Portis proving to be more than Part B of Antetokounmpo addition; NBA GMs have Heat 7th in East
MIAMI — Part B of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade has already shown during the preseason there will be A-list contributions. For the Miami Heat, Bobby Portis is viewed as more than a throw-in when it comes to the offseason roster overhaul.
Coming off a season when he shot .456 from beyond the arc alongside Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks, Portis twice was left unguarded to drain wide-open 3-pointers in Wednesday night's exhibition victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Kaseya Center.
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The shot has been there, and in the clear, during the preseason, and likely will be as free and clear when the games start to count on Wednesday night.
"You've got to pick your poison," Antetokounmpo said of seeing Portis being left open. "You can't stop everything. Some teams think that Bobby cannot make open shots. But if I was Bobby, I'd love it. I'd love it. But Bobby is going to be himself.
"He's always going to make shots. He's going to bring that intensity."
While Portis has been anchoring the second unit during the preseason, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been intentional in cycling Antetokounmpo back in for minutes alongside his former Bucks teammate.
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"He's a guy that I've played with for many, many years," Antetokounmpo said, with the Heat turning their attention to Friday night's preseason finale against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. "He knows exactly when I have the ball, how I operate, where the open spot will be for him."
For as well as Portis has meshed, Antetokounmpo said he expects more to come.
"I think he's still trying to figure it out," Antetokounmpo said, "because I've played with him, he's still trying to figure out the system. When he has that down, he's going to be a big threat for our team."
Spoelstra said creating a balance is the next step with Portis, who can play center in some Heat lineups, and not having him solely spacing at the 3-point line.
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"Typically, you want your fives plugged in the paint," Spoelstra said. "And when you have really good spacing fives that can make you pay, that makes every defensive team have to reconfigure.
"He and Giannis have a great connection. Giannis has found him over several years in those corners, particularly that right corner."
But Spoelstra said more will be needed than just spot-up Portis.
"He's also a good cutter," Spoelstra said. "And I think he's underrated in that area. We just need to shore up some of those things. We don't want guys to stay on that perimeter all the time.
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"I'm not losing sleep over it. I understand that it's going to be a process."
Survey says
The Heat received several mentions in the NBA's annual survey of the league's general managers that was released Thursday.
When it came to forecast finish in the East, the Heat tied for No. 7 (a play-in seed) with the Indiana Pacers.
In the player rankings, Antetokounmpo was voted as the league's top power forward by a wide margin, as well as the most impactful offseason addition. Bam Adebayo tied for fourth among most-versatile defenders.
In the coach ranking, Spoelstra was ranked as best in the league overall, tied for first in best motivator/manager, ranked third for in-game adjustments and tied for second for defensive schemes. Also, the Heat's Chris Quinn tied for third as best assistant coach.
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For front-office ratings, the Heat were ranked second for best offseason overall moves, behind only the 76ers.
Showcase opportunity
With Adebayo missing Wednesday night's exhibition due to right-groin soreness, it afforded Nick Richards a starting showcase days before the Heat have to decide on his opening-night contract guarantee for the balance of the season.
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Richards, an offseason minimum-scale free-agent addition, closed with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and five rebounds in 16:24 against the Nets.
"He's been doing what he does well," Spoelstra said. "And oftentimes in this league, you have to simplify your role and just do what you do: He rebounds the ball really well. He plugs the paint. And if he's not blocking shots, he just has size and verticality.
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"You feel his presence in the paint. And that's all we've wanted him to do, is just to be himself and play to his strengths. He's really embraced that."
For now, it is sounding as if Richards will be a keeper, unlike when the Heat waived Precious Achiuwa at the end of last year's preseason on a similar make-good deal.
"He's in very good shape," Spoelstra said of Richards. "So I've been encouraged by his minutes in all the games that he's played."
Adebayo did not travel, nor did point guard Dru Smith (calf), on Thursday to Orlando, with the remainder of the roster in tow.
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Done deal for TV
The Heat on Thursday announced an agreement has been finalized with My15 WTCN in West Palm Beach for free, over-the-air television coverage of the team this season starting with Friday night's exhibition against the Magic.
The agreement, according to the Heat, will allow access in Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Martin and Indian River counties.
As with WPLG-Local 10 in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, there is an app available for My15 WTCN for those beyond the signal reach of the station.
