Giannis Antetokounmpo is all in on Miami, but he’s keeping it real: the Heat’s breakneck offense is going to take him a minute to figure out.
Speaking at the Heat’s media day on Monday, Sept. 28, the 31-year-old superstar was asked about a system that led the league in pace last season, as first reported by ClutchPoints. His answer was honest.
“It’s different. It’s probably gonna take some time for me to get used to it,” Antetokounmpo said.
The funniest detail? Giannis admitted that in a recent pickup run he was the trailer on the break. “I was the last guy in the transition, which is new to me,” he said. That’s a wild sentence from a man who built a career outrunning everybody on the floor.
The numbers explain the culture shock. Miami averaged 104.22 possessions per 48 minutes last season, while his old Bucks squad ranked 23rd in pace.
The IAHHM Take
Don’t read this as a warning sign. Read it as a grown superstar managing expectations. Giannis likes what he sees, especially the off-ball movement, and he’s already talking big about the scoreboard.
“We’re going to be able to get the scoreboard up to 110, 120 each night, which always gives you a chance to win, and we’re going to guard,” he said.
He also gave Erik Spoelstra his flowers, pointing to Spo’s habit of switching things up when a plan stops working. Pair that with Bam Adebayo and a roster that already plays fast, and Miami is suddenly a problem on paper.
Point guard Davion Mitchell echoed the patience theme after the first day of training camp at Florida Atlantic University on Tuesday, Sept. 29. “I mean, that’s why we have preseason. That’s why we have training camp. Everything is going to be new,” Mitchell said.
The first look comes Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Heat open the preseason against the Toronto Raptors. The games that count start Oct. 21 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
So here’s the question: how long before Giannis is the one leading the break in South Beach, and is this Heat squad a real title threat out the gate?
Related on IAHHM: Draymond Green Calls Tyler Herro and TJ Ford’s Bucks Photoshoot ‘the Corniest Thing Ever’
Source: ClutchPoints
