KEYS TO THE GAME at Miami Heat
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
The Chicago Bulls announce their 57e season with a visit to Miami to face the Heat in the first of three meetings of the 2022-23 season. The last time Chicago opened to Miami was on October 31, 2006, with the Bulls rushing the defending NBA champions 108-66. Kirk Hinrich led Chicago’s offense with a game-high 26 points, while Dwyane Wade was the only Heat player to reach double digits with a team-high 25.
The Bulls and Heat are both coming off productive preseasons. Chicago went 3-1, scoring 124.5 points while giving up 111.0. The Bulls also shot a searing .530 from the floor (186-351) and .398 (47-118) from beyond the arc. Miami went 4-1, scoring 113.8 points and allowing 104.4. The Heat didn’t necessarily shoot the ball well at .431 (198-459) overall and .349 (75-215) from deep, but typically they chased it defensively, forcing 20.6 turnovers and collecting 10 .8 interceptions per game.
As for tonight, here are some things to watch out for (6:30 p.m. CST warning – NBC Sports Chicago):
IF YOU MESS WITH THE BULLS, YOU GET THE HORNS
During the preseason, Chicago was led by five-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who made three appearances and averaged 21.3 points in just 24.7 minutes. Third-year man Javonte Green also had a terrific preseason, seeing action in all four competitions, delivering 15 points a night while shooting 20-of-28 (.714) and getting 6-on-4. 9 (.667). ) from a distance. Center Nikola Vučević also made his presence felt with two double-doubles en route for 14.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals in 24.3 minutes per outing. The 7’0 center wreaked havoc inside and out, shooting .676 (25 of 37) from the floor and .500 (7 of 14) from behind the arc.
The Bulls announce the new season with Lonzo Ball still sidelined with knee issues. When Ball was on the floor last year, Chicago sat atop the Eastern Conference for most of the first half, but when his left knee gave way, the Bulls struggled a lot, while making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Ball recently underwent second surgery in less than eight months on his troublesome knee, and there’s real hope he’ll be back sometime after the schedule changes. in 2023. In the meantime, second-year goaltender Ayo Dosunmu is expected to take his place at the wheel. Dosunmu started 40 games last season after Ball fell and has steadily improved each time. He is an uncompromising defender who does a solid job of taking care of the ball and organizing the team in the half-court. He will have to keep growing, and there is absolutely no doubt among the coaching staff and his teammates that he can do that.
DeRozan was superb last season, scoring in double figures in every appearance (76), hitting the clutch, beating the buzzer and single-handedly taking the fourth quarter on multiple occasions. He ranked second in the league with 64 games over 20 points and finished 5e in the NBA by scoring 27.9 points. Zach LaVine also had a terrific year, recording 56 20+ games and 17 30+ games. LaVine was also named All-Star for the second straight year and finished 12e in scoring with an average of 24.4.
This season, the Bulls consistently want to get everyone on offense with better ball movement. If the preseason is any indication of what’s possible to come, Chicago could sneakily become an offensive juggernaut.
The Miami Heat enter 2022-23 as legitimate title contenders. Last season, they finished as the No. 1 seed in the East and were three-point Jimmy Butler away from making their second NBA Finals appearance in three seasons. The biggest question mark for the Heat this year is whether Kyle Lowry, 36, is bouncing back from a tough season where his 18.2% usage rate was his lowest since his third year.
When healthy, Jimmy Butler is a serious MVP candidate. While not a lethal shooter or scorer, Butler is a classic overachiever – he just wins.
Butler had two 37-point games last year to score his season highs. But then, when the lights shine brightest, it took him just two games in the playoffs to top it off, dropping 45 points to the Atlanta Hawks. Butler then came out and eclipsed 40 points three times during Miami’s run to the Conference Finals.
Good health will always be the primary key for Butler. While that’s true for everyone, Butler has been limited to fewer than 60 games in each of the past four seasons. When he’s on the court, the Heat are strong contenders and Butler is a legitimate MVP candidate because he’s one of the best two-way players in the game. While he should probably stop taking long-range shots (.240 3FG% in the regular season over the past three seasons), the rest of Butler’s game ages much like fine wine.
As with Miami’s other bright spots, newly extended Tyler Herro is not only a dead-eye perimeter shooter, but also transforming into a shrewd playmaker. 13e the 2019 overall pick won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season. Herro is expected to enter the starting lineup this year, so Miami’s hope is that veteran guard Victor Oladipo could remain healthy enough to fill the void as the sixth male spark. Oladipo has struggled with serious leg issues for the past few seasons but played well off the bench in the playoffs last season.
But to take it to the next level, Miami needs more production from its frontcourt, including some more from Bam Adebayo, who continues to improve with each passing year. Miami didn’t sign any major free agents over the summer to help its cause. They allowed last year’s starting forward PJ Tucker to leave as a free agent, and it looks like they could go with 6’5 Caleb Martin in his place. Martin can shoot the ball (.413 3FG%), but he’s not a particularly strong defender and/or rebounder. Opponents will most likely attack Martin early and often to see if he is up to the challenge.
