The Miami Heat are a team that has been built on hard work and defense. Here is why their collection of big men should help start to change that narrative.
Being a big man in today’s NBA isn’t what it used to be. While the Miami Heat have been the home team of several of the NBA’s great big men of all time, including Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal, they might not have experienced as great of a success as they did in the current iteration of the league.
In today’s NBA, a big man must not only be able to operate on the perimeter as far as team scheme and for spacing, but they better be able to do something with the ball if or when it comes their way along the outside. While there are a few exceptions, these exceptions are oftentimes so dominant in one area or another, that they have found a way to carve out a career.
A few of these exceptions would be Jarret Allen & DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets, as well as Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz. While neither of the three are viable options outside of the paint, they all block shots, rebound, and defend the basket so well or are the elite of the elite when it comes to rim protection, that it doesn’t matter if they don’t have outside games. While this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a somewhat negative effect on their respective teams in today’s NBA, it isn’t a problem the Miami Heat should have to worry about.
While they did have a bit of this going on before they traded away a center who is not to be named, the current collection of big men for the Miami Heat present immense versatility. Whether you are talking about Kelly Olynyk, Bam Adebayo, or the most recently acquired Meyers Leonard, the Miami Heat have three quality big men with enormous amounts of versatility to their games.
They can all shoot it and while you aren’t as comfortable with Bam Adebayo and his long-range shot at the moment, Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard can flat out stroke it with the best of them. They can all handle it somewhat well for men of their sizes.
They can all make the key assist or drop dimes when it needs to happen, and they all can play defense, even if that part happens differently for them all. While Olynyk isn’t as long as Leonard or as springy as Bam, he is a tough nose foot sliding type of defender, who has the strength to take the bashing on the block while having the IQ and toughness to stick his nose into the fray if need be.
While Leonard could be better with his awareness on that end, his sheer length and athleticism present a problem for the man he is guarding and for anyone looking to nab an easy bucket at the tin. While Bam isn’t as basketball smart as Olynyk or as long as Leonard, he has the agility, awareness, quicks, and bouncing abilities to more than make up for any small snafus that could potentially get him in trouble on that end of the floor.
No matter which way you slice it, the Miami Heat have a big man to fit the occasion. Not only should they excel as a group against the competition, but the fact that either could end up being the best big for the team this season should propel each of them singularly to be the best version of themselves. Either way, they should all be huge part of the teams’ success in this upcoming season.