The Miami Heat are constantly trying to find consistency.
So far, the 2017-18 NBA season has been quite a wild ride for Miami Heat fans.
Between expecting the team’s 30-11 run to continue from the end of last year, to instead having to face the grim reality of another injury-plagued start, and beyond, the only thing Heat Nation has come to expect is the unexpected.
Obviously, certain things can never be controlled. Just as it couldn’t be helped that the addition of new guys like Kelly Olynyk disrupted the previous chemistry, no one could have predicted Rodney McGruder’s leg fracture either.
However, the problem is that outside factors aren’t the only things currently causing the Heat’s campaign to suffer. There has been a good deal of inconsistency from game to game, player to player, that has also held Miami back.
Hassan Whiteside’s recent performance in a win over the Dallas Mavericks, being a great example of just that.
Whiteside, who missed 18 games earlier this season due to a knee bruise, has had a bumpy year. Coming off of averaging 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game in 2016-17, many expected the big man to only further develop his game. But instead, fans have had to watch the center waiver between putting up the likes of 22 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes against the Houston Rockets, to posting just eight points (and 14 rebounds) in 30 minutes versus the Sacramento Kings, three days later.
Which is what prompted head coach Erik Spoelstra to sit down with his headliner, and talk things through.
"“Me and coach Spo spoke for a real long time,” Whiteside said after Monday night’s victory. “It was like an hour talk. I think it was great. It was a really great talk between us. We both came better out of it.”"
That’s for sure. Because against the Mavericks, Whiteside finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and one block in 26 minutes.
Exactly the type of performance the 28-year-old should always be displaying.
But he’s not the only one who has been up-and-down.
Teammate Goran Dragic has had a strangely inconsistent season too. After averaging 20.3 points on 47.5 percent shooting from the field last year, he’s down to 17.0 points on 43.7 percent. Perhaps not a huge decrease, but enough to cause the team to have to look for additional offensive help.
Especially when he has games like totaling just five points and four assists in 23 minutes, versus the Charlotte Hornets. After scoring 23 points in 31 minutes against the Kings.
At 29-21, fourth in the Eastern Conference (and just a game behind the number three Cleveland Cavaliers), the team is certainly doing just fine.
Next: Hassan Whiteside's strong effort propels Miami Heat over Mavericks
But if the Miami Heat want to make sure to keep succeeding, they have to find some consistency.