Here’s a look at three of the best five-man lineups for the Miami Heat so far this season.
The first 58 games of the Miami Heat season can be best described as inconsistent, as the team ebbed and flowed their way to a 30-28 mark; good for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Just a month ago, the Heat were squaring off against Cleveland for the right to the three spot, but after losing to LeBron James and the Cavaliers, the two teams went in opposite directions.
When evaluating just what has worked for the Heat in an uneven first 58 games, an immediate trend reveals itself when uncovering the three best five-man lineups deployed by head coach Erik Spoelstra thus far.
The Heat are at their best when they use a combination of their most versatile playmakers, namely Wayne Ellington, Kelly Olynyk and rookie Bam Adebayo.
These three lineups are highlighted for a number of reasons, but the overarching theme is the myriad of scoring options. Even if all five aren’t scorers in the traditional sense, the complementary skills of the entire lineup and their ability to adapt to the style of play, makes it so they are highly productive on both offense and defense.
But the Heat’s most successful lineups also reveal a flaw in the roster construction, as Hassan Whiteside is noticeably absent from the list.
The Heat’s max contract center has not found his way into consistent success this year, but rather the more versatile frontcourt of Olynyk and Adebayo (as well as James Johnson) has proved more beneficial. Let’s take a closer look at the team’s most successful lineups.
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.
Goran Dragic, Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk, James Johnson
Minutes: 56
Offensive Rating: 128.2
Defensive Rating: 103.9
Net Rating: 24.4
True Shooting Percentage: 67
Assist Percentage: 73.6
The ninth most-used five-man lineup offers up a pair of unique combinations, most notably the frontcourt pairing of Olynyk and Johnson. Pairing Johnson with Olynyk balances out a defensive deficiency, while also allowing Olynyk the proper spacing to operate offensively, as opposed to inserting Whiteside, who would hurt the team’s overall spacing.
The pairing of Olynyk and Johnson has played a combined 469 minutes together with a net rating of 3.7 and has proved successful overall, especially when surrounded by the shooting of Goran Dragic, Ellington and Richardson.
Once again, this lineup shares the ball at a high rate and shoots incredibly efficiently. It’ll be interesting to see if those numbers keep up as the sample size increases, particularly since this lineup gives up a bit on the defensive end. While Johnson and Richardson (and to a lesser extent Dragic) are plus defenders, they mainly cover up the deficiencies of Ellington and Olynyk.
Along with the power of the Johnson/Olynyk frontcourt pairing, a three-man rotation of Ellington/Olynyk/Richardson is the best the Heat have to offer, with a 11.4 net rating when they’re on the floor together. Putting all of this together with the leadership and decision making of Dragic (who also generally plays at a higher pace) leads to a high-powered offensive lineup that is also able to defend at an acceptable rate.
This lineup emphasizes ball movement and spacing, much like The Platinum Group, but does so at a faster pace thanks to the addition of Dragic. They’re able to achieve an offensive rating of 128 because they create the type of fast, efficient offense, that allows them to score at a high level.
The pressure that can put on a defense shouldn’t be understated.
Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington
Minutes: 48
Offensive Rating: 128.1
Defensive Rating: 100.0
Net Rating: 28.1
True Shooting Percentage: 67.6
Three-Point Percentage: 45.9
The Heat has deployed this offense-heavy lineup in nine different games where they are 7-2, making it one of the most impactful to winning.
Yet again, the Heat are able to maximize their principle of surrounding versatile bigs with efficient shooting. Adebayo and Olynyk are a part of a lineup that shoots nearly 46 percent from 3 (second among qualifying lineups) and almost 55 percent from the field overall, making it no surprise this lineup appears in games where the Heat hold a 7-2 record.
The important aspect to this lineup is yet again the frontcout pairing of Adebayo and Olynyk, who are one of the Heat’s most effective duos almost 60 games into the season. In their 397 minutes together, the two have posted a 7.0 net rating.
It’s important to analyze the “why” here and also why Whiteside and James Johnson aren’t nearly as effective. For comparison, those two have played 441 minutes together, posting a -3.4 net rating.
Johnson is also far more effective with Adebayo and Olynyk.
Even though Adbeayo is just a rookie, his mobility and activity give the Heat a much needed offensive boost even if he isn’t scoring. The rookie is also coming along as a passer, particularly off the pick and roll. When that ability is accentuated by the shooting of Tyler Johnson, Richardson and Ellington, the Heat are a difficult offense to deal with.
Next: Miami Heat: The Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside show
Now it’s time to see what Spoelstra has in mind, after the All-Star break.