Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Lineup struggles and a new front court
By Rob Slater
Make: Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo
The Heat’s frontcourt has been the topic of much conversation over the course of the season, with Hassan Whiteside proving inconsistent in the long run and James Johnson unable to find his footing on the offensive end. But the emergence of rookie Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk has opened up head coach Erik Spoelstra’s options, as he showed throughout this past week.
The combination of Olynyk and Adebayo in the front court, opened up the Heat’s offense to another level. Over this four game stretch, lineups featuring those two posted a 108.7 offensive rating and a suffocating 88.3 defensive rating. In their 74 minutes together, the rookie and newcomer teamed up for the best stretch of Heat Basketball all season.
Against Sacramento, where the Heat fell behind by eight in the third quarter, in a game plagued by lethargic play, Spoelstra summoned the Olynyk/Adebayo front court along with Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington and Justise Winslow. That group managed to tie the game at 64, before another player came into the game for Miami.
Unfortunately, that group never saw the floor in the fourth quarter, where the Heat would squander a lead, scoring just 16 total points.
Specificially to Adebayo and Olynyk, the Heat’s offense opens up when those two are in the game because they fit the mold of the big man that Spoelstra is looking for within the offense.
Per Synergy, the Heat are currently second only to Detroit in shot attempts generated off of hand offs, many of which are initiated by the big men. Adebayo and Ellington have particularly found a groove in that section of the offense, with the sharpshooter ranking in the 83rd percentile of all shooters off a hand off (Josh Richardson is 84th).
Ellington runs those “pass routes” through a series of screens and Adebayo does a good job of recognizing that Winslow isn’t going to be able to make the pass. But the Heat have Sacramento where they want them, with Ellington and Adebayo both facing single coverage.
All the rookie has to do is flash to the ball and wait for Ellington to circle back around. As long as he sets a solid (legal) screen, Ellington is free to shoot.
Once again, the Heat found themselves down at home against Charlotte. Olynyk and Adebayo entered in the second quarter with the Heat trailing by six. They exited some minutes later with a six-point lead. Both big men cashed in six points apiece.
Both Adebayo and Olynyk also excel in the pick and roll game, where (per Synergy) the Heat’s screeners rank 10th in the league. Olynyk and Adebayo (66th and 67th percentile, respectively) are the two best they have in this situation.
Olynyk works well with his patience and sometimes awkward style of attacking, while Adebayo hits opponents with brute force and speed, launching himself to the rim as he does above. There is nothing Hornets center Patrick O’Bryant can do when Adebayo gets a step on him towards the rim; he is either surrendering a dunk or a layup to Winslow.
Here’s an example of Olynyk’s patience in the Sacramento game, reading the play properly and slipping so Winslow can deliver an excellent pocket pass for an easy basket.
Moving forward, this’ll continue to be the more effective alternative to the starting front court, which experienced its own problems this week. Olynyk and Adebayo are more in line of the future of the Miami Heat under Spoelstra, and so far it is paying dividends.