After what many class as a disappointing season for the Miami Heat, it’s important to take a look at what went wrong. At the base of all this is the team’s stats.
Whether it’s as simple as points or as advanced as turnover percentage, analyzing stats has become a huge part of the NBA. It’s important to know what a team is good at, and more importantly, what a team is bad at.
Once an organization can identify certain areas where they struggle, it makes the problem much easier to fix. Well, that’s why today marks the first article of the “Miami Heat Stats Class” series.
First and foremost, shoutout to my fellow writer at At The Hive of SB Nation, MickSmiley, for the inspiration. He does an “Advanced Stats Class” series covering the Hornets.
Each article here will identify one area where the team struggled last season, and pose two ways that they can fix the issue moving forward. The first stat is going to be the simplest one of all – points per game.
Last year, the Miami Heat ranked 25th in the NBA in points per game (108.1). This was a 3.9 point drop-off from the 112.0 points per game they scored in the 2019-20 season, where they ranked 15th in the league.
The main cause of the issue is fairly clear to identify – the Miami Heat lost key pieces. Both Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk were off the team by the end of the year, and Victor Oladipo was hurt.
The team was great on the defensive side of the floor, but clearly has a lot of work to do on offense. What are two ways the Miami Heat can improve in that regard next season?
The Miami Heat have great young players on their roster. If they can take the next step, the scoring issues shouldn’t be nearly as bad next year.
Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn are all still in the early stages of their careers. They have plenty of room to grow in all areas, including in the scoring department.
Option #1: Internal Development
Robinson and Nunn are more of a question mark at this point, however. Both will be restricted free agents and the Miami Heat have to decide whether or not they want to bring them back.
At the very least, though, Adebayo and Herro should be looking to take the next step offensively. Herro has shown some real promise as a shot creator, and Adebayo’s ridiculous athleticism could allow him to score in so many different ways.
Herro really burst onto the scene in The Bubble during the Heat’s 2019-20 playoff run. If he can bring that confidence and swagger to the court on a regular basis, he has the potential to score 20 points per game.
As for Adebayo, he should be doing so much more than just catching lobs and finishing at the rim. He can handle the ball, attack the paint, and even shoot the mid-range a little bit.
If the opposing team puts their center on him, he should take the ball out to the perimeter and drive right on them. No other big man should be able to keep up.
This is the most viable option for the Miami Heat to improve their scoring numbers next season. It doesn’t cost any money and would immediately raise the ceiling of the team.
The Miami Heat should have some cap space to work with this summer. Signing some free agents who can score the ball would definitely help.
Since the team could have some financial wiggle room this summer, signing players that can score the ball could be another path forward for the Miami Heat.
Option #2: Sign scorers
Obviously, some big-name free agents come to mind when talking about solid scorers. The Miami Heat supposedly want to pursue Kawhi Leonard this offseason and are also planning on giving John Collins an offer.
Either of these players would improve the scoring numbers in Miami. However, the team could get better in this department without having to break the bank.
There are plenty of role players who could help score the ball for the Miami Heat. The team doesn’t need a superstar in order to give their points per game a boost.
Players such as Patty Mills could come in off the bench and have a decent impact in the scoring column. Even giving Malik Monk an offer sheet could be a backup option for the Miami Heat.
There are plenty of players in this year’s free agency class who have the ability to score the ball at a high level. The Miami Heat just have to get out there and sign them.
Whether Pat Riley succeeds in signing a superstar or not, improving the team’s scoring should be a top priority this offseason.