There are several holes for which the Miami Heat will need to fill this summer and it was evident for most of the 2020-21 season.
If you factor in the constant lineup changes and the strenuous league protocols toward their struggles, the Heat were unable to consistently play at the optimal level, even during times where they did appear to be at full-strength.
Regardless of what the excuse could’ve been, whether it was the shortened off-season, the tight-schedule, or even the prolonged trade rumors — Miami simply lacked the appropriate depth to compete in the Eastern Conference and are now weeks away from the opportunity to finally assess those needs.
However, it’s been entertained that the 2021 free agency class isn’t exactly enticing and it’s a fair point. There’s also the given chance that with this class, Miami could come up empty-handed, being and all with a limited group of high-tier stars to select from.
Nonetheless, time will be very brisk for Miami to make their moves and ranking atop of their offseason priorities, is a complete NBA floor-general.
As the Miami Heat begin their search to improve the team, attention should immediately turn to their offense. Is a star point guard the answer?
With upcoming unrestricted free agent point guards, such as the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry and the Utah Jazz’s Mike Conley, potentially headlining as the Heat’s primary targets at the one-spot, they are both guys who can dictate offenses and are known to be quality defenders.
Other Heat options are rumored to be Pelicans guard, Lonzo Ball and Spencer Dinwiddie, last of the Brooklyn Nets. Even though they’re potential fits and much younger than Lowry or Conley, they don’t carry that postseason experience that corresponds to the Heat’s timeline.
While it’s possible for Miami to land a point guard and it’ll give a new direction to their offense if they do, a point guard isn’t going to be their saving grace… necessarily. Through the last few weeks, it’s been an easy route to become envious of other NBA teams that are flourishing with a traditional point guard on their roster.
A common example is the recent success of Chris Paul, who has led the Phoenix Suns to their first NBA Finals since 1993 and is doing so by tearing defenses apart as a savvy pick-and-roll artist. The last time we saw a consistent playmaking point guard for the Heat was last year, when Goran Dragic gave a spectator 2020 postseason run in the NBA Bubble.
While Miami didn’t have that same postseason success as they did the year before in this most recent season, it could be argued that they added new wrinkles to their offense. Miami finished in the top-ten in assists per game in 2021 and the majority of credit should be allocated to Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who combined for 13.5 assists a night on their own.
Perhaps, the Miami Heat don’t need to bring in a point guard after all. Or… do they?
Even though a facilitating point guard would allow both Jimmy and Bam to revert back to their previous roles (for which they’ve had for most of their careers), with Jimmy acting as a cutter and Bam as a roll-man, we shouldn’t discredit the improvements they’ve made as playmakers within their own means.
Butler, who led Miami with 7.1 assists per game this year, was successful while operating as an offensive initiator. The same goes for Adebayo, who demonstrated an ability to create opportunities in isolation from either elbow — whenever Heat coach Spoelstra decided to let the offense go through him.
Although spacing issues were evident and the Heat were ultimately 25th in scoring this year, there were reminders of that thriving offense which took them to the Finals the season prior. For those who aren’t familiar with coach Spoelstra’s offensive playbook, he isn’t exactly reliant upon isolation sets.
He emphasizes player movement, including back-screens, cuts off the ball, and dribble handoffs. But not only have those actions worked during the last two seasons with this group, it’s made Miami nearly unpredictable against opposing defenses, despite what many consider a down year.
If the Heat were to sign a floor general to a max-level slot, you wouldn’t expect it to be their final move of the summer. They’ll have to address the gaping hole at the four-spot and how they’re going to round out their remaining cap holds.
The addition of a point guard who strictly needs the ball to direct offenses changes their offensive direction… or does it? In a vacuum, it’s feasible but in the Heat’s case, it shouldn’t be their saving grace.
Regardless of who comes along in free agency though, defense will remain the focal point of Miami’s success with the current core they have and a point guard isn’t needed for the part of their identity that would work best — and that’s allowing that defense to help you get out to run in transition.