Miami Heat don’t land Kyrie Irving but conference exit a ‘net positive’
The Miami Heat Gain Ground Because Brooklyn Is Bound To Take A Step Back
Yes, you do lose his point production and other statistical output when you trade Irving away, but it’s bigger than that. The presence perspective has to be taken into account here.
One example of that “presence” is this. Just think about the effect that this trade will have on a guy like Nic Claxton.
Being a good defender all year long but also producing offensively, it’s not that hard to imagine his offense taking a hit due to Irving’s exodus. Kyrie is able to dribble into and within any spot on the court at any particular moment or time and once he does, the defense has to react.
That reaction often leaves guys like Claxton as the main beneficiary, able to simply find an open spot near the hoop to convert for a bucket. Spencer Dinwiddie is a very decent playmaker, but he isn’t Kyrie Irving when it comes to that ability to create out of nothing and force a defense into pressure situations.
What it all boils down to for the Miami Heat is a net positive. Though they didn’t land Kyrie Irving, which was a long shot anyway, this does take a bit of the burden off them about this particular team.
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Imaginably, if they face the Brooklyn Nets in the playoffs, somehow, they’ll still have to play their best to beat them, especially with Kevin Durant on the floor but at this point, they aren’t nearly the threat as they would’ve been with Kyrie Irving in tow as well.