The Miami Heat were just eliminated from the NBA playoffs. In the first round, the team ended up being swept by the Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat finished the season as the sixth seed, with a record of 40-32. Executive Pat Riley is always on the move and will do anything to make the Heat relevant and competitive. The team struggled early and had to make a move to a depleted roster due to injuries.
Furthermore, this team is always in the rumor mill, as Riley tries to acquire every possible all-star caliber player. James Harden was available for trade early this season, and instantly there were rumors that the team would acquire the disgruntled star. The same stories came out for Washington’s Bradley Beal, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, and Houston’s Victor Oladipo. The team would eventually acquire an all-star caliber player by the season’s trade deadline. With just a few minutes left before the deadline ended, the team acquired Oladipo in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and a 2022 pick swap. This trade was to help a struggling Heat team but ultimately failed. As Oladipo would only play in four games for the Heat, as would deal with injuries.
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Team Performance
The Miami Heat, the Orlando Bubble Eastern Conference winner of the previous season came into the season with high expectations. Last season’s bubble gave berth to Tyler Herro who shined during his rookie season and the playoffs. Coming into this season, the Heat valued Herro as if he was their next all-star caliber player. He wouldn’t be dealt for any other player, even if the team would receive Harden in return. Unfortunately for the Heat, Herro had a sophomore slump. His consistency was streaky, as Herro would go on long skids of bad performances. His shooting from three especially took a hit, as he went from an above-average shooter, to just below the league average.
Although Herro is still young, his progression was not what the defending Eastern Conference champions wanted. Other players seemed to stall out or regress as well. Duncan Robinson went from the league’s best shooter to just your typical role-player shooter. Even though Robinson regressed, his three-point field goal percentage was still high. It seems unfair to call this a regression, but without Robinson shooting as well as he did last season the Heat have struggled late in games.
In the first round of this season’s playoffs, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were invisible to the team. Butler during the season dealt with injuries that kept him from being with the team. In 52 games, the forward averaged 21.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. Butler when on the court played like an MVP, and was a huge reason the Heat bounced back from a terrible start to the season. But in the playoffs, Butler was awful. Averaging 14.5 points per game, on 29 percent from the field and 26 percent from three.
Adebayo had another great season, as his progression is on par to a future superstar in the NBA. However, he looked just as bad as Butler in the playoffs. From averaging 18.7 points, nine rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game with high efficiency from the field in the regular season, the center then slumped in the playoffs as he would average 15.5 points, on a 10 percent decrease in field goal percentage. These two all-stars did not show up for the playoffs and caused a collapse for the team’s season.
Team Award Winners
MVP – Jimmy Butler
Butler was incredible during the regular season. When Butler was injured, the Heat went 7-13, but when Butler was on the court the team had a record of 33-19. His impact on the court is greater than the stats that he produces. Butler’s grit and grind attitude enforces defense and exerts extra energy into the team. His playstyle helps elevate others around him. A great example of Butler was during the Orlando Bubble. Other players stepped up after a hustle play that Butler created. This led the team to make the NBA Finals. Butler is a one-of-a-kind teammate and player. Although his shortcomings in this playoffs might hinder his season performance, he was still the best player on this roster.
Defensive Player of the Year – Bam Adebayo
Adebayo was livid that he was not selected as a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He would take his frustration out over on social media where it gained some media attention and appraise from fans. The center is a very underrated defender, as his averages do not tell the whole story. Averaging 1.2 steals and one block per game, Adebayo is capable of defending both guards and centers. In one possession he can lock down the ball handler, and switch to the post to protect the rim.
Sixth Man of the Year – Goran Dragic
The 34-year-old point guard has found a new role in his career. Once an all-star starting point guard for Miami, the guard is now the leader of the team’s bench unit. Averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, Dragic would lead the bench unit in scoring. Having a player with Dragic’s experience and success on the bench allowed the team to flourish when both Butler and Adebayo were off the court. Dragic is a great leader and has a perfect skill set to lead a team offensively.
Biggest Surprise – No One
The Miami Heat were expected to be a great team this season. Most of the players coming into the season were supposed to take a leap forward in progression. Although the young core was not terrible, they just did not live up to the expectations. Adebayo and Butler during the season were great, but they to did not go above and beyond to win this award. Kendrick Nunn did revive his career, but it was not until the end of the season which doesn’t give him the award as well.
Biggest Disappointment – Tyler Herro
Herro made quite the commotion during the Orlando Bubble last season. The at-the-time rookie dominated the Boston Celtics and became one of the better shooters of the playoffs. Expectations were high for the guard going into the season. Unfortunately, Herro did not show any improvement this season. His consistency was awful, his shooting dipped in percentage, and overall he did not show any signs of progression.
Herro was given more opportunities to shine this season, and although he produced better stats in points, rebounds, and assists his overall play was sloppy. A player that gets the media’s attention after a highly successful run then provides no consistency deserves this award. This does not mean that Herro is a bust or will not get better. The sophomore slump happens to many great players. But the team could have traded Herro for Lowry or Harden but believed in the young guard. A bit foolish for this season, but the Heat are hoping that Herro bounces back.
What’s Next
The Miami Heat are in an interesting predicament. The team has the talent to compete in the playoffs but does not have the superstar alongside Butler just yet. Without another star to help Butler this team will not win a title. The Heat can wait until Adebayo takes another leap forward, to which where he can control games offensively. But that could take another two years. Herro and Nunn are still two years away from being possibly elite players. Oladipo has been injured the past two years, and can not seem to stay on the court for a full season.
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With the younger guys nearing the end of their rookie contracts, and with big contracts in Andre Iguodala, Oladipo, and Butler the team has limited cap space. This could be troublesome for them to re-sign the younger core down the line, and a trade this offseason is becoming more and more likely. The Heat needs to find a way to trade Oladipo. His 21 million contracts will be hard to move on from but if they can receive a player with a low salary, the team will be able to afford their cores next contracts.
The team also needs to rebuild their bench, Dragic and Herro are good players but the team needs to find more efficient wings that can make an impact when on the court. Iguodala and Trevor Ariza were not great additions, but having players that can defend and shoot is what the Heat should look for this offseason.
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