Two back-to-back wins are not nearly enough to completely right the ship for the Miami Heat after their 0-4 start to the year. However, an upcoming five-game road trip could give the Heat the opportunity they need to send a message that they've turned the corner on their early-season struggles.
So, as the Heat travel to the West Coast to play five games over the course of nine nights, there are a few concerning trends that they should prioritize fixing. On the road, away from the outside noise, there may not be a better opportunity for the Heat to "get right."
Before the Heat take the court to take on the Los Angeles Lakers, here are a few narratives they're hoping to flip.
Get Tim Hardaway Jr. in a rhythm
Klay Thompson managed to break out of his early-season slump in the Heat's big win over the Indiana Pacers last week. Miami desperately needs Tim Hardaway Jr. to do the same. And maybe this West Coast trip is exactly the opportunity he needs to do so.
Hardaway Jr. is averaging just six points and one assist per game on 24 percent shooting from the 3-point range. That's just not enough production for a player that the Heat expected to be an anchor of the second unit.
Hardaway Jr. needs to find a way to get hot and build some momentum. It'd certainly go a long way in helping the Heat get back on track after their slow start.
Find the right formula for the Giannis-Bam minutes
Even though the Heat have won their last two games, and while there have been some improvements within certain lineups, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo still aren't playing extensive minutes together.
On average, Giannis and Bam are still averaging roughly 17 minutes on the floor together. That's not ideal. Not when you acquired Giannis to play alongside Bam. This is supposed to be one of the most dynamic duos in the league. So far, they've struggled to play consistently together.
Again, it's looked better of late, and the advanced stats have backed that up, but they need to take another step forward during this road trip.
Solve the defense
The Heat may have seemingly found a way to make the offense look much better. It's far from completely solved, but they've certainly looked much better on that end of the floor compared to the first four games of the season.
It's time for them to do the same on the defensive end of the floor. Even though the Heat have managed to win the last two games by double digits, the Heat still struggled mightily defensively. Over the past two games, the Heat have had the best offense in basketball. The No. 1 offensive rating statistically.
Defensively, they're still in the bottom third of the league in those wins. Over this five-game road trip, it'd be great to see some real improvement on that end of the floor.
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