NBA Notes: Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bulls, Josh Giddey, Spurs

Heat

Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting comfortable with the Heat. His teammates are learning that getting him the ball is only the first part of the job.

The next? Keep moving. There’s a decent chance he’ll get it back to you.

Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks in just 24 minutes against the Nets on Wednesday before sitting out Friday’s preseason finale. He’s encouraged by how things are coming together, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“Obviously the more I play with my teammates and with the team, I’m getting more comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said. “My teammates, coaches have wanted me to be aggressive, try to make plays. That’s something I’m going to continue to do. Sometimes it’s going to work out, sometimes it’s not. But I’m having fun.”

The Heat have worked to give Antetokounmpo room to attack, with shooters spreading the floor and cutters taking advantage when defenders turn their attention toward the paint.

Davion Mitchell said Antetokounmpo’s passing makes those cuts especially worthwhile.

“He’s going to find you for an open three,” Mitchell said. “Even sometimes, you don’t even know that you’re open, and he ends up finding you. So we’re just trying to give him as much space as he needs. Because he just needs two dribbles and he’s dunking the ball.”

Bulls

Josh Giddey should have plenty of opportunities to throw the ball above the rim this season. The Bulls have assembled a roster with several players capable of finishing there.

Rookie Caleb Wilson joins Matas Buzelis, Nic Claxton and Noa Essengue in giving Giddey options for alley-oops, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Giddey said his limited use of the lob previously had more to do with personnel than a reluctance to throw it.

“Whether it’s wings or our fives, we’ve got guys that can catch lobs all around,” Giddey said. “I’ve got to get better at throwing them, but I think it’s going to be good to have guys that I can kind of put it anywhere around the cylinder and they’ll go take care of the rest.”

The Bulls also added Norman Powell and Buddy Hield to improve their shooting. Putting those pieces together will fall largely to Giddey and new coach Tiago Splitter.

“He’s thinking about the game, he’s smart about it, and hopefully game-by-game our vision starts to get a little more clear and he can help this team to be effective,” Splitter said.

Spurs

The Spurs are going with all three guards.

Coach Mitch Johnson confirmed that De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper will start alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama in the season opener, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.

That group outscored the Suns by 10 points in 11 minutes Wednesday and held an advantage on the glass. It shot just 2-of-9 from three, though only one of those misses came from the three guards.

Fox said shooting will go a long way toward determining how well the lineup works.

“When we’re making shots, it allows other guys to be able to get downhill,” Fox said. “We can spread the defense out, and teams know what we want to do. There’s no secret about it.”

Wembanyama likes having so many players around him who can initiate the offense.

“The biggest thing is I’ve got handlers all around me,” he said, “guys we want to put the ball in their hands and pick and roll around me.”