Dedmon’s value to Miami Heat on full display against Raptors and Suns

With the Miami Heat falling one game back below .500 Wednesday with their loss to the Toronto Raptors, they must look to get back even, and hopefully progress beyond that on Friday. Among these 15 games though and the resounding sentiments surrounding them that stand out, there have been two that have been closely associated with one another.

Though the Miami Heat can still stand to add a piece or so, or perhaps play the ones they have more, it has often come at the expense of Dewayne Dedmon and his contribution to the team. Basically, the team needs to add a piece, because Dewayne Dedmon isn’t fulfilling his obligation. 

And again, while the first part of that may be true, the second part is, indeed, not quite the truth at all. And though it has been apparent prior to the last two games for the Miami Heat, their win against the Phoenix Suns and their Wednesday defeat to Toronto, it was really on display in those two.

There is another intriguing part about it though. On Monday in their win, it was about what he did while he was on the court, while in their defeat on Wednesday, it was about what he couldn’t do because he wasn’t on the court.

Dewayne Dedmon’s value to Miami Heat on full display against Raptors and Suns

Looking at their comeback in the midst of the final periods against the Suns, there was a time when that attempt almost fell flat, with the Suns able to push their lead back out to 11 with a minute left in the third quarter.

Well, that was until Dewayne Dedmon went on a personal run to give the Miami Heat a good close to the quarter.

He would make back-to-back triples in the closing moments to further close the gap for the Heat and give them momentum heading into the fourth, only being down by seven points instead of double digits.

And as they say, the rest is history.

No, his points weren’t the direct causation of the win but sports being fluid, meaning the immediate next thing is always directly determined by the immediate previous thing and reacts according, what he did there definitely had a very positive impact on the Heat’s fate in that game.

It was absolutely key. And it would continue in their next game in a contest of similar circumstances, as the Miami Heat would also give themselves a chance to make a comeback bid against Toronto.

Miami Heat May Still Need To Add Piece, But Not At Dewayne Dedmon’s Expense

Now, though they shouldn’t have ever gotten to that point in Toronto on Monday, allowing a 21-point swing in the third that saw them go from being up double digits to being down double digits, that’s what happened.

And when they had almost gotten things back even, within a mere few points, they weren’t able to secure an offensive rebound in several attempts on a sequence that saw the Toronto Raptors score late.

And from that point, after the deflation of that sequence, it was all but over. Again, Dewayne Dedmon doesn’t necessarily win that game for the Miami Heat, but his size and height certainly help them secure, at least, one of those rebounds they allowed in that sequence down two.

Surely—he helps them secure one of them, right? After all, he had been having a pretty decent game against Toronto too as the key regular big in Bam Adebayo’s absence.

Well, up until Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby decided to weaponize his knee and with Dedmon’s private regions as a target. In any event, you don’t cry over spilled milk and you only hope the Miami Heat get better from here.

However, when it comes to Dewayne Dedmon and his value, it’s there and the last two Miami Heat games put it on full display.