Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Whiteside struggles, others surge
By Rob Slater
This week’s Makes and Misses reviews the good and bad from three important Miami Heat wins, against the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Utah Jazz.
A turn of the calendar has done wonders for the Miami Heat as so far, the team has yet to drop a game in the new year.
Three wins in January (four overall going back to a December 30 win in Orlando) has the Heat staring down the barrel of prime playoff positioning, something that was an afterthought just a year ago.
It wouldn’t make sense to think that the Heat cruised to high-octane wins (100+ points in all three games) without Dion Waiters and with Hassan Whiteside relegated to spectator in the fourth quarters. Especially since Justise Winslow also continues to miss time with an injury.
But it’s not about what the Heat are missing. Instead, the focus has turned to what they have now and what they could hold onto for many years to come. A budding young star in Josh Richardson appears to be emerging, as the Heat continue to also get stellar output and contributions from key veterans Wayne Ellington and James Johnson. Combined with the versatile play of Kelly Olynyk and a resurgent Goran Dragic.
The Heat are taking a collective approach to winning, rather than the star-oriented path that steers most teams around the league. The results have been inconsistent mostly, but finally the Heat appear to be finding a winning formula that is bringing this group together at the right time.
Still, questions remain. Their highest paid player (Whiteside) has struggled immensely since returning from his knee injury and remains unplayable in late game scenarios. With the emergence of Kelly Olynyk and return of James Johnson (plus rookie Bam Adebayo), questions about Whiteside’s tenure in Miami are starting to arise.