Miami Heat: Depending on top-heavy scoring is a dangerous game

As of now, the Miami Heat are finding a ton of success on the defensive side of the floor. They are the top defense in terms of both points allowed and defensive rating.

They are only letting up around 95 points per game and have been holding opposing offenses hostage on that end. It has been truly amazing to watch.

That being said, there have certainly been some struggles on the offensive end. It hasn’t affected their ability to win just yet, but they are playing a dangerous game.

One of the main things that stands out when looking at the players’ stats is the scoring output. Miami’s scoring is distributed in a very top-heavy manner.

The Miami Heat need more help in the scoring column from their supporting cast

The top three scorers on the team (Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo) are all averaging 19 points or more. Meanwhile, everyone else on the team is scoring less than 10 points a night.

The three players carrying the load in scoring are more than capable of doing so. Herro has clearly taken a major leap, and Butler and Adebayo have led the team in scoring for the past two seasons.

However, they have gotten significantly more contributions from their supporting cast in the past years. Players such as Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn stepped up in a major way.

Going into the season, most people expected players such as Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson to step up and help lead the team in scoring. However, that has not been the case thus far.

Both of those players have struggled to meet expectations. Ironically enough, those are the two players who the Miami Heat decided to pay a bunch of money this past summer.

As of now, Lowry is shooting 29.6% from the field and 17.6% from deep. Meanwhile, Robinson is shooting 35.1 from the field and 31.3% from three-point range.

Now, both of these players are too good to continue to slump for long, but their recent performance is worthy of criticism. It hasn’t hurt the Miami Heat too bad just yet, but they can’t continue to play like this.

Other supporting players are struggling to score efficiently as well. Max Strus and Markieff Morris are shooting below 30% from deep, and Gabe Vincent is shooting below 35%.

Three-point shooting was an issue last year, and it looks as though it could be one this year, too. When Robinson is struggling to shoot well, the whole team will suffer.

As mentioned, these guys are bound to turn it around. However, until then, the Miami Heat might struggle to score the ball at times, and that could be a problem.