Miami Heat 1-on-1: What’s contributing to the team’s current struggles?

In this week’s installment of AllUCanHeat Miami Heat 1-on-1, two contributors discuss why the team is struggling.

Let’s get right to it: who do you think is currently the weakest link on this Miami Heat roster?

Priscilla Elliott Morganfield (@BaeOfAllTrades): Are we talking active or inactive? Inactive is Dion Waiters, obviously. Nobody really knows what’s going on with him, aside from the minimal that we hear from the coaches, and a lot of people have actually forgotten that he’s a member of this Miami Heat team. It’s unfortunate because this is really the time that they need a good guard, especially with the inconsistencies and injuries we’ve continued to face all season so far. Waiters is just outside of his return timetable of 10 months, so hopefully he’ll be back soon. As far as active players, and I hate to say this, but it’s Justise Winslow. He’s not playing badly, averaging 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, but if you look at those same stats compared to the rest of the team, he’s just barely above average. It’s not for lack of trying, but even if you watch him play, you just have to wonder what’s up with Winslow. There’s no set standard of what should be happening on this team, but whatever it is, Winslow isn’t playing up to par, especially for what he’s getting paid. A close second is James Johnson, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because he’s coming off on an injury. Third is Derrick Jones Jr., but how much is he expected to do really?

Rahmeaun Rahming (@Boneman9000): I’m not going to throw any punches here. I can’t say Winslow isn’t looking like himself because quite frankly, no one really knows what his strengths are. Popular opinion suggests that his defense and hustle plays are what really buy him time on the court. Those who have been watching closely have seen head coach Erik Spoelstra groom him for backup point guard duties, to which fans have described as an added bonus. My issue with praising his defensive ability comes when there’s actually a player in front of him to guard. So far this season, Winslow is ranked second to last (minimum five games played) on the team in defensive field goal percentage, with a rating of 50.3 percent. This means that when he’s defending the shot attempt, opponents score just over 50 percent of the time. Spoelstra is literally rolling the dice every time he puts Winslow is on the court against a known scoring threat. That’s not good to hear about someone who’s calling card is supposed to be defense. The only other person on the team with a higher rating in this category is Kelly Olynyk (53.8 percent). I’m okay with that, just as I think the rest of Heat Nation is, since we know Olynyk can be slow-footed at times and teams strategically seek him out to acquire that advantage. As for his playmaking ability, there’s a big hole that is beginning to get exposed so far this season. No one would consider the Heat a 3-point shooting team, and the rest of the league knows this. What the fans may not have known, was Winslow’s inability to efficiently create shots for himself, when the defense doesn’t help off of other players. Teams are more than happy to let him get all the way to the paint to challenge the big man that is waiting. So far this season, the results show that this strategy is working as intended to bait him into taking wild shots he can’t make. At this point in his fourth year, Winslow is taking 61.4 percent of his shots within 10 feet of the basket while only making 40.4 percent of these attempts. Every time he looks open for a drive down the lane, I cringe, because I know I can’t bet on it ending well.