The Miami Heat’s three best lineups of the 2017-18 season
By Rob Slater
Bam Adebayo, Wayne Ellington, Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow
Minutes: 117
Offensive Rating: 108.4
Defensive Rating: 92.1
Net Rating: 16.4
Assist Percentage: 76.3
True Shooting Percentage: 56.7
Better known as The Platinum Group, the emergence of the Heat’s own bench mob was the driving catalyst to their standout month of January, and has remained the team’s most productive lineup coming down the stretch of the regular season.
This lineup brings together several of the Heat’s most successful pairings, as the two-man combinations of Ellington/Justise Winslow, Olynyk/Josh Richardson and Ellington/Olynyk are in the top three of total net rating for the entire team (500 minutes minimum). Adebayo and Ellington comes in at sixth on that list.
Again, the Heat can open up the entire offense with this group without sacrificing defense, (Richardson, Winslow and Adebayo is one of the best defensive trios the Heat can put in the floor) running a heavy dose of dribble handoffs (per Synergy, one of the Heat’s most used offensive play) to free up their shooters, as well as to get the defense off-balance, allowing Olynyk and Adebayo opportunities at the rim.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that with Ellington, Olynyk and Richardson on the floor, this unit shoots 38.1 percent from 3 (best of the qualified five-man lineups) and averages a +3.3 per game.
The true emergence of The Platinum Group came in January, where the Heat posted a 10-5 record, good for third in the entire league. This lineup was one of the very best in the league during that stretch, posting a 17.6 net rating, good for second in the NBA next to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting lineup.
During that stretch, the lineup was a saving grace for the Heat, carrying the rest of the team when the starters went through a slump that often put the Heat behind early. On January 27 against Charlotte, Spoelstra summoned The Platinum Group in the second quarter, where they turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead.
The offensive spacing of this lineup is a core principle for what the Heat are trying to accomplish on offense. When everyone on the floor is connected and they’re moving in unison, the ball continues to move and finds the correct man, as it did here with a wide open layup for Olynyk. This unit boasts a 76.3 percent assist percentage, the highest among all lineups.
Their offensive proficiency and ball movement leads to a surge in points, allowing them to erase any deficit.