The Miami HEAT stayed the course Thursday morning at FAU Arena in Boca Raton. Below are some tidbits you need to know from Day 3 of Training Camp presented by Baptist Health South Florida.
J. Rich Looking To Be Aggressive
It’s no secret that Josh Richardson made some big leaps last season and established himself as a sterling two-way player. But despite having a breakout season, there’s still room for growth.
“Offensively, he very quietly was one of our most impactful playmakers, not only shooting the ball with confidence, but making plays for our basketball team,” Erik Spoelstra said. “And that’ll just continue to grow. He’s starting to realize that there’s more available for him to get to.”
So what will it take for Richardson to get to that next level?
“I think just being consistently aggressive,” Richardson said. “I think I showed flashes of being able to be that guy last year, but I just wasn’t that all the time.”
One thing J. Rich has been pretty much all the time is a bonafide defender. Just ask his old college teammate, Jarnell Stokes.
“Obviously, Josh has worked his butt off to get where he is right now. When I had left Tennessee…I thought [they] were going to [struggle], and Josh pretty much resurrected that season and made something out of nothing,” Stokes said.
“And look now: it’s paid off. He’s kind of taught me the importance of defense as well. Just being the star player at Tennessee, I really didn’t respect defense, [and] I didn’t respect the game as much. I was just a lot of talent. I worked hard, but I felt as if he taught me some things as far as…being a better defender. And now, I feel as if I can guard one through five.”
Stokes & Weber Happy To Be Back
Speaking of Stokes, both he and Brianté Weber are back in familiar territory. Although Stokes and Weber were with the HEAT at different points during the 2015-16 season, they’re both champions with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Coach Spo has seen their growth since that time.
“They’ve gotten better [at] just being pros. They [were] in different places, so you gain a perspective that you can’t teach, also a maturity,” Spoelstra said. “But we believe in those guys. I want them to make it. I told both of them, ‘One way or another, get in this association and stick. We would prefer it happen with us, but if it’s not us, we’re going to work together to make sure it’s somewhere.’ That’s how [we] feel about the two of them.”
It’s clear that Weber and Stokes appreciate the HEAT organization.
“It feels like home,” Weber said. “I’m more comfortable being here and it’s more like they know who I am, so I can play to my strengths more.”
“When I first got here, it was a surreal moment because it was almost like I never left,” Stokes said. “A lot of the trainers, coaches…to upper management, [it’s] the same people. I really like this culture because they really respect and honor hard work as opposed to politics. That’s just as honest as it gets. They do reward hard work.”
Richardson has noticed that hard work from Stokes, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“I just remember in college, he was our best player, so it was like ‘Ahh throw it to Jarnell,’” Richardson said. “And he just scored and scored and scored and scored and scored. It’s like he didn’t really need to play defense, but like a guy like me who had to play defense to get on the court, I just kind of start talking to him about it a little bit, and I think he’s picked up on it a lot. Like from this time when he was here to last time is night and day.”
Ellington’s Next Step
After having a career year in his first season in Miami, Wayne Ellington shattered those numbers and set a franchise record for threes in a season in 2017-18.
So that poses the question: what’s the next step?
“That next step is being able to escape the defense when they’re trying to run me off the line,” Ellington said. “Sometimes still be able to get to the three, sometimes getting in the lane and making the right play, whether it’s for my teammate or myself. So I think that’s the next step for me that takes me that next level up. That’s what I’ve been working on all offseason and here in camp.”