Miami Heat 1-on-1: Can the team turn things around still?

What do you think about the organization’s so-called youth movement?

Tachauer: Despite Miami’s rough start this year, I’m all about it. To me, Adebayo, Richardson and Winslow are already a great group to move forward with, and the best part is that it’s clear they’ll only continue to develop into stronger, more reliable players. What’s more is that they’re all making the most of what’s left of their time playing alongside Wade and Udonis Haslem too, which proves their willingness and desire to keep learning from top dogs. I don’t think that the Heat can be successful by only relying on these younger guys yet (and actually, will probably always need some veteran presence to fully embody The Culture), but at the end of the day, the organization should definitely feel good about who they’ve got riding into the sunset with them.

Johnson: If a guy can play, he can play. The NBA has seen such diversity in successful team structures over the years. For example, taking the opposite approach of a youth movement, the Grit and Grind Memphis Grizzlies circa 2014 thrived with slower and older players, like Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. Then of course, there’s the recent trend of pace and space. Miami’s youth movement however, if we restrict it to Winslow, Richardson, Adebayo, Rodney McGruder and Tyler Johnson, aren’t exactly primed to be the tough, front court defenders like those Grizzlies. Nor are they the foundation for a great pace and space model. So honestly, it’s very possible that we’ve seen the peak performance of this group in this situation.