It was only one preseason game, but Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered an encouraging performance in the Heat’s exhibition over Toronto in Quebec City on Saturday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
The two-time MVP, who was limited to a career-low 36 appearances last season due to a variety of injuries, finished with nine points, seven assists and four rebounds in 14 first-half minutes. All seven of Antetokounmpo’s assists resulted in three-pointers, Chiang notes, and head coach Erik Spoelstra compared his play-making to that of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
“He makes great plays,” Spoelstra said of Antetokounmpo. “We knew that about him. We faced him in the playoffs three times. But when you really see it every day in practice this week, you appreciate how brilliant of a playmaker he can be.
“With the size and the vision and the ability just to put it on the numbers to your shooters is really impressive. [President] Pat [Riley] was at practice all week, and the way he played with the ball in his hands and delivering the ball reminds all of us of a great big point guard that played for Pat back in the ’80s.”
Andrew Wiggins (12 points on 4-of-6 from three-point range in 13 minutes) was one of the players who benefited from the extra attention Giannis received, and Pelle Larsson (13 points in 11 minutes) said it’s been an easy adjustment playing alongside a ball-dominant superstar, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“He’s an incredible passer,” Larsson said of the Greek forward. “He makes the right play every time, driving, kicking out to wide-open shooters. So he’s very easy to play with.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
After a strong finish to last season, Jamal Cain is hoping to claim a consistent rotation role in his second season with the Magic, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic picked up their 2026/27 option on Cain in June, and the fifth-year forward said he spent most of the offseason in the gym. “This year is definitely different than the other four prior years,” said Cain, whose $2.6MM salary is non-guaranteed. “Just because I feel like I didn’t have a real expectation on my play. Of course, teams wanted me to come in better, but I feel like this is the first year where they were looking at me to actually come back and produce in some type of way. So, I just didn’t want to take that for granted. I wanted to make sure I was prepared, wanted to make sure I was ready to be able to help my team, help the coaches, and just help in any way possible.”
Anthony Black (ankle) and Noah Penda (hamstring) were able to practice on Sunday, Magic head coach Sean Sweeney told reporters, including Beede (Twitter link). “They look good,” Sweeney said. “Hopefully they came out clean. Looks like they did.”
Veteran point guard Dennis Schröder said his preexisting relationships with Hornets head coach Charles Lee and head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson have helped him quickly acclimate to Charlotte, according to Sam Perley of Hornets.com (Twitter link). “Me, Charles and Jeff go way back to the Atlanta days… Positive energy [here],” Schröder said. “The coaching staff is really, really positive. Players have taken me in and made the transition really easy for me… Overall, I’m really happy to be here.” Schröder was traded to the Hornets in August as part of the five-team Peyton Watson blockbuster.