With the preseason opener rapidly approaching, the Miami HEAT remained focused and pushed ahead at The Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. Below are some tidbits you need to know from Day 4 of Training Camp Presented by Baptist Health South Florida.
Weber Developing Offensively
One of the interesting position battles that will unfold in the coming weeks is at point guard. Miami has Goran Dragic, Beno Udrih, Briante Weber, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson all as possibilities depending on the lineup.
Weber, who turned heads in Summer League a few months ago, has impressed Coach Spo with his development on the offensive end.
“He's getting more organized and intentional offensively. That's a big important part of his development. Can you get your group organized; get them in the proper spots, in the proper set? He's a natural leader. He has a great voice out on the court. The efficiency for him offensively is learning how to be intentional.”
The former VCU standout agrees that his biggest improvement has come on offense. That stems from his time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the HEAT's Summer League squad.
“My coaches, we worked so hard last year in the D-League. Just with me getting back in more comfortable with how I go about things, and that is going a long way right now.”
” did a wonderful job with making sure I was a leader on and off the court with just the Miami way. With that being said, with all of us having all these new guys that's new to the culture here, it makes me more of a vocal leader to lead by example. And at the same time, I could steer some of the new people in the direction in which they're trying to push us towards.”
Johnson Working on Playmaking
While Tyler Johnson returned to action in the playoffs after injuring his shoulder last season, he stated on Friday that it was “still quite an adjustment.” Luckily, everything now seems to be on the right track.
“Now that my shoulder is healthy, I'm back to just playing basketball without thinking about my injury. I feel like…all the good habits I built up last year are finally starting to come back.”
One thing that Johnson has wanted to improve is his playmaking. Being able to play both guard spots is important in Coach Spo's system, so the 24-year-old has taken the necessary steps to accomplish that.
” has actually gotten a lot better. I don't want to say I'm there yet, but the decision-making, getting everybody organized, is the first step. I'm taking baby steps. I feel like I've made the improvements I thought I would coming into camp.”
“The good thing is we're interchangeable, so if somebody grabs it off the board and they push it the length of the court, I'll just fill in on the wing and it's a seamless transition. I think that's the good thing about all of our guards is their ability to play both spots.”
Babbitt Ready to Space the Floor
One of the guys that both Weber and Johnson can kick it out to when driving into the lane is Luke Babbitt.
The 27-year-old stretch-four stated that his chemistry with the guys has been “good” and that the team has been “gelling together really well so far.”
When asked about Coach Spo's “Pace and Space” offense, Babbitt had good things to say.
“I think has been driving the ball really well when he has that spacing, so it's been a huge focus for us so far.”
