The Miami Heat aren’t that good right now and for some reason, a lot of folks want to blame Kelly Olynyk.
The Miami Heat aren’t a good basketball team right now. That’s a fact.
The beautiful thing about an NBA season, talented NBA teams, and talented NBA players though is that this all could change in an instant. Literally, the Miami Heat or any team for that matter, could wake up one day and it all click.
We don’t know when or even if that is going to happen with our Miami Heat anytime soon but it is very possible. With all that in mind though, many have sought to pinpoint or specifically define what the Miami Heat’s issue is.
While a few things philosophically and schematically need to be tinkered with, the core root of it all is the Miami Heat’s turnover issue and their major lack of effort at times. The turnovers issue is something that they seem to encounter every year to begin the season but the effort thing is usually the furthest thing away from being an issue.
That’s the Miami Heat way. That’s the daunted Miami Heat culture.
That is to work harder than your opponent in every single minute, of every single game, every single night. They aren’t doing that right now.
The Miami Heat aren’t a good team right now, but the blame falls on more than just one guy.
Further along though, people tend to want to blame the lot of those issues on one guy. That would be Kelly Olynyk.
For some reason, the guy who has never gotten his fair opportunity as a key member of the rotation, the guy that never complains but always does his job, and the guy you never have to worry about not giving 150 percent of everything he has on any given night is the guy to blame here? Give me a break!
Most people will point to that darn “+/-” figure, which is a good tool to use but in collaboration with what you see on the court. Don’t give me that figure alone and try to tell me that this one metric is the total worth or value of a guy, because it just isn’t.
Here’s why it looks the way it does. KO isn’t a great individual defender, we all know that.
However, he is a very good to great team defender. Here’s the thing though.
When you aren’t a great individual defender but rely on the team to be your best, when they are bad as a unit, you are going to be just that much worse individually, numbers and metric wise of course. He isn’t the reason that the Miami Heat aren’t maxing or selling out all the time though.
He isn’t the reason why they aren’t running out to the three point line to contest open shots. In fact, he has been one of the only answers this season.
Searching for an effective and fluid member for that four spot in the starting lineup, KO has not only been patient about it but has been the most effective when given his opportunity. Again I say, it’s a team thing, not a Kelly thing.
Kelly needs to be better but so does the rest of the team and big time. He is the best thing we have going at the four and a darn good option if you ask me.
So, with that, stop acting like it’s all his fault because it simply isn’t. The minute that everyone on this team takes responsibility and plays harder, things will change.
That’s a promise. I believe it’ll happen more sooner than later as well though, because Saturday’s loss to Detroit should be enough to wake anybody up.