Jimmt Butler on board game! Go Go

3 Heat takeaways from win over Hornets in preseason opener

In their first exhibition game of the season, the Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets 113-109. The noise level of the fans at Kaseya Center was comparable to that of a postseason contest.Exhibition basketball can indicate a team’s strengths and faults, but fans should still treat the preseason with a grain of salt. It’s also a wonderful method for coaches to try out new things, like alternative rotations or seeing what their younger players can bring to the table and how to integrate new players into the system.

The positives and negatives on exhibit in South Beach on Tuesday night are exactly the reason why Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra noted during training camp that while his rotation isn’t set, the preseason gives him and his coaching staff an early look at what works and what doesn’t. Three key points from the Heat’s exhibition season opening victory over the Hornets are discussed here.Another summer has come and gone with Tyler Herro’s nаme in trade speculations, making for a difficult offseason for him. But he’s still a member of the Miami Heat, and this year could be his оffensive best.

Herro led the club in scoring with 22 points and grabbed five boards in the exhibition opener, giving fans a glimpse of what they may expect from him this season.There’s no denying that the Heat relied on Herro heavily when Jimmy Butler took a seat, but he’s had better nights than his 9-for-22 performance on the night in question. It was to be expected that he would show signs of game rust in his first game back since Miami’s play-in game against the Chicago Bulls in the middle of April.

After two years of scoring about 20 points per game, he hopes to establish himself as a consistent third scoring option behind Butler and Bam Adebayo. Herro got a bloody nose early in the game and had to leave, but he eventually came back.

Thomas Bryant’s influence is growing quickly.

In the midst of Miami’s months-long pursuit of Lillard, the organization quietly acquired Bryant, a veteran center whose presence might pay benefits in 2023-24. The former Wizard and Laker made the most of his court time and was a force all night long for Washingtоn on Tuesday.After over 19 minutes on the court, he concluded with 15 points and eight boards. Bryant was a handful for the Hornets on the оffensive glass and was constantly in motion on the defensive end. The Heat acquired Bryant mostly as depth for their starting frontcourt of Adebayo, Kevin Love, and Orlando Robinson, but he has since shown to be a reliable reserve.Yet another exciting Miami three-point specialist?Duncan Robinson and Wayne Ellington, now a coach, are just two of Miami’s many recent and noteworthy three-point specialists. The Heat may have found their next great shooter in Cole Swider. It certainly felt like way in the second half of Tuesday’s game, when he scored all 17 of his points and blew the roof off Kaseya Center.

Even though it was a preseason game, whenever Swider made a three-pointer, the crowd went wild. Swider’s strong shooting caused the Heat to look to him repeatedly when they were trailing and in need of a big basket.Again, there is a limit to what can be learned from preseason games. Swider should be assured of a spot on the regular season roster if this kind of thing keeps happening during the preseason.