Last season, the Miami Heat were one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA. They struggled mightily to score the ball and ended up in the bottom-six teams in regard to points per game (108.1).
Despite their defensive prowess, their offense just couldn’t put things together. Well, luckily for Heat fans, Pat Riley made sure to address this need in the offseason.
Miami made some changes to the roster that should greatly improve their offense. There are no excuses for them to be a bottom-tier offensive team this season.
In fact, Miami should have higher aspirations than just that. Here are three reasons why the Miami Heat will be a top ten offensive team this year.
Reasons why the Miami Heat have a top 10 offense in the NBA: More weapons
This may seem a bit too simple, but it’s just true. Having more weapons on offense will drastically improve a team’s scoring abilities.
Kyle Lowry is a great scorer, and will also act as one of the team’s primary facilitators. His ability to lead an offense, as well as score himself, will give Miami’s offense a massive boost.
Even PJ Tucker should be considered an added weapon. His three-point shooting gives Lowry and Jimmy Butler an extra player to kick it out to on the perimeter.
Lastly, Omer Yurtseven’s scoring ability off the bench is an underrated addition as well. As simple as it may sound, having more offensive weapons will lead to the Heat being a better offensive team.
Reasons why the Miami Heat have a top 10 offense in the NBA: Improved spacing
This is by far the biggest reason why the Miami Heat will have more success on the offensive end. They added the necessary shooters in order to improve their spacing.
Last season, the Heat were a bad three-point shooting team, plain and simple. Despite Duncan Robinson’s dominance from behind the arc, they found themselves in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage.
There was only so much Robinson could do. It felt as though he was the only player who could consistently hit a three at times throughout the year.
Well, Robinson won’t have to shoulder that burden as much this year. Pat Riley added two elite three-point shooters who will help not only the team but Robinson as well.
Both Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker will be able to knock down threes when the ball comes their way. This will open up shots for everyone on the team, including Robinson.
Due to this, it won’t be nearly as hard for the Miami Heat to find open looks this year. Having extra floor spacers around the perimeter will be key, and will hopefully make things easier in the paint for Bam Adebayo.
As for Robinson, he should be set up to get more open threes than ever. With Lowry and Tucker on the perimeter, defenders won’t be able to single him out anymore.
The Miami Heat came into the offseason desperately needing an infusion of three-point shooting. They went out and got just that, meaning their offense should see a massive improvement.
Reasons why the Miami Heat have a top 10 offense in the NBA Kyle Lowry
Yes, that is it. That is the entire reason. The addition of Kyle Lowry will catapult the Miami Heat from one of the worst offensive teams to one of the best.
It may seem like a stretch, but his offensive game will play that big of a role in Miami’s game plan. He’s a facilitator, ball-handler, scorer, and amazing offensive mind in general.
Aside from last season and his first year with the team, Lowry led the Raptors to a top-15 offense in the league for his entire stint there. That’s seven straight years of having a solid offense.
Of those seven years, the Raptors finished in the top ten four times, and in the top four twice. While he obviously wasn’t the only reason this was possible, there’s a very obvious pattern that can be seen.
Outside of Toronto’s championship team in 2019, the Heat will be the best team Lowry has ever played on. They have the most weapons, the most talent, and the highest ceiling.
In addition, Lowry will also be playing with an elite center for the first time in his career. The lob threat Bam Adebayo poses will be unlike anyone Lowry has ever played with.
The pick n’ roll game between Lowry and Adebayo should be one of the most fun to watch in the league. Expect Adebayo’s alley-oop numbers to skyrocket this season.
Lowry just has an innate ability to get other players open, and that will greatly benefit Miami’s offense. Combine that with the extra scoring he brings, and the Heat should 100% be a top ten offense this season.