Defense has rarely been an issue for the Miami Heat. The offensive end is where they have struggled the most in recent years.
Scoring as a whole has certainly been an issue, but oddly enough so has their three-point shooting. Despite having one of the best shooters in the NBA, they still were a below-average three-point shooting team.
They finished the year ranked 19th in three-point percentage (35.8%). If Duncan Robinson’s three-point stats were taken away, they would have ranked 27th in the NBA (34.2%).
Despite all this, they still managed to be the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Although it didn’t end well in the playoffs, the fact that they played so well with such poor three-point shooting is impressive.
With the way the league is trending, being able to shoot the three-ball is imperative. The Miami Heat won’t be able to skate by with Robinson being the only real shooter.
Neither of their star players are three-point shooters. Jimmy Butler shot 24.5% from deep last year, and Bam Adebayo only took eight the whole year.
With the number of threes teams are taking nowadays, having shooters on the roster is crucial. Since their two big-name players can’t shoot, the Miami Heat have to put a ton of shooters around them.
In nine of the past ten NBA seasons, the champions were a top ten team in terms of three-point shooting. The only exception to this rule was the 2019-20 Lakers.
If the Miami Heat want to contend for a championship, improving their three-point shooting should be a top priority. What are the best routes to take in order to do so?