The Miami Heat need to look beyond Chris Paul to win another NBA Championship
In contrast to their defense that ranked second in points per game allowed last season, Miami’s offense was notably lackluster – the franchise finished 26th across the league in both total points per game and offensive efficiency, especially as it struggled to find a consistent scorer outside of wingman Josh Richardson. A lack of an elite wing comfortable on the drive and with a consistent 3-point shot spurred indecisiveness on offensive possessions, which prolonged the amount of time it took for Miami to score in today’s NBA that moves and attacks more dynamically than ever before.
Surely, most teams can make the argument that they need more scoring – but what makes the Miami Heat’s case so compelling is the fact that they are most interested in doing so without sacrificing the essential pieces of an already-existing strong defensive core.
Realistically, there are reasons to believe that Miami would benefit the most from acquiring a dynamic scorer at either power forward or center and at least two, well-rounded 3-point marksmen.
Sure, Bam Adebayo has the potential to build off the progress of successfully elevating himself into the starting center role. However, it would be hard to deny the fact that landing a modern, prominent, and dynamic four or five-man could take the pressure off Adebayo to be the biggest player in a currently projected small Miami Heat starting lineup.
While every team will surely be looking to get in on the sweepstakes, the Miami Heat should definitely try to get in on the auction for reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo if he chooses not to sign a five-year, $253.1 million extension with the Milwaukee Bucks next summer. Even as the Bucks are a championship contender and multiple franchises will aim to take meetings with him, there is still a case for Giannis to be wearing a Miami Heat uniform.
When taking into account the departure of center Hassan Whiteside this offseason, the addition of Giannis to the Heat would afford the team similar size in a starting lineup without sacrificing scoring capabilities.
Antetokounmpo’s rim running and intuitive playmaking on fastbreaks could serve as the catalyst to a fast-paced team in Miami that would be able to regularly capitalize on its strong defense with more points off of turnovers. On top of that, Giannis’ adept ability to engineer opportunities from both pick and roll setups and his underrated passing skillset would ultimately provide more direction to an offense that was 15th in assist points created across the league last year.
Should the sweepstakes for landing the current MVP become too competitive, there are still high-quality options Miami can pursue in the next two years. Power forwards Paul Milsap and Serge Ibaka should be available next summer, while six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin could leave the Pistons in free agency as early as the summer of 2021.