The Miami Heat need help in the middle of their defense. Well, all over the paint and at the rim.
While we are on the Miami Heat’s showing in the NBA Finals from last season, at least discussing health and all, there was something else that got them beat. They were pulverized in the painted area.
Whether you are talking the paint in general or right at the rim, they were manhandled by the Los Angeles Lakers. Bam was treated like a child by the Lakers frontcourt when he was in, but things definitely didn’t get any easier when he went out.
The Heat’s rotation of bigs were unorthodox enough to get a game out of them, but the Lakers were just too much to endure as it was all said and done. It’s also been something that has already been pretty evident in this preseason.
The Miami Heat need rim protection, somehow and someway. Here’s the honest thing and truth of it all though, I don’t know where it will come from.
I hypothesized a short while ago the Meyers Leonard could possibly take a leap into becoming a rim protector-ish, but his preseason showings have indicated quite the opposite. Guess you can’t expect a zebra to change its stripes.
Without a guy that can constantly make things tough at the rim for the opposing team, the Miami Heat will have to again rely on their rotations, team defense, and intelligence to make up for their lack of presence in the paint. This is, of course, unless they find some somewhere.
I don’t know where they will look at this point, but it will surely be on their Christmas list anyway. Now let’s move on to the fourth and final thing.