The 2017-18 Miami Heat’s versatility is the key to their recent success

After winning 15 of their last 20 games, the Miami Heat are becoming one of the hottest teams in the league.

A group of misfits is becoming one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Miami Heat have found a way to work up the rankings, and what might be most impressive is that they are doing it with a group of so-called unwanted pieces.

This team’s core is made up of the players who were set aside. Which may be what makes them so hungry for success. With the exception of the three players drafted by the Heat, everyone else was deemed undesirable by the rest of the NBA.

Goran Dragic was recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season, yet he most likely will not find himself at the All-Star game. Hassan Whiteside was a gem from the Gatorade League. James Johnson has spent time with six teams.

There’s a story for every player on the roster and it ends with only working in Miami.

The Heat are one of the deepest teams in the league. Instead of coaching to a certain system, head coach Erik Spoelstra coaches to his players’ styles. It all depends on who’s on the court, to decide what type of offense you might find.

The revolving door of lineups keeps the defense guessing as to what they might get. That revolving door, of course, has been forced upon the Heat due to injury after injury. Maybe a blessing in disguise, as Miami’s depth and versatility has become deadly.

When Spoelstra has Dragic and Whiteside in the game, it’s all about playing inside out. First, you have the pick and roll between the two, that is hard enough to defend. The best way to stop it? Overloading the paint.

Often when Dragic is driving to the paint and Whiteside starts to crash to the basket, they draw in three or four defenders into the paint. As that happens, the kick out to the arc is always open. With shooters like Wayne Ellington spreading the court, Miami can find plenty of success.

The key to all of this is the constant movement Miami uses. It takes Dragic and Whiteside crashing in, to draw in the defense and movement from the wings, to disassemble the defense. When the kick-out comes, if there isn’t a spot-up shot, there’s another drive from the ball handler. As that happens, Dragic begins to back out of the paint and the others slide to the opposite side of the arc.

This alone creates many ways the Heat can score.

When the Heat get away from overloading the paint, they have the ability to send many players into isolation. Josh Richardson is as crafty as it gets, to avoid contact going to the rim. And then there’s Johnson, who has the ball handling to get himself to the paint and the strength to finish.

When Miami goes small with Richardson and Ellington, they often play five-out. Kelly Olynyk usually runs with that squad and helps stretch out the court with his shooting. Drawing the defense out of the paint, one of the guards drives and forces the defense to play their card. Richardson and Ellington are both fast enough that they beat their defender and either has a lay-in, or the help side comes. Normally that help side comes from Bam Adebayo’s defender, leaving him open for the easy dump pass.

In the same type of lineup with the addition of Justise Winslow and Whiteside replacing Adebayo, the offense changes once again. It’s the same style to try and stretch out the floor, but it’s more of a “four-out, one-in” system. The one-in obviously being Whiteside, who tries to just lay low. As the seven-footer hangs out below the box, the ball handler drives to the middle of the paint. This opens up three possibilities. One, a pull-up jumper; two, a running floater; or three, the lob to Whiteside. Once again, the Heat forces the defense to show their hand.

At times it seems what the Heat are doing is simple. But the key has been constant movement.

This is a Heat team that can beat you in many different ways, as  Miami can wear any team down.

Next: Why Miami Heat's Goran Dragic deserves to be an All-Star

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