The Miami Heat weren’t quite able to get it done this year. With their ceiling absolutely being an NBA title, they came up just short in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
While they would have to win their conference to even have a shot but because they took Boston to seven games, a team that is giving Golden State all they can handle right now in the NBA Finals locked up at 2-2, it does, sort of, show that Miami would have been just a big a challenge for Golden State.
Well, Miami didn’t win themselves a chance to see, so, here we are. In looking forward to next season, it should be all about getting better right now for this Miami Heat squad.
When it comes to their QB1 in Kyle Lowry, he is a proven commodity, a champion, and a future Hall Of Famer, that’s certain. So while everyone can always improve, even a guy as decorated as him, his key improvement for next season is much simpler than that.
A fully healthy Kyle Lowry could have gone a long way for the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Getting back there is his key offseason improvement.
He just has to focus on coming into next season as healthy as possible. That’s his key improvement.
Entering this season, Lowry could have stood to be a little trimmer. Though it didn’t impact him a ton, the eventual hamstring injury he suffered might have been less likely with better conditioning and less of a load to tote around, perhaps.
You also have to account for his personal issues. Keeping him off the court, among many other potential effects, all helped allow the load he was carrying around to become more of a burden on his overall health down the stretch.
Having to put that full workload on your body after missing time and especially if you are carrying around a bit more weight can wear a guy out. It could, perhaps, even lead to things like his hamstring issue in the playoffs.
There isn’t a cause and effect there by any means, however, to say that a correlation couldn’t exist isn’t correct either. And of course, while his physical health and condition are one thing and very important when you are talking about a professional athlete, mental health is just as important for any person and athlete.
Dealing with the personal issues he dealt with during the season, which haven’t been publicized, you are sure that took a toll on him. So, to as much control as he has mentally and with a bit more hard work this offseason physically, that is Kyle Lowry’s key offseason improvement to make.
That’s to make sure he comes into training camp for his second Miami Heat season in the best health possible—both mentally and physically.