NBA Notes: Heat, Andrew Wiggins, Clippers, John Collins, Mavericks

Heat

Andrew Wiggins spent the summer trying to erase the taste of a rough playoff run, and it’s showing in his approach early this season.

After a poor first-round series in which he shot 16-of-43 and committed 11 turnovers as the Heat were swept by the Cavaliers, Wiggins went back to the grind this offseason.

“That definitely wasn’t one of my better series,” Wiggins said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I did a lot more of everything this summer. I did everything I did before and more to get to the next level.”

Now settled in after being traded from Golden State at the deadline, Wiggins says he feels more at home in Erik Spoelstra’s system, and in Miami itself, where his family has joined him.

His scoring is down slightly at 14.5 points per game (through Tuesday), but he said that’s simply the result of sharing the floor with so many weapons.

“I play within the flow of the game,” he said. “We’ve got Tyler (Herro), we’ve got Norman (Powell), we’ve got Bam (Adebayo). We’ve got a lot of guys who can do special things.”

Also thriving in Miami? Davion Mitchell, who came over in the same trade. Mitchell’s steady hand at point guard has drawn rave reviews from Spoelstra.

His 33 assists through four games are the most by a Heat player to open a season in nearly 30 years.

“How do you not love playing with a guy like that?” Spoelstra said. “He wants to get you the ball, and that becomes contagious.”

Clippers

The Clippers believe they’ve unlocked a new wrinkle by adding John Collins to the mix.

As Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes, Collins’ length and athleticism give Tyronn Lue’s team another matchup headache alongside Kawhi Leonard.

“We get a big player like John on the floor alongside Kawhi and teams have a nightmare matching up,” Lue said. “You want to put a smaller guy on John, or a smaller guy on Kawhi? His versatility on both sides of the ball is huge for us.”

Meanwhile, Chris Paul told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he feels “blessed” to be back with the Clippers late in his career. That said, Paul hasn’t decided yet if this will be his final season.

Mavericks

Mavs guard Brandon Williams addressed the media Wednesday after being arrested Saturday at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.

“I wanted to apologize, first and foremost,” Williams said, via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “Obviously it’s an ongoing situation, but I want to apologize for being a distraction. I want to take full responsibility and move on.”

Police said about 1.5 ounces of marijuana were found in Williams’ luggage. He acknowledged the bag was his but claimed his manager packed it and he didn’t know about the contents.

Williams had been away from the team for a memorial service for a friend and former high school teammate who passed away from leukemia.

“Going to a funeral for a friend’s passing and having that incident — that’s something he has to deal with,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We can only be here to support him.”

Williams earned a standard roster spot last spring after a strong run filling in for Kyrie Irving, averaging 8.3 points and 2.3 assists in 33 games. His $2.3 million contract is partially guaranteed through January.