So what concerns do you still have about the team, moving forward?
Morganfield: Injuries. We’re four games in and so far, we’ve had maybe five or six players go on and off of the injured list. We have key players that are injured… Imagine what we could and would do if we had a healthy team. Fortunately, we have guys that are out there, playing their best and holding down the fort. But still injuries, for sure, are a huge concern.
Leniart: The Heat do not have a dominant player on their roster that can command the attention of the defense and get a bucket when the team needs it. Wade can play that role at times, but, at this stage in his career, he can only do so in limited minutes. This vacancy is part of the reason why the team entered the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes and why fans were excited about the thought of acquiring a player of that caliber.
Eyrich: The rotation. It’s clear that Miami has a vast amount of talent. The question is how to spread the minutes in a way that results in wins. I think that means some players that deserve minutes will have to sacrifice that time, if the team wants to consistently win.
Gewirtz: The biggest concern I have is if they can finish games. There have been a lot of little mistakes that are easily fixable, like turning the ball over less, that could keep games from being so close down the stretch.
Ramos: The Heat don’t necessarily have a consistent go-to scorer. Richardson is improved, and Dion Waiters will help when he returns, but there’s no superstar talent that can consistently take over and win games for the Heat; it appears Miami is still going with the ‘by committee’ approach, which is fine, but not always successful.
Nurse: My biggest concern for this team is that they will forever be mediocre. The national media praises head coach Erik Spoelstra’s coaching efforts (well deserved) and local media uses yearly injuries as excuses, but the truth is that president Pat Riley‘s short-sided view on competing, stuck the team in the mud. If that’s not believable, just ask yourself if this roster should really be the highest paid in the league; because it is.
Rahming: Scoring. The Heat are 26th in total points scored and are barely making it through these games. Defense is great and all, but the team can’t rely on it so heavily to the point where there’s none left in the reserve tank, to step it up a notch with the game on the line. A few more contributions from players like Tyler Johnson and Adebayo on the offensive end, is just what Heat Culture need to see.