As Heat adjustment process continues for Giannis, the preseason results have been encouraging

Miami Heat admin October 9, 2026 0 Comments

As Heat adjustment process continues for Giannis, the preseason results have been encouraging

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s playmaking ability was a popular topic of conversation after the Miami Heat’s preseason opener. But the two-time NBA MVP forward changed the conversation in the Heat’s second preseason game.

After dishing out seven assists in 14 minutes in the Heat’s preseason-opening win over the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada, on Saturday and drawing a comparison to Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Antetokounmpo took a more aggressive and forceful approach in Thursday night’s 128-118 exhibition victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center.

With the Pelicans not sending as many double- and triple-teams at Antetokounmpo as the Raptors did Saturday, he took advantage and finished his first game action at Kaseya Center as a member of the Heat on Thursday with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 17 first-half minutes before sitting out the second half.

“You could feel more of his force tonight,” Spoelstra said of Antetokounmpo’s performance on Thursday, which helped lift the Heat to 2-0 this preseason. “I think he could sense that it was a slightly different coverage. And night to night, it could be that. That’s what the great players require when you’re scouting against them. Usually, it’s something different or different little nuanced schemes and scouting reports. But he was definitely assertive, getting to his spots quickly, downhill. So that’s more of what we were expecting than making plays to wide-open shooters time and time again.”

Antetokounmpo, who has led the NBA in paint points per game in each of the past three regular seasons, scored 16 of his 18 points in the paint on Thursday.

“I’m trying to figure out my spots offensively,” Antetokounmpo said, with the Heat set to play its third of five preseason games on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Kaseya Center (8 p.m., WPLG Local 10) “It’s going to take time. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. That’s what I think. Just try to make the right play whenever I get the ball. And slowly, slowly, my teammates will learn how to play with me. I’m going to learn how to play with them. I’m going to get used to the pace because it’s a lot faster than I’ve been used to.”

While Antetokounmpo is still trying to get used to the Heat’s up-tempo style, the offensive results have already been encouraging this preseason.

After making big offensive changes one year ago to go from one of the slowest teams in the league to the second-highest scoring and fastest-paced team in the NBA last season, Spoelstra again wants to play fast this season. With the Heat’s starters and most of the projected rotation regulars playing in the first half of each of the first two exhibitions, Miami scored more than 70 points in each of those two first halves.

“I mean, last year we led the league in what, 140-point games? And that’s with no Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Heat three-time All-Star center and captain Bam Adebayo said. “But we see the potential. The fact that we can get two 70-point halves. Spo is a maniac. He’s going to push us to be like, try to get 80, try to get 85. And that’s the potential for his team. So we’re excited about it. Obviously, it’s early in the season. The regular season hasn’t really started. But when we get this thing going, I think you’ll see a lot of 70-point halves.”

But it’s going to take some time for Antetokounmpo to get fully comfortable with the Heat. After all, he spent the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Heat this past summer.

“I’m a little bit more comfortable,” Antetokounmpo, 31, said when asked about that adjustment process following the Heat’s second exhibition on Thursday. “But I’m not there yet. I’ve played with the Bucks, what, 900 games? Nine hundred-plus games. I’ve played with the Heat two games. If you do the math, I think it takes a little bit of time for me to be fully comfortable. But it’s basketball. I want to be aggressive. I’ve always tried to get to my spot, be aggressive, make the right play, play hard, and that won’t change no matter where I am and who’s next to me. I just got to keep on being myself.”

And the Heat just has to keep on building in preparation for its season-opening matchup against the Timberwolves on Oct. 21 at Kaseya Center.

“Defense, our communication, rebounding the ball, being more physical down there,” Antetokounmpo said when asked Thursday what the Heat needs to improve for the start of the regular season. “They’ve got to feel us. When we play down there, whoever is in the game, if it’s me or Bam, if it’s me or Bobby [Portis Jr.], or if it’s me or Nick [Richards], they’ve got to feel us down there.

“The other thing now is just running habits. Running habits have got to be elite. We cannot have two or three guys waiting for the ball. We know that a lot of guys can bring the ball up from Bam, myself, [Davion Mitchell], a lot of guys can handle the ball. But we’ve just got to trust one another. And when we get the ball, we’ve got to trust our advantage. Our advantage is that we’re going to play fast and try to attack and find the gap to create for ourselves or create for our teammates. So we’ve just got to trust one another. Right now sometimes we’re just like, ‘Oh, should I get it? Are you going to get it? Who’s going to get it?’”

Through the Heat’s first two exhibitions, Antetokounmpo is averaging 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 11 of 16 (68.8%) from the field in 16 minutes per game. He has not played in the second half of either of the two preseason games.

“I think it’ll continue to get better and better,” Spoelstra said of Antetokounmpo’s comfort level with the Heat following Thursday’s preseason win over the Pelicans. “He was more assertive tonight, putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket. We want that. We need that.”