How Miami’s movement shooters will attack Jokic, Nuggets defence

NBA vet C.J. Miles explains how he would attack Nikola Jokic as a movement shooter on the Heat. Also, what Miami is contemplating as they aim to slow down the Murray-Jokic PnR.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: So how about that. [INAUDIBLE] Jokic pick and roll? What's you-- what's-- what are you thinking-- going into game one, what are you saying? We're gonna try this against him. I know, it's an impossible task. But I would imagine it's more about, you know, negating Nikola Jokic. You have to pick someone, right?

Got to pick your poison. And I would imagine that you're gonna rely on-- this is just me, like, spitballing-- but you have some great rear-view contenders, in Gabe Vincent, and Caleb Martin, and Kyle Lowry, and so forth. Maybe you just rely on those guys being able to get over those screens and contest from the rear view.

And also, you have, you know, your low side, your weak sides. And everyone's gonna be converging down in the paint. And you just-- you decide, who are we gonna cheat off of?

CJ MILES: You got to pick--

AMIT MANN: No, no.

CJ MILES: --right now? Like, Murray is as dangerous as anybody else.

AMIT MANN: He is.

CJ MILES: His conversion numbers are off the charts also right now.

I think it do depend on the guards a lot. I think it depend on Gabe and Kyle being tough, and making it hard on them, and getting through. I think you've got a combination of both. I think the weak side's gotta be over early. But you know that thing's like a hot potato when it hits Jokic's hands. So you gotta be in and out of there cause the guys are cutting on the weak side. So he catching the passes right away.

I think he just show different looks throughout the game. I think you mix in some unders. You see how Jamal's shooting it off the dribble from deep. Cause, like, I don't think that's the-- like, that's the shot that I want out of all the shots, is Jamal Murray shooting 3's off the dribble--

AMIT MANN: Sure.

CJ MILES: --at a pace. Not saying he can't make them. I'm just saying if I had to pick one, that's the one-- we know he likes to post up. So I don't want him in the mid-range area.

AMIT MANN: See, that's my worry too. He did that a lot against the Lakers and. He was successful.

CJ MILES: But-- but posting up K. Lo is different than posting up Dennis Schroder.

AMIT MANN: Disregard Kyle Lowry, OK?

CJ MILES: That's a different--

AMIT MANN: Not him.

CJ MILES: --that's a different thing,

AMIT MANN: Not him. Right, we know that story.

CJ MILES: Big guys can't post him up. That's, like, a thing

AMIT MANN: Yeah, it's true. Oh, it is. Oh, it is. It is.

CJ MILES: It's a thing. Like--

AMIT MANN: It Is. Yep. But Gabe Vincent, right, he might try and post him up, just to see who' gonna work.

CJ MILES: No, no, he's gonna try to post up K. Lo. He's gonna do it. He's gonna go-- that's what good players do. You're not gonna take away-- like, you gonna-- oh, you gonna have to show me you can take away what I do. I'm not gonna not change my game for you, especially at this point in the season and the way I've been playing.

I think he has-- I think Gabe's tough enough to guard him down there too. I think Dennis is a good defender, but he's not-- he's not-- physicality is not his thing.

AMIT MANN: Sure.

CJ MILES: Those guys are more physical.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: We got all those other one-- what's the other one, the young kid who got some minutes in game seven?

AMIT MANN: Highsmith, Highsmith.

CJ MILES: Yes. He can play.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, I like him. He's gonna play. They need more size on the court, right?

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: And that's another reason why Tyler Herro is important too. He's 6' 5".

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: That's something.

CJ MILES: Yeah. Yeah. We don't think of him as a bigger guy, but he's not small.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: So I think that kid can defend. I mean, even with-- I don't know-- I don't know if you put Duncan Robinson or those guys on him. But those guys aren't small guys, though, either. Like, you know what i mean?

AMIT MANN: Sure.

CJ MILES: So if they get switched on him and have to couple of possessions at a time, Duncan Robinson's long and tall.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: I don't know what his exact height is, but he's at least 6' 7", long arms. And I think there's a lot of guys that can-- by committee, they can figure it out.

AMIT MANN: Wonder if down the stretch of games, we're gonna see Jimmy Butler guarding Jamal Murray, and you got Bam on Jokic, and then they just straight up switch them, similar to what the Raptors have done, using OG Anunoby against Jokic, to see if that could spark something. Or at least you can, like, switch that.

