Obviously, the Miami Heat have championship aspirations in mind going into this season. A team doesn’t sign an All-Star caliber point guard if their goal isn’t to win a title.
Having Kyle Lowry around should raise the team’s ceiling, but it’s not enough to just have the player on the roster. Miami needs to prove that they can play together as a team and produce wins.
Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo are one of the best big threes in the league on paper, but they need to prove themselves on the court. It’s nice to have a great roster on paper, but it doesn’t mean anything if the team plays poorly.
What are the three areas where Miami needs to improve the most this year in order to compete for a title? What do they need to improve upon from last season?
Areas where the Miami Heat need to improve: Rebounding
The concept is simple – in order to score the ball, a team needs to have the ball first. If the Miami Heat don’t rebound, then they aren’t going to get many possessions.
Miami averaged 41.5 rebounds per game last season30, which was second-worst in the NBA. No one on the roster averaged double-digit rebounds on the year.
The only addition Miami made at the center position this offseason was Omer Yurtseven. His rebounding will help a bit, but they need to rebound by committee this season in order to be at their best.
If they want to be a true competitor this season, their rebounding numbers have to improve. Everyone is going to have to crash the glass.