Five questions the Miami Heat need to answer heading into training camp

The Small Ball Revolution

Heading into this season, the Miami Heat might have the most favorable roster for Erik Spoelstra’s coaching style. This season could mark the absolute peak of the coach’s positionless philosophy as he has the ability to experiment with a number of different five-man combinations.

In the frontcourt, the Heat have size, finesse and versatility in their options and in the backcourt, a heap of players who excel both offensive and defensively. There will be no style of basketball the Heat cannot play, but there could be a sense that they’ll drift toward creating mismatches by going small, while emphasizing shooting.

In wins last season, the Heat scored over 30 percent of their points from 3 (sixth in the league). The 3-pointer became the driving force in the Heat’s offense as they moved away from trying to push the pace (21^st in the league) instead focusing on high-efficiency scoring. This led them to a 55 percent effective field goal percentage in wins (12^th in the league) and gave the Heat an advantage as their offensive rating finally inflated, leading to a 11.4 net rating in victories.

To continue this success, the Heat will need shooting from all positions, meaning that lineups featuring James Johnson at the center position surrounded by ball-handlers and shooters will continue to be a go-to for Spoelstra. As will surrounding Whiteside with capable shooters like Waiters, Wayne Ellington, Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic. This trend is also why its so important for players like Winslow, McGruder and Richardson to bring a reliable shooting game to training camp.

If the Heat can get the type of development they’re looking for out of their guards and forwards, Spoelstra now has almost endless lineup possibilities. But what made them successful last year should weigh heavily on their initial approach—a steady diet of long-range shooting.