Miami – Things rarely happen in the NBA at 8:57 am on a Sunday. But that was the time when the most recent acquisitions in Miami, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson, entered the heat interview room for the first time.
The reason was simple: there is a lot of work to do.
With the president of the team, Pat Riley, offering the official greeting, the new Heat players, who landed in Miami as part of Jimmy Butler’s trade to Golden State last week, practiced with the team for the first time on Sunday. Everyone could make their heat debut on Monday, when Miami receives the Boston Celtics.
“It’s time for a new chapter,” Wiggins said. “It’s hard. But that’s the NBA, which makes the transition mid -season. That’s the NBA. It’s a business. I’m here. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited. I think we can do something special here. Han have a Good squad, an excellent coaching staff, incredible fans.
Wiggins, in his eleventh season, averaged 17.6 points per game for the Warriors. He has averaged 18.5 points in 749 games in his career.
The Warriors coach Steve Kerr, said several times in the days after the exchange that without Wiggins, Golden State would not have won the NBA title of 2022. Stephen Curry was the MVP of the NBA finals after averaging 31.2 points in that six -game victory over Boston, but Wiggins was the second best Golden State player in that series, averaging 18.3 points and a better team of 8.8 rebounds.
“It changed a lot to us for better,” Curry said. “I hope that his experience with us has also changed a lot for him. Obviously he has a lot of basketball in him.”
The Heat feels in the same way about Mitchell, the number 9 team in the 2021 draft that joins its third team after seasons with Sacramento and Toronto. The 26 -year -old guard known for the defense, who will surely attract him in Miami, has averaged 7.3 points per game in his career.
“Everyone is playing hard,” Mitchell said. “It is a kind of culture here.”
The new trio was introduced to The Heat’s Ways on Saturday night, since its arrival coincided with the annual heat gala, which generally collects more than $ 1 million for the Miami Heat charitable fund. They met new teammates, coaches and staff, even played the drums, the entire team was part of that at the gala, and saw Riley dance for about three hours.
Wiggins, Anderson and Mitchell didn’t dance much, Riley said. I wanted to save your energy for Sunday’s practice.
“I have a lot of compassion and empathy, really for people who have to move,” Riley said. “I moved about four or five times in my short race. It’s not easy. I just want to make it very comfortable for them … now they are officially part of what we believe, which is our culture here with the Heat. And we believe they are Perfect players to be part of that. “
Anderson, who joins his fifth team after San Antonio, Memphis, Minnesota and Golden State, has averaged 6.8 points in his career. He entered the league in the same draft as Wiggins, going as the number 30 selection in the first round in 2014.
He learned a lesson from the Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, who stayed with him: play regular seasonal games such as playoff games. He realized that in the heat games of the Spurs, such as Popovich and Erik Spoelstra, which have a deep mutual respect, they seemed to take those confrontations a little more seriously.
“That made me have an eye on a spo and always look at him and how he moved and how he trained, and I really respect myself,” Anderson said.
Wiggins, who turns 30 at the end of this month, was Cleveland’s number 1 team, was changed to Minnesota for Kevin Love before his first season began and was the overwhelming option as a rookie of the year.
Love, now a heat advance, sees the team with Wiggins as a “full moment in circle.”
“I know what kind of boy is and what is capable,” said Love. “I think it will not only add to what we do on the floor but also outside the floor. It is a type of heat. It feels like that. It plays both sides of the ball. When it is committed, playing hard and healthy, as soon as To talent, there are not many like him.
