Most Powerful Heat Lineups Since January 17
By Simon Smith
Best 2-Man Lineup Overall
Wayne Ellington, James Johnson
Qualifier: Minimum 20 games, Minimum 16 minutes per game
- Games: 25
- Minutes: 446
- Offensive Rating: 109.0
- Defensive Rating: 95.1
- Net Rating: 13.9
The two journeyman, both selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft, have found a great niche playing alongside one another. Having shared the court on just 16 occasions in the first half of the season, Ellington and Johnson have certainly found a great familiarity with one another.
Johnson’s ball-handling combined with Ellington’s ability to play off the ball makes them a terrific duo together off the bench. Further, each of these veterans’ physical transformations since arriving in Miami is a credit to both themselves and the Heat’s conditioning staff.
Johnson commenced his career with the Heat weighing in at 274 pounds and 14.5 percent body fat. His transformation has been remarkable, as Johnson himself says:
"“I’m not finished. I’m 238 [pounds] right now and 6.75 [percent body fat]. So, I’m just going to keep going, see how far it takes me. I feel like that the more I lose the more I unleash skills that I didn’t think I was capable of having or doing.”"
Ellington has also changed his body shape significantly. After arriving at 222 pounds, he is now down to 203 pounds and just 6.5 percent body fat. As Ellington puts it:
"“My body feels good. I feel as strong as I’ve been in a long time….I’m so glad that I was able to come here and really focus on those things. It’s done an amazing thing for me. I feel like I’m having one of the best seasons of my career so far.”"
Best Single Game 2-Man Lineup – Minimum 16 minutes
February 4 vs Philadelphia 76ers
Luke Babbitt, Hassan Whiteside
The game was a blowout, with Whiteside hitting the ground running with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter, on his way to 30 points and 20 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action. Babbitt for his part was more modest in his statistical input, as has been the case most off the season. But his primary role of spreading the floor has been highly serviceable, where in this case Babbitt was a +17 while on the floor in his 25 minutes of play.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra was effusive recently in his praise of Whiteside:
"I think in the last six weeks he’s played the best winning basketball he’s ever played in a Miami Heat uniform. It’s not his best statistical stretch and he loves it. He’s becoming a great teammate, he’s enjoying impacting winning and I don’t want to put a ceiling on that either. Hopefully it will be another two, three, four levels before the year is done.”"