Miami Heat: Will Lack Of Continuity Become A Playoff Issue?
By Noah Decker
Miami Heat: Team Chemistry Is Among The Most Important Factors In Success
Building team chemistry is vitally important for a team with championship aspirations. That is why the injuries that continue to plague the Miami Heat can create a serious problem in the playoffs.
Luckily for the Heat, many of their players already have experience playing with each other from past seasons. For example, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have been playing together for three seasons now.
The chemistry they have built together in those seasons is very evident on the court. However, there are several key players that were just added to the mix this year.
First and foremost, their new point guard, Kyle Lowry, might be good friends with his teammates and is a skilled distributor to them on the floor, but there are still things that could be worked on. It takes time on the court together to make the necessary adjustments.
Another looming situation is the return of Victor Oladipo, which is paradoxically both a blessing and an issue at the same time. There is no doubt that Oladipo can alleviate some of the pressure off of wing defenders and improve the already amazing defense of the Miami Heat.
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However, he has only made three appearances in a Heat uniform, all of which came last season. Oladipo will definitely need to continue to figure out the Miami Heat system and make adjustments that can benefit the team.
Is there enough time for that? It is already February and Victor Oladipo still has not returned to the floor.
Even if he returns soon, the playoffs are also relatively soon and the Heat will need to have perfected their schemes by then if they want to make real noise this year.
Not only have the new players missed several games, but some of the returning key players have been in and out of the rotation this year for a variety of reasons. Jimmy Butler has missed 19 games this year.
Bam Adebayo has missed 25 games. Being absent on the court for games makes it difficult for players to get into a rhythm, making it increasingly difficult to win a playoff series.
The Heat core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry have only played 13 or so games together. Holistically, that speaks to the team’s ability to step up when they are called upon to do so, as evidenced by their impressive record that places them 13 games above .500.
However, just like the Brooklyn Nets, their lack of time spent on the court together can create unforeseen issues that might prove too late to manage by playoff time.