Pat Riley put together a championship-quality roster this offseason. The Miami Heat have a great mix of veterans, young players, and projects on the team.
Most people are projecting them to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. With such high praise, however, comes a decent amount of pressure.
Though the players themselves may not worry about that as much, there is pressure on the organization to compete right now. By signing Kyle Lowy to such an expensive deal, the clear goal is to win a championship.
What do the Miami Heat need to do this season in order to reach their lofty goals? What are the three main keys if they want to win an NBA championship?
Keys for the Miami Heat to win a championship: Young players stepping up
If the Miami Heat want to win right now, they need some of their younger players to step up. They need production from everyone on the roster, not just the top guys.
Players such as Tyler Herro and Max Strus need to elevate their game to the next level. They are going to have a fairly large role in the rotation, so Miami needs them on their A-game.
Gabe Vincent in particular has to have a big year. According to recent rumors, the Miami Heat plan on making him the full-time backup point guard.
He played well during his time with Team Nigeria, but he has yet to prove himself at the NBA level. The Heat need him to play consistently well if they want to be an elite team.
Overall, Miami just needs some of their less experienced players to play big roles. If they get major contributions from some of those guys, they’ll be in a great place to compete for a title.
Keys for the Miami Heat to win a championship: Elite defense
With the way the roster is constructed, most believe the Miami Heat will be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Now, they just have to prove it on the court.
They have two All-NBA defenders in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the roster. On top of that, Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker are two additions who can also be elite on the defensive side of the ball.
Defense will be the identity of the Miami Heat this season. On nights where their offense is struggling, they need to be able to depend on the defensive capabilities.
Last season, the Heat allowed 108.0 points per game. This ranked fifth in the entire league, behind only the Knicks, Lakers, Jazz, and Clippers.
With the additions they made, they could legitimately get close to allowing only single-digit points this season. Last year, the best defense (New York) allowed 104.7 points per game.
The last time a team allowed less than 100 points per game was back in the 2017-18 season. Both the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs accomplished it that season.
Offenses around the league have only improved since then, so it may seem like an impossible task. However, if Miami can even get close to that mark, they would be an absolute force.
Having the best defense in the league should not only be a goal for the Heat, but it should be a top priority. If they want to win the 2022 NBA Finals, they need to rely mainly on their defense.
Keys for the Miami Heat to win a championship: Improve three-point shooting
Last season, the Miami Heat were one of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of three-point percentage. In today’s NBA, that just simply isn’t going to fly.
They ended the year in the bottom half of the league in regard to that stat. However, if it weren’t for Duncan Robinson, they would have been much, much worse.
If all of Robinson’s three-point attempts and makes were erased from the books, Miami would have been a bottom-three team in three-point percentage.
Robinson alone took what was otherwise a bottom-tier shooting team and made them a mid-tier shooting team. Well, Robinson will have the necessary help this year.
Players such as Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker will take some of the burdens off of Robinson’s back. Both players shot well from three last year, and have a history of knocking down three-point shots.
Lowry in particular will have a huge impact on this part of the offense. The veteran point guard shot nearly 40% from deep last year.
Other people who need to step up in this regard are Tyler Herro, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent. All three have the tools to be elite three-point shooters; they just have to be more consistent.
If the Miami Heat want to be taken seriously as title contenders, they have to shoot the ball better. If they can do that, there’s no telling how high their ceiling could be.