BOCA RATON — For five days, the Miami Heat mixed it up on the Final Four Owls’ court at Florida Atlantic University. And when training camp was over Saturday, coach Erik Spoelstra said he felt it was the perfect mix.
Unlike previous Heat camps that featured massive makeovers or other camps than returned copacetic rosters, Spoelstra said the blend of returning players and newcomers created a process that was both energized and efficient.
“I really liked that,” he said. “It felt different enough, but we were able to move quickly through things, because we did bring a lot of guys back. The team definitely has a different feel.
“Now, every season and every team is different, but when you’re bringing back a lot of your main players, you tend to think it would be quite similar. And it just had a totally different vibe, a different feel.”
Center Bam Adebayo said the team was able to hit the ground running because the only two players in camp without NBA experience were first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. and undrafted forward Drew Peterson.
“I feel like when you add new guys who are experienced in this league in a sense … they know what it’s like in this league, for them it’s easy,” center Adebayo said.
Spoelstra said the five days on FAU’s campus were productive.
“I just think we got a lot accomplished, checked the boxes we wanted to coming into this,” he said, “start to build that connection. Definitely had some great competition and we ended on a great note, last night a barbeque and today finishing out with a great practice.”
Among the neophytes attempting to work their way onto the roster cited by Spoelstra were forward Cole Swider and guard R.J. Hampton and Dru Smith.
“I would say the young guys made us better,” Adebayo said.
Spoelstra said it was a process that opened eyes to the roster’s possibilities.
“I think we have, it just feels like we have more depth,” he said. “And it might be because it’s more functional positional depth, at specific positions.”
Next up for the Heat are Monday’s intrasquad scrimmage at Kaseya Center, followed by Tuesday night’s preseason opener against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
Next up for Spoelstra is Sunday’s Miami Dolphins game against the New York Giants.
“We’re going again. The Spo boys are fired up to go out there,” he said.
The last time he attended with his two sons, the Dolphins scored 70 points two weeks ago on the Denver Broncos.
“That was amazing. That was incredible. It was electrifying in the stadium and see the team come together early on,” he said, with the Dolphins going on to lose to the Buffalo Bills on the road last week. “They had a tough loss last week. All those things are good. Coach (Mike McDaniel) talks about that, where adversity is an opportunity. I wholeheartedly agree with that.”
Spoelstra then was asked what he thought it was like in the NFL to have to wait a full week to avenge a loss.
He paused and smiled.
“Sometimes you have a whole offseason after a final loss to think about it and ruminate over it,” he said, with the Heat yet to return to the court since losing Game 5 of last season’s NBA Finals on June 12.
Spoelstra also noted that the last time he took in a Dolphins game in a suite, he met Wayne Gretzky for the first time.
Forward Caleb Martin was limited in Saturday’s practice due to left-knee tendinosis, leaving his status for Monday’s scrimmage and Tuesday’s preseason opener against twin brother Cody Martin of the Hornets in question. …
Of the Heat holding camp for the first time in 21 years without retired captain Udonis Haslem, Adebayo said Saturday, “It’s not somebody on the sideline constantly harping or telling jokes in the middle of practice. So it is different.” Adebayo said the two have communicated by text and telephone over the past week.
