Head Coach Erik Spoelstra preached versatility as the Miami Heat’s most redeeming factor during Media Day.
Every team in the NBA wants to believe it has a formula for success.
In recent years, that has meant grouping as many 35 percent or better 3-point shooters as possible together, with an assist-stuffing guard and a pick and roll, Olympic high-jumping center.
But with a finite supply of players, some teams have found ways to get some, or all of these pieces – the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics – leaving others scavenging G-League rosters and overseas pools for reasonable facsimiles.
However, the Miami Heat have boiled the model for success down to its finest quality.
At Media Day, head coach Erik Spoelstra touted versatility as the hallmark for NBA success in 2018-19.
"“To beat really good teams in this league, you have to have depth, you have to have talent, you have to have versatility,” Spoelstra said. “We’re checking some of those boxes off and I just love the competition when the guys are fighting for opportunities.”"
Last season, the Heat embraced a culture of adaptability, having finagled with an assortment of lineups. Only four players started every game in which they appeared: Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside.
On paper, that may seem like Miami had its rotation locked and loaded, but Waiters absence to injury opened a starting spot after 30 games, just as Hassan Whiteside’s tussle with Miami’s medics limited him to 54 appearances.
Down to two consistent starters, Miami toggled between complementary players without hesitation.
Some games, Tyler Johnson filled Waiters shoes, pushing Richardson to small forward and into match-ups against Paul George or LeBron James. Other times, Kelly Olynyk subbed in for Whiteside, replacing Miami’s usage of a post anchored center with a high-post magnet.
But as Miami returns 14 of the same players from last season to its roster, the team may need to commit to running versatile sets rather than letting versatility be a necessity because of injury.
The Heat explored its playmaking options last season through Justise Winslow and Dragic, while the impact of Tyler and James Johnson tended to lapse. Determining how to commit to a lineup rotation without sacrificing some of the team’s hip-firing, surprise attacks, will be a constant balancing act as Miami’s continues to chase success.