The Miami Heat have had quite a last few years. While the NBA Finals run was great and is one thing, in itself, the rumors they’ve found themselves to be apart of are something totally different.
After all of the speculation prior to last season’s trade deadline on whether Kyle Lowry‘s precious time in Toronto had been concluded, the question was then about which organization was most preferred for the 16-year-vet?
Many suspected his hometown Philadelphia, while the Pelicans were also surging for cap space, or of course, the enticing culture in the franchise of the Miami Heat, whom yes, proved again how hard they are to look past.
Lowry signed a three-year deal worth $85 million with Miami, forcing them to send prospect, Precious Achiuwa and fan favorite in Goran Dragic, to the Raptors in creating a sign-and-trade that really put the Miami Heat back on the map. A fun and unpredictable NBA Finals run in the bubble led to an unprecedented mess of a last season with COVID and constant injuries causing Miami to just escape the play-in tournament.
Now though, the Heat add, not only, another star who helps them improve on both sides of the floor, but a champion who helps bolster the locker room in many ways as well.
Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry Absolutely Makes Them A Title Favorite – The Past
The Miami Heat’s title odds have skyrocketed for the 2021-22 season, following what many label as the best move of the summer. That narrative deserves to be preached more, with Lowry being the missing link to the team.
To kick it off, let’s start with the ugly, which is the fact that the Heat were 25th in points scored last season.
As the defending Eastern Conference Champion being led by two premiere cornerstones in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and also surrounded with then-experienced shooters and role guys such as Dragic and Tyler Herro, who played like a rising star during that run, as well as other dependable role guys and vets like Duncan Robinson, Andre Iguodala and Kendrick Nunn, that’s unacceptable.
Herro and Robinson were definitely far from playing their roles to a tee, as Miami was about in the middle of the pack in three-point percentage, at 35.8 percent (14th). They were tied for 13th in the league in field-goal percentage, shooting at a clip of 46.8 percent.
Now, they weren’t too bad when it came to assists, with 26.3 per game (ninth in NBA), while they were also able to maintain their notoriously elite defense, finishing the season at fifth in points allowed. But what mostly separated the Heat from the other Eastern Conference contenders was a secondary vocal leader to hold others accountable.
Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry Absolutely Makes Them A Title Favorite – The Future
There were still top-notch veterans around, like Finals MVP, Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, who only dressed a limited amount of times due to his injury woes, and we can’t forget about Udonis Haslem.
Let’s be honest, none of them are providing what a well-respected, long-time cornerstone of a franchise, six-time All-Star, and a champion can bring though. And what is that exactly?
Well, Lowry is fifth all-time amongst active players in assists. Last season, the 35-year-old put up seven a game, to go with his 17 points, five boards. and a steal on 43.6/39.6/87.5 percent shooting splits.
Lowry’s ability to come across and shoot over screens from distance, whether it’s off the catch, off the dribble, or even on a pull-up is second to none. He’s still feisty and aggressive on the attack, even at his age with his prowess as a floor general.
With his muscle, capabilities to out-duel, physically, and mentally beat his opponent, Lowry can still navigate his way to the rim, thanks to his craftiness and sneaky finishes with either hand, while also still being able to find slick openings to create space for others too.
Standing at just six feet, that’s impressive and especially with him in his late 30s, considering the mastery of his floater and not for nothing, as Lowry’s handle can develop into his secretly elite shot-creating in or outside the arch off a step-back with prompt precision.
The 24th pick in the 2006 draft will clearly give Butler an opportunity to play off the ball a lot in efforts to get the perimeter players around him in Herro, Robinson, and even the new guys going. They are already guys that mesh with the culture and mentality of the Heat, namely P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris, so that should work out smoothly.
Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry Absolutely Makes Them A Title Favorite – How It Looks
Acknowledging how much of a pest Lowry is on the defensive end, we can guarantee he’ll be setting the tone on that side of the ball, putting his body in front of the play and drawing any sort of contact or charge that the champ can get.
Lowry said something during his introductory press conference that really stuck out to me. Here it is.
"On paper it looks great but you gotta put the work in on the floor,. I don’t ever say we can do this, we can do that and then you still gotta go out there lace em’ up and do your job.” Play defense, score, put the ball in the hole. It looks good, but you know, you gotta find a way to put it together. If you don’t put it together, it don’t mean jack. It could look good, it could sound good, it could feel good…. but you gotta do it."
As we witnessed in Jurassic Park, Lowry is a Hall of Fame type of point guard that can transform an organization and not just in each game, in the locker room, or on the bench, but his gritty play and nastiness in the biggest of moments and under the brightest of lights can help transcend the mindsets of those around him.
ESPN has Miami ranked as the eighth best team in the league, which to me is certainly underrating them, given the multiple added veterans to Butler’s playground and being led by one of the most loved players in basketball.
“You tell me,” Lowry said when asked about what he thinks the Heat will look like. “Like seriously.”
“You just look at the paper and you can kind of figure it out with the guys we got, so I think you know, I’ll let you guys write about that and figure that part out because I know what we want to be, so we gotta do it, so as much I can say it to you, it don’t matter.”
“We gotta do it and I think people know what we’re gonna be.” We sure do.