Friday Donuts: Miami Heat's 3-Point Shooting Target + Six Rules For Hosting a Holiday Party
Plus, Kyle Lowry is finding Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent has carved out a real role.
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π© GABE VINCENT IS CARVING OUT A ROLE
As the Miami Heat navigate players lost to injuries and protocols, players normally on the fringe of the rotation have a chance to step up and seize a larger role. You can argue no player has done that better for Miami than Gabe Vincent.
Vincent has been a steady contributor since mid-November, but heβs taken it to another level since Bam Adebayo went down with a thumb injury that has had an enormous ripple effect on the rest of the roster. Since December 1, Vincent is averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 48.4% overall and 41.5% from 3-point range. Questions about his 3-point shooting once pestered Vincent, who opened the season by missing 11 of his first 12 3s. Heβs now up to 39% from distance through 26 games, including the game-winner against the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night.
βI took my shots when they came,β Vincent said after scoring a career-high 26 points, βand that was just another one of them.β
If Vincentβs leap is real β and thereβs reason to believe it is β it should curb rumors that Miami is seeking point guard help behind Kyle Lowry. Enthusiasm to sign John Wall (should Wall agree with the Houston Rockets to a buyout) has evaporated. Vincent, 25, is proving he deserves a nightly rotation role even when the Heat are healthy.
π© KYLE LOWRY IS DUNCAN ROBINSONβS SHEPHARD
Two things were made evident during the first few weeks of the season: Kyle Lowry wants to go fast, and Duncan Robinson was in a shooting slump.
Lowry has an old-school point guard mindset, so he took it upon himself to help get Robinson going. Miamiβs halfcourt offense has changed quite a bit this season and Robinson was having a hard time figuring out where he fits in. When he did get the ball, he was overthinking it. Shooters need shots in rhythm and a goldfish brain. Lowry was determined to help Robinson get them.
That much has been evident over the last couple of weeks. The Heat are tied for fifth in the NBA in forced turnovers, and each time Lowry runs the break, you can bet Robinson is going to touch the ball. As Lowry pushes in transition, heβs always aware of where Robinson is (and will be) and Robinson knows to be ready for Lowryβs assist. Itβs Option A. Hereβs a mashup of these looks over the last couple of games.
While this hasnβt completely snapped Robinson out of his funk, it has helped. Over the last seven games, Robinson is shooting 41.2% from 3-point range and he went 4 for 11 in Wednesdayβs win in Philly.
Heat coaches are aware of this symbiotic relationship and have leaned all the way in. For the season, nearly half of Robinsonβs minutes were played without Lowry on the floor. But those minutes when they are separated have been virtually eliminated over the last five games. Of the 141 minutes Robinson played, only three have come without Lowry on the floor.
This is part of the value of someone like Lowry. His ability to recognize what his teammates need is why heβs among the most beloved players in the league. Fans might chirp about him shooting more or this and that, but this has more importance. Robinson is a ceiling raiser. Getting him going is paramount to Miamiβs longterm success. Lowry knows this and is helping best he can.
π© MIAMIβS 3-POINT ATTEMPT βTARGETβ
Last week, coach Erik Spoelstra remarked that he had set a target for 3-point attempts after a win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Having shot just 22 3s in a loss to the Grizzlies two nights before, the Heat attempted a season-high 47 triples against the champs.
Miami hasnβt attempted fewer than 40 3s since.
I asked Spoelstra about that target again a few nights after his initial comment and he cautioned that his team βisnβt jacking up shots.β And they arenβt. During that span, the Heat are attempting 17.3 βopenβ 3s per game (what the NBA defines as 4-6 feet of space between the shooter and closest defender) which ranks fifth-most in the league β nearly four more per game than their season average. In all, 77.2% of Miamiβs attempted 3s are considered open or βwide openβ (a defender not within 6 feet).
