3 Miami Heat Lineups Coach Spoelstra Should Lean More Into
Duncan Robinson fell out of the Miami Heat’s core rotation last season but seems to be back with some new tricks to share. That’s how he got here, well, also along with the super elite shooting that seems to be making its way back into the fold for him.
2. Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo
- +17.6 Net Rating (Per 100 Possessions) in 10:07 minutes played
With the sounds of a broken record, it can never be said enough how this Heat team will go as far as Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo takes them.
Because it’s absolutely true. But to add to this, Miami cannot succeed without providing maximum floor spacing for this tandem either.
Veteran perimeter shooters such as Kelly Olynyk, Meyers Leonard, and Jae Crowder were all used to laminate the interior prowesses of the Heat’s two All-Stars. Although, a new wrinkle has materialized this season—and it’s the on-court development of Max Strus and Duncan Robinson.
When Max and Duncan are on the floor, the simplicity of it is that Miami has two of the league’s most elite perimeter threats. With Duncan adding to his physical frame and becoming more aggressive off the dribble, these improvements will grant him ample minutes.
With Max now having played significant postseason minutes, he’s entered the year as a more confident and complete player overall as well. He’s, simply, getting to parts of his game that he hasn’t in the past.
If you take the constant off-ball movement, defensive attention, and ability to convert moving shots that Duncan provides, plus Max’s ability to fly off of hammer or flare screens on stationary looks, it’s going to be absolutely vital for coach Spoelstra to use them together in lineups more often.