It wasn't all bad for Heat in loss in Denver: grades on Andrew Wiggins and more

Andrew Wiggins – Grade: A

Andrew Wiggins was the best player for the Miami Heat over the course of the game. He consistently made the right play, and his shot was falling. Wiggins has a reputation of being a good versatile defender, and though it is harder to see with the Heat’s new playstyle, his defensive impact is always there. I caution everyone to not box score watch when evaluating players impact, especially on the defensive end, but Wiggins did get 2 steals and 1 block to show for his defensive efforts. The other big thing that stood out is Wiggins efficiency. Wiggins is not going to be a volume shooter for the Heat, so he needs to take advantage of the opportunities he gets, and made the Nuggets pay. He finished 9/13 from the field and 3/4 from the 3-point line. He finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Wiggins is one of the several x-factors for the Heat’s season. If he can string together a year of great complimentary basketball, then it opens up a lot for the stars to play off of.

Davion Mitchell – Grade: B

Davion Mitchell always makes his presence felt on the defensive end, that side of the ball is his calling card. The bonus is he has been fantastic distributing the ball and driving for the Heat. His ability to break down his defender, or more so just go straight through them, helps the offense tremendously. He is able to lower his shoulder and deliver a brutal collision into the defenders chest to create layups consistently. His strength and balance allows him to use physicality as his main weapon. The dribble penetration also opens up other players, if they are willing to move into areas Mitchell can deliver a pass, and he has been passing fantastically. This was no different in this game, as Mitchell put on a point guard clinic. Mitchell finished with 9 assists to 3 turnovers against the Nuggets. The Heat need Mitchell to continue this level of play, especially if Bam Adebayo misses any amount of time.

Kel’el Ware – Grade B-

Kel’el Ware is a polarizing player. He has all the talent in the world, but he does not put it together consistently. That was on display against the nuggets as it was a tale of two halves. A matchup against the nuggets is always going to be difficult for centers, and it did Ware no favors when Bam Adebayo exited the game in the 1st quarter. In the 1st half, Ware looked uninspired and was not doing the little things that lead to wins. His boxing out was poor, and overall effort was lacking. You can try to blame it on the altitude, but this consistently shows up in his tape, and when you watch the 2nd half you realize that is no excuse. The 2nd half was significantly better. He was battling hard for rebounds and making extra efforts on the boards and defense. He ended up with a solid game overall, but it does feel like it could have been better if he came out the gates with the same energy as he finished it with. Ware is relying on his natural talent, which he has tons of, but to take a step and become a big player in this league, he has to put together a full 48 every game. Ware finished the game with a double-double tallying 13 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 block.

Player	Grade
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	B+
Norman Powell	B
Dru Smith	C
Pelle Larsson	C
Simone Fontecchio	C-
Nikola Jovic	D

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