1 Advantage the Heat have over every Southeast Division team
By Wes Goldberg
Orlando Magic: 3-point shooting
Only the Rockets and Bulls gave up more 3-point attempts than the Magic last season. Part of this was by design. The Magic prefer to use their size to pack the paint and dare opponents to shoot from the outside but, for a good 3-point shooting team like the Heat, that should provide an opportunity for some easy points.
Orlando’s bigger problem is that it ranked 25th with just 10.8 3-point makes per game. That means, more often than not, the Magic were playing from behind, trying to match 3s with 2s.
The Heat weren’t much better in terms of 3-point makes (12 per game) but it was also a down year for Miami’s shooters. Scan both rosters and the Heat are clearly more proven (Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson, Kevin Love) than the Magic (erm, Gary Harris?).
Obviously, a Damian Lillard trade could tilt this particular scale even more in favor of the Heat.
The Magic have talent and could even push for a spot in the play-in tournament this season. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner might be the best young wing duo in the league. They drafted Jett Howard because they know they need to space the floor around their two burgeoning stars. He could help, but he won’t solve their shooting problem on his own.