Because, I mean, I was seeing that last series against the Lakers. Like, you had inverted pick and rolls happening with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. And then they would just, as soon as they got that match-up-- you know, and now they're switching it back. And now you have Nikola Jokic being guarded by Dennis Schroder. Now I'm like, this isn't good. That's a problem.

CJ MILES: And you--

AMIT MANN: So at least you have that option down the stretch.

CJ MILES: Even with OG, OG is a different beast, right? He's a big, strong-- like, Jimmy's strong and athletic, but he's not OG-size strong.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm

CJ MILES: Like-- and I think that would-- not saying-- [INTERNAL BURP] excuse me-- Jimmy couldn't guard him. But I think that Jimmy would have a-- it would be a little tougher on Jimmy with that size and weight difference.

AMIT MANN: Yep.

CJ MILES: And I do see Jimmy getting Jamal Murray, at some point, for sure. Because that allows the other guys to play in gaps a little bit, even though they do have some guys that can make shots, like Michael Porter Junior, [INAUDIBLE], Brown, they could make open shots.

But I think, towards the end of the game, you want the guy you think is your best defender on the best wing or best guard and your best big defender on the best big. Like, I think that's just the way you go as a coach.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: Like, no really other way to get around that. It's just, guys got to get through those screens. Like, you can't afford to be in shows, and drops, and-- cause then it's just a field day. It's just like a practice for Jokic.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: It's just drills.

AMIT MANN: But on the other side of things, you know, Miami does have advantages. And When it comes to Nikola Jokic, you know, some of the players that the Nuggets have, they are taller, but they're not necessarily as quick. And then on Heat side, they got a lot of movement shooting. And so--

CJ MILES: Oh, yeah.

AMIT MANN: --you package that with, you know, their speed. You got Bam, who's a very mobile big, rescreens, changing the angles. And all of a sudden, boom, you got a wide-open 3 and Nikola Jokic is-- has his foot in the paint and Duncan Robinson's bulking up for 3. That stuff can happen.

So if you're in those shoes-- because, man, you've made your share of movement 3's in your day. What are you doing with this match-up? Like, you're the Miami Heat, and you're on the wing, and how are you gonna be exposing Nikola Jokic and their defense?

CJ MILES: I'm searching out Jokic as much as I can for, like, unscripted screen aways for me. Like, early in transition, when we're running, I'm calling a big when I get the halfcourt to come get me ear-- I'm doing as much as I can to catch him in a relaxed state as possible.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Like, I want him moving as much as I can. That's even in a pick and roll. Even with the way Jimmy searched out the switches against Boston, like, Jokic is not Williams.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: So if I get-- if I search out, such I didn't get that switch, and now he's gotta guard me, he can take advantage of that some.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: But as far as being a movement guy, I'm searching him out early, running off him as much-- his man as much as I can. I don't even care if-- if my big don't even know it's a screen. I'm just using him. I want Jokic involved as much as I can, just to put him in situations where he's got to be on his toes all the time.

Because it's also gonna let me-- like, Duncan Robinson and those guys aren't bad one or two dribbles downhill either.

AMIT MANN: No, they showed that. Yeah, they showed it.

CJ MILES: He decides wants to be high, I can attack him too.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: Like, you know what I mean? We don't-- if they just decide he wants to be high and he has the late switch, I can attack him or I can back him out, and I can get him, just, out on the floor, and find a way to-- I can go do a dribble handoff off with another guard. Somebody's gonna be open at some point.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: That's just the way I-- that's the two way you attack him. Don't want to get into a trap me with them. Because if you're missing shots, then that's to they advantage. But I think there's gotta be a pace and a sense of urgency. Doesn't have to be fast shots, but the movements have to be-- [SNAPS FINGER] we have to be moving and jumping.

AMIT MANN: It's a fine balance between you playing with pace and not allowing the Nuggets to play with pace as well. Because then it becomes a track meet that you don't want to be involved in. [CHUCKLES]

CJ MILES: Yeah. Cause now there's just space for him to do what he does, find shooters, like, guys cutting. You never get, you know, your bodies on guys and things like that. I think you look at San Antonio, obviously they're younger now. But they were one of the best at this, at playing with they pace and sense of urgent, but not playing so fast they got into a track meet.