The question is whether the Heat will keep this up when mid-range experts Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo return. Between them, they are averaging 6.5 mid-range attempts per game. Their minutes have largely been soaked up by Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent, two role players who take a majority of their shots at the basket or beyond the arc.
As The Ringerβs Zach Kram noted, shot quality doesnβt necessarily equal success, but thereβs little doubt that Butler and Adebayo would benefit from extra space on the floor. Hovering around 40 3s per game feels like a good number.
π© Six Rules For Hosting a Holiday Party
With Christmas and New Yearβs just around the corner, itβs the height of the holiday season. If youβre planning to have people over, here are some dos and donβts so you donβt embarrass yourself.
DONβT make themed drinks. I know it seems like a fun idea now, but by the third eggnog martini your guests are going to be comatosed and concentrating on not shitting their pants. You know what makes for a fun party? Not being told what to drink. Just be normal! Offer your guests a pour from your assortment of whiskeys, vodkas and wines. Have bitters, soda water and ginger beer on hand to make some easy two-step cocktails and entertain people the old-fashioned way β with charm and conversation.
DO set the mood. While you donβt need a pine tree needle stuck up your nose as a reminder that itβs the Christmas season, some music and lighting helps. Itβs actually kinda weird if your place looks the same now as it does in July. Play some tasteful music (hereβs a playlist) and put some lights on a tree. Keep your menorah out if you want to be more inclusive. Throw on a classic Christmas movie if you feel like you may need a conversation starter, but put it on mute (people shouldnβt be watching the movie, but they might glance at the TV and start talking about how Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie).
DONβT force your guests into games unless they are invited over specifically for game night. This goes for any party, not just during the holidays. Thereβs nothing worse than when people are having a good time and then Stacy β at 9:30 on the dot β exclaims βOKAYYYY who wants to play Cards Against Humanityyyyyy!β You just lost the Big Mo, Stacy! If you legitimately think your guests might want to play games, simply display them out on a table (give them options) and allow them to introduce the idea. As the host, your job is to be the surfer, not the wave. Gently navigate the ebbs and flows and be in control, but donβt crash into things and suddenly change directions.
DO have food available all the time. This should probably be No. 1, but even if itβs a dinner party (you classy bastard), have hors d'oeuvres ready when your guests arrive. Cheese, crackers, olives, even some goddamn gummy bears. Something. Again, itβs all about giving people options and not making them feel like theyβre being told what to do. People get enough of that in their daily lives. What you want to offer is an escape.
DONβT do any of this: Tell people to take their shoes off. You got a white carpet? Thatβs your problemβ¦ Give a hundred different βtours.β Early bird gets the worm here. Wait for the first few people to trickle in and give one solid tour of your place. Itβs weird when the host leaves two hours into the party to give the couple who showed up fashionably late a tour of the master bathroomβ¦. Hang mistletoe. Itβs weirdβ¦ Introduce me to Ethan because we both have Jewish-sounding last names. Trust me, weβll find each otherβ¦
And donβt ever, ever, ever run out of booze.
DO be safe. Itβs OK to ask people to get tested or show proof of vaccination. The pandemic is happening, but we can still be with our loved ones if we take the right steps. Happy holidays, you party animals.
π£ The Water Cooler
π© What Iβm reading: A lot has been written about Steph Curry becoming the all-time 3-point shooting leader, but no one knows Steph quite like The Athleticβs Marcus Thompson. He went as in-depth as one can on Stephβs evolution as a 3-point shooter and how, this week, he surpassed Ray Allen for the most made 3s in NBA history. A cool, interactive read. (Subscription needed.)
π© What Iβm reading, part II: The Ringerβs Alison Herman tied together Season 3 of βSuccessionβ well, describing how a show whose characters seemingly never grow can progress in plot subtly and suddenly.
π© What Iβm drinking: W.L. Weller bourbon. Managed to get a bottle, which isnβt easy. If you find it, buy it. Sip it neat or on the rocks. βTis the season.