Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Lineup struggles and a new front court
By Rob Slater
Miss: The Starting Lineup
A lineup that was so dominant for the Heat just a year ago, had a difficult week and continues to have a difficult year. Much of the heavy lifting this week came at the hands of the bench players (who have nicknamed themselves The Platinum Group).
A net -3.1 over the last week, the Heat were just a better team when this combination wasn’t on the floor. Particularly in the front court, Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson struggled to play next to each other.
In their 96 minutes together, they compiled a -16.4 net rating with a brutal 112.4 defensive rating. For two of the best individual defenders on the team, this number cannot be that high when they’re on the floor together. Odds are, the Heat will need both on the floor to make key defensive stops come playoff time.
Together, Whiteside and Johnson were bad and individually, the numbers don’t get much better. A combined -23 against Charlotte, -22 vs. Sacramento and -15 vs. Houston, rendered both big men unplayable in key situations, with Spoelstra deferring to the bench in crunch time where the Heat have been very good.
Spoelstra opted to roll with the starting lineup in the fourth quarter against Sacramento, after the reserves did their part to bring Miami all the way back from a second half deficit. They were able to score just 16 points on one of the worst teams in the league (the worst defense in the league), and lost the game in the final seconds.
The problem extended beyond the big men, as Goran Dragic also didn’t look himself as he works his way back from injury. The point guard was a -36 in his two games played, including a poor showing in the recent win over Charlotte, where he sat out the entire fourth quarter.
The Heat were just a better team with Dragic off the floor for this stretch. Their net rating rose from -21.1 to 11.9 when the point guard went to the bench and their true shooting percentage ballooned to 56.4 from 47.9 with Dragic on the floor.
Surely these numbers will change as Dragic rounds back into form, but it’s worth noting especially as the team makes important decisions regarding their future, with the February 8 trade deadline approaching. The starting lineup can’t struggle to this extent, particularly against teams like Sacramento who are in the running for the top pick in the draft.
Next: What the Miami Heat need to succeed is consistency
This is a worrying trend for the Heat as they move forward, but thankfully they’ve built up enough depth where this can happen from time to time, without costing them ground in the standings.