A while ago, we analyzed the top five things the Miami Heat could do in order to contend for a title this season. The Heat have gone on to did many of these things.
Some have already shown a major impact, indicating that the Heat are legitimate contenders in the East.
While the Heat have had their fair share of ups and downs to start the season, let’s revisit the five things the Heat needed to do to contend for a title this season. Which ones have they done?
Has it had any impact on their success and likelihood of winning the championship?
1. Keep Udonis Haslem Around
The Heat did one of the most important things they needed to do this year. They re-signed Udonis Haslem to another one year deal.
As The Captain of the Miami Heat, he plays an important role on the bench. He motivates the other players and is a good example of the toughness expected from the Heat Culture.
This year, he has even played an active role in the games. To deal with injuries and foul trouble, Udonis Haslem has played valuable minutes in games at the center position.
We can expect that this would not happen in the playoffs, but by playing valuable minutes in the regular season, UD helps the Miami Heat secure some victories during tough points in their schedule.
Miami Heat Faithful love to have Haslem back. He should continue to stay with the team for as long as he wants to be there.
Those who don’t follow the Heat do not fully understand how much he means to this franchise, but either way, he means a ton.
Result: Successful
Miami Heat: Revisiting The 5 Things They Can Do To Win The Title This Year
One of the biggest free agency names this summer was Kyle Lowry.
2. Sign Kyle Lowry
There were several teams that showed interest in the veteran point guard, but the Heat are the ones who ultimately got him. They are certainly glad they did.
Kyle Lowry has made an immediate impact on the Miami Heat, both as a floor general and as a terrific defender. He has made everyone better, especially Bam Adebayo, who can now be a real force inside the paint with all of the alley-oops and inside shots he has been getting.
Lowry’s presence has also allowed Jimmy Butler to go back to being “Jimmy Buckets”. Butler has been averaging about 24 points this season.
Lowry has been sharing the ball well all season, tallying a large amount of assists. His jump shot is also starting to return, making him even more valuable to the Miami Heat.
He will be a key piece to their playoff run this year.
Result: Successful
The Heat did not do this one, unless you count the sign and trade deal for Kyle Lowry. Since that trade was made only to handle the financial side of things, let’s not count that.
3. Trade for Another All-Star Caliber Player
The Heat decided to stick with their core. They did not give away their biggest trade assets in Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.
The Heat made the right choice here. They knew they had something special in Tyler Herro.
After a busy offseason, the results are showing. Herro has emerged as a consistent three-level scorer for Miami.
He is the spark they needed off the bench. Robinson, on the other hand, had a different journey this season.
While Herro was hot from the get-go, Robinson started the year in a shooting slump. However, he has started to heat up, shooting over 40 percent in two of his last three games.
Either way, Robinson is still one of the most valuable pieces to a championship team in the modern era because of his pure shooting ability. It spaces the floor and creates chaos for opposing defenses.
If the Heat get production from Herro and Robinson, there is no need to have another All-Star on this roster. Robinson is very skilled in his role.
Herro’s role is becoming bigger with every game. If he continues to play like he has, he could have his own case to be an All-Star.
During the bubble run in 2020, the Heat got huge production from both players. They were a huge reason why the Heat reached the Finals.
Since the Heat did not trade either of them to land an All-Star, they will need them to continue to play well in order for the Heat to reach the Finals again.
Result: Unsuccessful
Miami Heat: Though They Have Enough Right Now, Is Kawhi Ever A Bad Idea?
Although it seemed as though teams might gain traction to sign the two-time Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard ended up re-signing with his Los Angeles Clippers after they reached their first Western Conference Finals in franchise history.
4. Acquire Kawhi Leonard
Obviously, signing a player like Kawhi Leonard would drastically increase a team’s chances of winning an NBA championship. When healthy, he is arguably a top-five player in the league.
His ability on both ends of the floor is a game changing asset for teams to have. The one issue with Kawhi Leonard is just that… his health.
Over the past few seasons, he has dealt with several injuries and is currently recovering from a partially-torn ACL. It is still undetermined when he will return, but it is possible he misses this whole season.
If that is true, he would obviously not have helped the Miami Heat contend this year. Also, the Heat cannot afford to deal with an injury-prone superstar.
Last season, they dealt with several injuries and other problems. It cost them their chance in the playoffs.
For that reason, bringing in Kawhi would have been a risk. Even if Miami were willing to take the risk, it would have been extremely difficult to acquire him, anyway.
Result: Unsuccessful
Miami Heat: If They Can Stay Healthy, Nothing Can Truly Stop Them But Them
As previously stated, the biggest reason for the Heat’s meltdown in the playoffs was their lack of health throughout the season.
5. Stay Healthy
For the most part, their health this season has improved. They had a full offseason to train their bodies to be more durable.
As a result, the core of the Heat squad have been able to play several games together.
Although injuries are inevitable and every team will experience them, the Heat still haven’t gotten rid of the injury bug from last year. Jimmy Butler has missed several games.
Max Strus missed several games. Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo have each missed a few games.
In addition, Victor Oladipo is still out. Luckily, the Heat have enough depth to be able to manage these injuries.
Occasionally, their short-handedness has cost them a few games but for the most part, they have been able to win games in spite of all of their injuries. This is a good sign, because last year, the Heat went 7-13 without Jimmy Butler.
So far, they are 2-1 without him this year. If the Heat can continue to win games without their best player, it will boost their confidence and give them an edge heading into the playoffs.
The Miami Heat have done some of the things I listed out in order for them to have the best chance of success. Because of that, they are seen as one of the teams who could compete for a championship this year.
Result: Neither Successful Or Unsuccessful
From this point forward, the biggest way for them to increase their chances of winning it all is to stay healthy. If they can do that, we can expect great things from them this postseason.