Miami Heat Need Dewayne Dedmon To Channel His Previous Form

The Miami Heat knew that the expectations set ahead for them would be tedious. They’ve lost two of their last three games and sit at 6-6 over their last 12, which has caused a semi-rebellion from much of their fanbase.

While some of it is deserved, the rest, rather, is stimulated by emotion and impatience. Although the Miami Heat aren’t exempt from needing to improve, it’s inevitable that they should with the 2021-22 season only beginning just over a month ago.

Miami has the maturity and experience at their disposal to bounce back and learn from losses, but it begins with their veterans. More precisely, this includes 32 year old center and eight year veteran, Dewayne Dedmon.

Let’s take a glance at Dewayne’s early-season progression.

DEWAYNE DEDMON STATISTICAL OVERVIEW FROM LAST SEASON TO CURRENT

• 2020-21 (16 games): 13.1 minutes, 7.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 71 percent from the field
• 2021-22 (19 games): 14.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 58 percent from the field

Although he’s never been a player of High Usage, most of Dedmon’s points are generated from effort plays. This includes things like offensive rebound finishes or putbacks, but also short-roll finishes as a high Pick and Roll threat.

Miami Heat Need Dewayne Dedmon To Channel His Previous Form

He can space the floor when needed, but when he’s utilized at a maximum though, he can pulverize weaker (and smaller) front courts on the interior.

On October 27, Dedmon scored a season-high 14 points against the Brooklyn Nets, converting on four of his six attempts in the paint — a key performance against a team who currently holds the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The similar offensive production is present, however, Dedmon has only scored in double figures twice in the 15 games since. Also, after shooting 76.8 percent from within 10 feet of the basket (46 of 65 attempts) last year, that number has fallen to shade over 60 percent on 37 of 64 attempts this season.

Some of this could be attributed to a recent illness and strained groin. However, the Heat’s primary reserve center has also had some issues that are more fundamental and uncommon, based on his previous year.

A FEW SCREWS ARE LOOSE FOR DEWAYNE DEDMON THAT HAVE TO BE TIGHTENED

This season, Dedmon has had difficulty finding his position on the floor or even finding comfort in such space, which has resulted in several Illegal Screens and Defensive Three Second Violations (two on Wednesday against Minnesota).

You could credit the current rule changes, but it’s kept him from playing extended minutes. This has inversely given Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, an incentive to pull him in favor of other options and ones that aren’t Markieff Morris, as he continues to be sidelined with a neck injury.

That seems like a bit of overshare, but it’s important if your arguable third toughest guy, Dedmon, isn’t on the floor.

Miami Heat: Dewayne Dedmon Is A Key Piece To What They Want To Do

Another area that Dedmon hasn’t been as effective in this year is boxing out or committing to box out well. He often watches the ball rim-out instead of securing a proper seal on his defender.

As the Heat are structured to be a top-rebounding team, with six players averaging at least five boards per game, there should be more trust between Dedmon and his teammates to provide collective help on the backboard.

• The Heat hold a 95.8 Team Rebound Percentage on possessions where Dedmon performs a successful box out.

Dedmon has totaled 18 successful box outs, which ranks for 40th in the NBA among all centers and lower than fellow reserves: JaVale McGee, Tony Bradley, Frank Kaminsky, JaMychal Green, and Naz Reid (all playing 20 minutes or under per game).

With the Heat projected to be a top contender next spring, Dedmon’s role will be critical as most half-court offenses begin to slow down and become more prominent in the postseason.

The Miami Heat Have Expectations For Him Now That He’s Shown it

Though he hasn’t given Miami as much as they should want yet, he’s had some emphatic highlights in between.

Take this stuff, for example. The big man was, apparently, feeling springy, with this being his second dunk of that evening, and the least-impressive of the two.

In just a short amount of time after Miami acquired him last April, Dedmon would make an immediate impact, securing a double-double in just his second Heat appearance. He would then score 19 points in Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs against the eventual 2021 NBA Champion, Milwaukee Bucks.

Despite an unsuccessful postseason run for Miami last season, the door opened for Dewayne to return as the Heat’s secondary big man, as he would then re-sign with Miami in August. He’s now solidified his role as the primary backup center option for Bam Adebayo, the Heat’s heavily-mortgaged and longterm centerpiece.

It was certain that Dedmon would bring that same interior presence and even at a similar production, which made him a key acquisition at the time. While he’s still doing just that in the closing months of 2021, there is a new gear that the Heat should expect The Mechanic to kick into.

Should he be a lock in Spoelstra’s nine-man rotation and play an intricate role on a championship roster? It’s nearly absolute but more importantly, it’s clear that Dedmon has the tools, despite only making 16 playoff appearances in 429 career games.

He brings a substantial amount of energy and hustle in limited minutes, which has already made him, somewhat, of a household name in South Beach. The Heat will simply need every second of it they can get and hopefully, with purpose, intent, and the peak reserve interior play he’s shown capable of giving.