Somewhere between 2010 and 2012, the entirety of the Chicago Bulls’ sixth men were coined the “Bench Mob.” And while the Miami Heat bench-turned-interim-starters may not walk away with a catchy name, they certainly deserve credit for the way they have recently stepped up their game.
Following the deja vu of Chris Bosh yet again falling victim to a health scare during NBA All-Star Weekend, as well as Dwyane Wade dealing with a knee problem and Hassan Whiteside being suspended one game for throwing an elbow, Heat Nation was skeptical following All-Star break. How successfully could their team perform without their three top players?
The answer? Pretty darn well, after all.
The Heat took on the Atlanta Hawks last Friday, coming up victorious 115-111. Luol Deng walked away with 30 points and 11 rebounds, after previously averaging only 10.0 points per game. It was his best game for Miami this season, and has only had one other 30-point game in a Heat uniform period (November 9, 2014 against the Dallas Mavericks).
Deng also lent quite a helping hand on Saturday against the Washington Wizards; he finished the 114-94 win with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
And while it is true that Deng does tend to start for Miami, he is still excelling as of late. And often looked at as a second-string player anyways, behind the likes of Bosh and Wade.
In terms of the real bench however, how about Josh McRoberts?
McRoberts totaled 19 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists on Friday, after playing for a whole 30 minutes. He is currently averaging 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 15.4 minutes of play. Not to mention has only competed in 27 games so far this year.
In the matchup against the Hawks, Justise Winslow also came up strong with 13 points and 9 rebounds. He repeated his solid performance against the Wizards, recording 14 and 6.
Gerald Green did similarly well versus Atlanta, with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Even Josh Richardson got some time on the court, pitching in with 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field on Friday, and 5 points and 6 rebounds on Sunday.
The even better news?
While Whiteside returned on Sunday, dropping 25 points and 23 rebounds (no, that is not a typo), Wade has also returned to the lineup; he tallied 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the Monday night overtime 101-93 win against the Indiana Pacers.
And even so, the rest of the guys still did their part.
Winslow scored 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while McRoberts finished the evening with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
More heat: Goran Dragic dishes behind-the-back-pass to Luol Deng
Does this mean that the Heat will have no problems moving forward? Of course not. Is there still room to improve? Absolutely. But given all that they have been through (and as compared to last season…), 32-24 and fourth in the East is not half bad.