Miami Heat: The best defensive lineup in the NBA plays in Miami
By Jack Simone
The Miami Heat re-signed Victor Oladipo to what is expected to be a one-year deal, according to Shams Charania. They will retain his bird rights, making it possible for them to re-sign him again next year.
With the signing, the Heat continue their amazing offseason. They also added Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker on day one of free agency.
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The Miami Heat have a dominant defensive lineup in the works
Based on the signings they made, Miami has the potential to have the best defensive lineup in the NBA. They could roll out a starting lineup of Lowry, Oladipo, Jimmy Butler, Tucker, and Bam Adebayo.
Butler and Adebayo were on the All-Defensive Second Team last year. Meanwhile, Oladipo made the All-Defensive First Team back in the 2017-18 season.
Both Lowry and Tucker are highly respected on the defensive end as well. If all five of these players can get healthy, they would make up one of the best defensive lineups in the NBA.
This obviously hinges on Oladipo’s ability to get healthy. He had surgery on his right quadriceps tendon and could be out until around January.
Even so, the defensive potential on the Miami Heat will be insane next season. They could realistically finish as the best defensive team in the entire NBA.
The only other team that could compete with Miami on the defensive end is the reigning champion, Milwaukee Bucks. They could roll out a lineup of Jrue Holiday, Donte Divincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez.
That starting five is nothing to scoff at. Antetokounmpo has won the Defensive Player of the Year award and Holiday is commonly named by players when asked who they believe the best defender in the NBA is.
If those two teams meet up in a playoff series again, there might be zero games where a team cracks 100 points. That’s how good each team is shaping up to be on the defensive end.
Pat Riley went out and got a ton of scrappy guys in free agency this offseason. No one is going to want to mess with the Miami Heat next season.
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Bully ball is fully back on the defensive end for Miami. It’s going to be so fun to watch the Miami Heat clamp down opposing offenses next season.