But every action that we're in is done with such a pace and-- and-- and a-- what's the be-- and crispness that we can get anything we want out of every option of the play.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: We're gonna make you make a decision. So do you-- so you make the mistake. I don't have to be in a rush to take a fast shot. I just wait for you to make a mistake.

AMIT MANN: For all the shooters that are on the Miami Heat, like, you're kind of an everything person. You're a five-tool player, essentially. You got to be a ball handler. You got to be a passer. You got to be able to open up the paint.

A couple of stats here, the Miami Heat, they lead the playoffs right now in 3-point percentage. They're almost 5% better on catch and shoot 3's in the playoffs. And they're averaging 10 more drives per game. They're getting in the paint more and they're shooting 3's. Now, granted, the Nuggets are second in 3-point percentage.

But, you know, getting their foot in the paint is gonna be really important for the Miami Heat. And that's gonna put, you know, some onus on the perimeter defending of a Jamal Murray, for instance, right? Like, once that foot gets in there, and then you have, as you were talking about, you have an off-ball screen, you have a pin down for Duncan Robinson, and now you're involved with Nikola Jokic in that action, you're putting your defense in a tough spot.

CJ MILES: I'm testing Michael Porter Jr. too.

AMIT MANN: Absolutely.

CJ MILES: Like, I don't-- I'm testing him in every way. Cause now, think we got him guarding his shooter and Jokic guy doing the screening.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: We can find something in that, if you play it right. Like-- and I think if he ends up on wings that, like, to do pick and rolls, I'll put him in any type of screening situations. I want to hit him. I want to do the same thing-- I want to be physical with him on the offensive end.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: I want to make him guard and he ends up fouling or not getting the catch and shoot rhythm. Cause we know he can make shots.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: He can score the ball. But we know his game is very-- like, what's the stat about him with this assist? Like, he played whatever amount of games, he's got, like-- I forget what it was, but it's an absurd number, meaning, like, he wants to catch and shoot the ball.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: So everything I can do to tax his legs is what I'm gonna do. Cause I don't want to-- I don't want him to see two in a row go in. Cause now he's 8 for 11, and they're doing-- they're running stuff for them and things like that, He can fall out of the involvement of the game.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: And that's a weapon. We don't have to worry about.

AMIT MANN: Something to watch too is Jimmy Butler as a screener, as an off-ball screener. They use him just like they use Bam. He doesn't have to be the ball handler. And this could be-- actually, that's going some of the X factors that I wanted to ask you about-- is an X factor for me is Kyle Lowry.

Because it allows, you know, Jimmy and Bam to be off ball, doing exactly what we're talking about. And now you have Kyle finding some of these shooters. And also, you have him sneaking the pick and roll, hitting his pull up 2, hitting his transition 3's, hitting his pull up 3's. Like, his offense could be really helpful here.

And as we're talking about tempo and pace, Kyle plays with tempo. He loves that. And that's really important for their offense in this series.

CJ MILES: Yeah. And to piggyback on what you said about Jimmy being the screener, K. Low being a screener too. He's a great screener.

AMIT MANN: Mm, yep, yep.

CJ MILES: I like running some old school, like, screening screener actions for them with Jokic. Cause now if I got guard screening Jokic, I still get to hit him. But even if they switch it, I have a smaller guard going onto Bam.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: And then, now, he switches on to the guard, Jokic does. And now we screen. Jokic.

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: And either they switch again or the guy's open. So now we got-- and now we got people not in places they want to be.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Even if we don't get a shot out of the initial action, we still got people all over the place now.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Help's not gonna be where they're supposed to be. Guys are late. They're trying to switch back in the middle of somebody's drive. Whatever we can cause to make mayhem happen, right?

AMIT MANN: Mm-hmm.

CJ MILES: But I think that's one of the things I would kind of try to attack myself, is making the guards be the screeners on Jokic some when we're in a halfcourt set, and see what they do.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: If they switch it, we pick it apart that way. If they don't switch it, the guys gonna have to bump, or show, or help. And that's going to be late coming off the screen or whatever. But we're gonna pick at everything and see how they decide they want to guard it. And then we can figure out how we want to go about it.

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COMMENTATOR: CJ to [INAUDIBLE]. Come on!