For the past couple of seasons, the Miami Heat have struggled on offense, with their offensive rating ranking 21st both this past year and last season. The Heat needs a shakeup in its offensive play style. Is a new coach going to fix the Heat's offense? No, but some new ideas could help the Heat's offense rank a bit higher. There are some names available that would help the Heat coaching staff.
Alvin Gentry
Gentry has always been an offensive-minded coach throughout his career. Over the past couple of years, the Heat have been one of the slowest pace teams in the league. Gentry's team has always played at a fast pace. He wants his guards to initiate transition plays, leading to quick shots.
This year, the Heat would get into their offense with 10-12 seconds of the shot clock. That type of offense never works, and it feels rushed. Playing at a faster pace creates better looks and helps you get into a rhythm.
Steve Kerr, who is with Gentry in Phoenix and Golden State, said every day Alvin's laughing and smiling; he's just got a great outlook," Kerr said. "So you never come into work and see Alvin in a bad mood. So when you come into work and he's got that smile on his face and he's telling a funny story and everybody's getting ready for practice he's uplifting to a group and that really matters because it's a stressful environment that we all work in."
The Heat run a tight ship, but after last year's season, a couple of laughs thought our practice wouldn't hurt anyone. Gentry would be needed in addition to the coaching staff, even if it is in a consulting role. Gentry has worked with the Heat as an assistant and an intern head coach, so he knows how the Heat works.
Stan Van Gundy
With His brother, Jeff Van Gundy, coming back to the sideline this season for the Los Angeles Clippers. Stan Van Gundy was an assistant with the Heat from 1995-2003. Later, Van Gundy was the head coach from 2003 to 2005.
Van Gundy coached the Orlando Magic from leading them to a final's appearance. Since then, Van Gundy has bounced around to the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans.
Van Gundy has been on the TNT broadcast since he left the Pelicans. The time is now for Van Gundy to join Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff. Van Gundy was one of the first people to see the potential in Erik Spoelstra when he first started as the video coordinator.
Spoelstra was on Van Gundy staff as an assistant as well. Van Gundy was a step ahead of him during his time as the Magic Head Coach. Having a five-out offense, shooting more threes than teams did in that era. His Pelicans team dealt with injuries in the starting lineup, but their offense remained solid despite the limitations. in 2023 they were ranked 10th in points per game (113.0).
Van Gundy has been critical of the Heat over the years, particularly with their roster, and how the Heats front office makes life hard for Spoelstra to work his magic with a limited roster. Van Gudny is not shy from sharing his opinion either.
Someone from the outside sharing their thoughts on the roster and play style would be suitable for everyone involved. Van Gundy has Spoelstra's respect and vice versa.
The Heat usually likes to hire someone with potential, such as Alvin Gentry or Stan Van Gundy, who would bring an outside voice but also have Heat ties. The Heat doesn't always have to hire "family members to work in their organization. It's okay to hire a family friend to the family business.