"Making assumptions off a handful of NBA games is a fool's errand. And yet, for some teams, the evaluation process for the 2025-26 season has already begun. Whether the small sample size theater of the opening 10 days will last until April remains to be seen. But as league coaches, scouts and executives have begun crisscrossing the country to take in games, they're reporting back."
"As scouts started assessing what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had cooked up after a summer of soul searching on how to pull the Heat out of the offensive doldrums (Miami has ranked 21st, 21st and 25th over the past three seasons), they started to ponder one thing: Doesn't this new system look like what the Memphis Grizzlies did last year?"
Early evaluations of the 2025-26 NBA season are beginning despite small sample sizes. League coaches, scouts and executives are traveling to games and reporting early trends. The Miami Heat installed a faster, motion-based offense after offensive struggles the past three seasons; the team is running more, using the fewest pick-and-rolls and sometimes completing quarters without any called plays. Spoelstra consulted with former Grizzlies assistant Noah LaRoche to implement a system resembling Memphis's approach. The Heat's offense has produced a strong start. Other early themes include a temporary new No. 1 option in Los Angeles and a leaguewide scoring uptick.
Read at ESPN.com
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