With Goran Dragic playing high-level basketball, Hassan Whiteside turning up the intensity and key guys returning from injury, the Miami Heat could be on the up-and-up.
The Miami Heat have had it rough for some time now.
After sitting on top of the basketball world during the reign of the Big Three, things fell apart rather quickly during the summer of 2014. After failing to three-peat by losing to the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James announced he would be heading back to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then, Chris Bosh was diagnosed with his first round of blood clots, after which the Heat missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08. Bosh was subsequently diagnosed with blood clots once again. And the team fell one game short of a chance to face up against James in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Phew. The things Heat Nation has had to go through…
Lately though, it seems like Miami has hit rock bottom.
With Bosh being ruled out indefinitely due to a third clot, Dwyane Wade leaving South Beach for the Chicago Bulls, and a plethora of injured players (six, to be exact), the 9-17 Heat have had one heck of a start to their 2016-17 season.
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But never fear: relief may be here.
As things stand, Miami is certainly not a title contender. In fact, it will take quite a bit of effort to even make it into the postseason.
However, with Goran Dragic playing perhaps the best basketball of his life, Hassan Whiteside turning things up a notch and key guys finally returning from injury… the Heat should be starting to see flashes of success from here on out.
Looking at Dragic, the 30-year-old is playing like he did in his prime, circa 2013-14 when he was with the Phoenix Suns. At 26, the guard finished the season averaging 20.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game on 35.1 minutes of play. Compare those numbers to his 18.4, 4.0 and 6.5 per matchup in 33.5 minutes and well, it certainly seems like he has turned back the clock.
Between Wade’s absence and having a young team that can run alongside him, Dragic is finally able to run the offense at his pace, while getting more touches to boot. The best part being his arsenal of talent; Dragic can fly by guys, using a perfected Euro-step to land the layup but has also proven himself as a playmaker, assisting on the likes of numerous lobs to Whiteside.
Last week against the Washington Wizards, Dragic finished with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in 31 minutes. If he can keep having similar performances, Heat Nation can be confident in change to come.
Of course, there is also Whiteside to keep an eye on.
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Averaging 17.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest on 33.3 minutes of play, monster seems like the only appropriate way to describe the 27-year-old. And although some have expressed concern about the consistency of his efforts, make no mistake: Whiteside has the ability to dominate every single time he steps foot on the court. It is just a matter of staying strong against even the toughest of competition.
"“I’ve mentioned this so many times before this: He’s starting to see what that actually means and what that feels like,” said head coach Erik Spoelstra. “There is a big responsibility and that’s what he signed up for.”"
Spoelstra may have benched his center late last week versus the Cavaliers, after he was not impressed with Whiteside’s effort on the glass against Tristian Thompson, but Whiteside did not let that salt his game.
Just Wednesday night, he came up big against the Indiana Pacers, finishing the night with 26 points, 22 rebounds and 2 blocks.
And as if his basketball development is not enough to get fans excited for the future, Whiteside has also showed a new sense of maturity, allowing him to be a team leader for the younger guys.
Then there is the fact that the team no longer has to play with an eight-man roster.
With Josh Richardson and James Johnson being the first two to make their returns, Justise Winslow finally rejoined play on Wednesday night. Leaving just Dion Waiters, Luke Babbitt and Derrick Williams sitting out.
Richardson may not be in tip-top shape just yet, still needing time to find his stroke again, but he managed to total 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in his first game back against the Chicago Bulls last week anyway.
As for Johnson? He has proved to be quite an asset to Miami. Bringing unmatchable energy to the table, the forward has shown glimpses of sharp shooting while solidly protecting the other end of the court as well. He marked his return by finishing with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Wizards.
Winslow, who has not played since November 14, was limited to 21 minutes of off the bench versus Indiana. He recorded just 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, but made all of the difference in the team’s morale.
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Success will not happen overnight, nor will it be smooth-sailing for the Heat from here on out. However, with two home wins in a row under their belt, it may be time to start feeling hopeful again.