On this episode of the e Check, it's time for the Rookie Report, your weekly check in on the rookies in the league and how they're doing. We are past the halfway mark of the season officially, so now we're getting some clarity on the rookie situation. And you know who's here to stay? My man Kalail where that's who former Oregon duck who transferred to Indiana because who knows why, Probably bad things happening in Oregon.
We break down the Miami Heat rookie today.
So Anthony, drop that motherfucking beat that should be Rihannava Odyssey to cheat.
All right, I feel like I'm appalling a lot, but just a lots going on.
And not only did I just uproot my entire life and move across the country, you know, just for my mom, that's all. Just like I keep hearing, I'm a good daughter. You can continue to tell me that I am. I was only home five days and then I went to the National Championship to cover that for META in Atlanta, and then I got caught the airport due to some weather. I was stuck there for felt like days. So things are pretty crazy. There was a blizzard that locked the
entire South down. My flight was over seven hours late, so I did not get back in time to record. Anyway, we need to talk about Miami's Rookie Center.
Not a lot has gone well for the Miami Heat.
We've got issues with Jimmy Butler, bam Adebayo. You have pat Riley talking about some crazy shit. You got Eric Spoltzer telling people, hey, we don't give a fuck.
Move on, we got enough. This is just how it is in the league.
You've got Jimmy Butler getting bended now for the second time because he missed the team playing. We've got Jimmy Butler wearing Phoenix suns shoes and changing his hair based on where he wants to be traded. We've gotten Haimi Hawks, who's taken eleven steps back after a very promising rookie campaign. We've got Heywood Heismith's who has the second most starts on the team.
That's gross. The Heat keeps spinning their wheels.
They're five hundred and let's face it, I don't think anybody thinks this is a contender. I don't think this is anybody feels confident about what this team is. It's been a bad season except for Clei where seven feet one center out of Indiana by way of Oregon. Largely based around his defensive prowess, he was All Big Ten defensive team at Indiana. Miami took him fifteenth in the draft, very controversial pick, as it turns out, Jared McCain, who would have run away with Rookie of the Year if
he didn't get hurt. He was selected with the very next pick. Ooh, Miami Heat with Jared McCain nasty. The pick after that was Dalton Connect, to a lot of people thought earlier in this year was a Rookie of the Year candidate. Eves Missy was taking twenty first, Ryan done twenty eighth. All that to say a whoa Anyway, there were some very good players available that the Sixers ignored to take Khalil Whaere, and for much of the half of this season that seemed like a big mistake.
He played a total of sixty seven minutes in the Heat's first twenty five games, not even enough really to make any impression at all. He was the Heat's third string center behind Bam and Kevin Love, seemed destined to have to wait a year to show if he belonged at all. He went up and down in the G League and then December twenty first rolls around the Solstice where got some playing time fourteen minutes to be exact.
But what stood out? How about his eight points four to four shooting in seven rebounds in fourteen minutes, or how about his net rating of plus twenty six the game which bam was a negative thirty five and the team got outscored thirty seven to eight in the fourth quarter when he wasn't playing, to blow a huge lead. Also the fact that bam Adebayo's like six' ten playing. Center, anyway Clill ware Opened Eric spolster's eyes and he hasn't
missed a game. Since in the seventeen games since he entered into the, rotation he has averaged eleven six and one with one point seven stocks per, game shooting splits sixty percent from the, field forty one percent from, three seventy percent from the free throw. Line the fact that The heat have now a seven footer who is a forty percent shooter from three at the back end of
the lottery incredible and every game he's getting. Better in his last five, games he's averaging sixteen eleven and one and the last game out Against, portland he got his first start and proceeded to do something that no player had ever done in THE nba Since David robinson in nineteen eighty.
Nine twenty, points fifteen.
Rebounds and two blocks in their, start and that is only the second time ever that AN nba player has had that stat line in their first start in. History, insane insane and one of the reasons that he's broken into The Kiya Rookie ladder for the first time this. Season Eric spostra aka The, spobot who has had a very rough, season has nothing but good things to say For, clei where he says the, rebounding he did some really good things defensively at the. Rim he'll continue to get.
Better the upside obviously is very, encouraging and that's why he's in.
The starting lineup right. Now we, frankly just need to get him.
In there for more, minutes whether it's off the bench or, starting and it's an easier way to make that. Happen good Shit clil where improving leaps and bounds while his offense is improving a, ton it is the dou that is on display two games ago Against San. Antonio he was given a very tough task of guarding all the,
time and he did not shrink at. All he had twenty five eight and two plus twenty seven net, rating While, victor by his, standards had a good but not great game twenty one ten to, three negative ten net, rating his sixth worst net rating of the. Year so kind of dope for Khalil ware because a lot of people thought Cleil ware Outplayed victor in the game that The
heat ended up winning in a landslide. FASCINATING i think what's actually really, interesting, too is that there were people who had ME i had questions About cleilware's at work ethic At. Oregon he started as freshman year as a projected first, rounder and Then Dana altman's selfish ass cut his minutes over what he described as an inconsistent work, ethic gross.
He tumbled down the mock draft. Ladder he had to have a fresh.
Start he transferred To, indiana where he got consistent. Minutes he showed enough potential to be the last pick in the lottery and the.
Teammates his teammates love.
Him Tyler hero, SAYS i love, it nah for REAL i love it where gives small guys like my self protection behind, us And lord knows he needs that definitely on defense and at the. Rim it gives a different dynamic offensively. Too that seems like a little shade On bam out Of bio in terms of him protecting the. Rim Haimi hawke has echoed these sentiments as. Well oh, man when you have a seven footer that can do
what he, do it makes your life really really. Easy being able to knock down, shots stretch the floor while being a tremendous roll threat is an asset for the. Team every time he goes. Down biggs got to make the decision to stop the layup or stop the lab and that is a tough decision to. MAKE i am
super proud of how he's come. Along, bam who loves Having clearwear on the team with, him says he's one of the young guys that just wants to soak the information and, Learn so just bringing him along and helping him figure things, out because as y'all can, see he's a talent in this league AND i feel like he's going to be.
Around for a long.
Time so he fans no matter the fact That Jimmy butler's probably, gone And Tyler hero is your number one option on, scoring and how much that sucks for, you you at least have one major reason to keep. Watching and he's a seven foot one shot blocking monster who shoots threes at forty percent and those folks do not grow on. Trees that's all the time we, have this rookie reported the Heat. Check tune in every week as we break down what's happening in the freshman, class and
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