The NBA has had an exciting start to its 75th Anniversary season and a team that has been exciting to watch are the Miami Heat. They are continuing their mission of returning to the NBA Finals and winning the fourth franchise title.
So far, they have not disappointed. They have started the season going 4-1, with their only loss coming from an overtime battle in a game in which Kyle Lowry did not play.
Last season did not go as planned for the Heat, as they were swept in the first round. In the offseason, Pat Riley got right to work and made all of the moves necessary to put them in a better position to win it all.
So far, the offseason acquisitions have had a tremendous impact on the Heat’s success, which is translating into victory. Here are the top three areas in which the Miami Heat have made drastic improvements compared to last season.
1. Pace
The Miami Heat had one of the slowest paces in the NBA last year. Although they have a lot of fast players and one of the fastest centers in Bam Adebayo, they weren’t able to push the ball up the court as fast as other teams because they lacked the playmaker with the skillset to initiate fast breaks.
This year, all of that has changed and thanks to Kyle Lowry. Lowry is a gifted point guard, who can either run with the ball in his hands or accurately pass the ball across the full court.
He has done both for the Heat so far. With all of the defensive stops they have gotten, the Heat have been running hard on the fast break.
This places them second in the NBA in both fast break points per game and points off turnovers. Lowry’s ability to push the pace is contagious.
Even when he is off the floor, his mere presence inspires other players to push the ball as he does. It is worth noting that playing faster does not directly correlate with winning.
However, considering how well the Heat run on the fast break, it is something they should continue to work with. So far for Miami though and also worth noting, pushing the pace has translated into wins.
Miami Heat: The 3 Most Noticeable Improvements Thus Far
Let’s move on to the offense in the half court. Once again, Kyle Lowry is the biggest reason for the improvement.
2. Ball Movement
His passing vision opens up the floor for everyone, especially Bam Adebayo. It has never been easier to feed Bam in the paint than it is now with Lowry as the facilitator.
Adebayo isn’t the only one getting more involved. With the addition of Lowry, the Heat have two All-Star-level playmakers, including Jimmy Butler.
As such, the Heat are able to move the ball around well in the half court. Jimmy Butler has a gifted scoring ability, so he has focused more on that this year and since it is needed the most.
However, he can use his passing ability to make his scoring easier.
If he is getting his teammates involved, the opponent will have to put more focus on them, which opens up the lane for Jimmy Butler.
Since the season has only begun, he is still figuring this out and working on his mechanics alongside Lowry, but by the end of the year, he should be able to manage it with perfection. Lowry, on the other hand, has been pass-first at all times.
He is a gifted passer, as evident by the four games he has played with Miami and by his overall career. Lowry has a knack for finding players in their sweet spot.
P.J. Tucker, in particular, has benefitted from this, as he is a solid shooter from the corner. That area of the floor has opened up for him and he has already drilled a bunch of threes.
Another player who will benefit immensely from Lowry is Duncan Robinson. He is off to a bit of a shaky start, but the shots are there for him.
The presence of Lowry, alongside Jimmy Butler, has generated even more open three pointers for the sharpshooter. It is only a matter of time until he starts knocking them down at an efficiency more suited to his skillset.
When that happens, the Miami Heat will be able to play at their peak.
Miami Heat: With What Looks Like Improvement This Season, They Can Be Scary
When the Heat roster was formed this offseason, we knew that they would be a great defensive team. So far, they have been absolutely spectacular.
3. Defense
Although it has only been five games, their defensive stats have been very eye-opening. Let’s take a look at some of the stats.
First, the Heat are leading the NBA in the defensive rating, allowing only 92 points per 100 possessions game while averaging 110 points on the other end. They also lead the NBA in opponent field goal percentage, limiting their opponents to 39.2 percent shooting from the field.
Four of the top five players in defensive win shares are all members of the Miami Heat. They are as follows: Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo.
If you looked at the top 15, then that makes five Heat guys. Tyler Herro, amazingly enough, comes in at 15.
All around, the Heat are a great team defensively. Especially, when even the weaker defenders like Herro and Duncan Robinson have shown some improvement on that end of the floor or at least, some more urgency.
However, two players are largely responsible for such an outstanding display of defensive basketball. Those players are Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Jimmy Butler is currently ranked second in steals, averaging 3.2 per game. He is an elite motivator and his presence is felt on the court.
Butler is great at intimidating players. The Miami Heat are usually hidden away from the spotlight that a team like the Los Angeles Lakers might be under, but they are starting to be feared by teams across the NBA.
Jimmy Butler is a huge reason why. The Miami Heat are also leading the NBA in rebounds per game.
The Heat’s leading rebounder is Bam Adebayo with 12.8 per game, which ranks him fourth individually. If Jimmy Butler’s presence has been felt on the defensive end, then Adebayo’s presence has really been felt.
Bam has been shutting everyone down. He has been tasked with guarding several stars, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Not only did Giannis have an off-night, but so did everyone else when guarded by Adebayo. He is currently holding his opponents to 36 percent shooting.
He is truly making a case for Defensive Player of the Year. If he keeps this up, he would be on pace to win it.
The Heat have played inspiring basketball to start off their season. The scariest part is that it is still early in the season and they will only get better.
With all of this in mind, the rest of the league better watch out.