The Miami Heat have several core issues that they must continue to address as the season plays out. They must continue to lean into their defensive principles.
Being a team and an organization built on defense, that’s always how the Miami Heat have gone about winning when they do so at the highest level. Though offense may come and go, if you are preventing the other team from getting to their offense as well, you always have a shot.
That’s why the Miami Heat’s traditional defensive mentality has always been so important. But back to the offense “coming and going”, they have to figure out a way to get consistent continuity there too.
Having the tendency to go stale or stagnant at the most inopportune times, the Miami Heat need to continue to tinker with the best way to maximize all of their pieces at one time on the floor. Though Coach Spo looks to be on to something in that regard, staggering Tyler Herro’s minutes more with the bench unit, only time will tell there.
The Miami Heat always do well when it comes to finding, developing, and using guys. This season though, they’ve been a bit strange with their deployment.
Among several other minor tweaks needed, with those core two there having the ability to go a long way towards fixing everything about this team, they have something else that they have dealt with that isn’t so schematics or effort based.
Coming into the season with what quickly appeared to be a lack of size, the Miami Heat have found themselves playing with their rookie, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, and even Haywood Highsmith as their only big at times.
Now, considering that they had a developmental prospect, Orlando Robinson, in the G-League the entire time, that always seemed strange.
Nearly a true seven-footer with good enough athleticism, the ability to protect the rim, and a bit of outside prowess on the offensive side of the ball, not only is he a good developmental piece—but he could always help now and if only a little bit with the Heat’s lack of size.
Dru Smith is back playing with the Heat's G League affiliate tonight, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 15, 2022
And this isn’t a knock on Dru Smith, as he has since landed back with Sioux Falls, rightfully so, and you like what he can continue to develop into as a rotational guard for this Heat team, stepping up recently when they needed him to, but what Robinson brings right now is needed.
Having Smith on the roster as one of the core two-way guys was a luxury, with other guys, be they guards or not, to handle the ball and initiate for this team. That’s just the bottom line to it all and always has seemed like the case.