Yesterday, we looked at what Erik Spoelstra is looking for from a Miami Heat dream team. TL;DR: He wants to coach a team that can be disruptive on defense, generate 3s on offense and boasts the playoff experience or basketball-IQ needed to make a deep run.
But he also needs talent. The Heat have made it no secret that they are searching for a star to lead the next era this offseason. Now that we’ve established the ideal team Spoelstra wants to coach, let’s look at the traits he’d want his ideal star to have.
1. Scoring and playmaking
Let’s start here. The Heat need someone who can put the ball in the basket and do it consistently. The Heat haven’t had a player in the top 25 in scoring since 2015. That’s 10 years.
It’s not a coincidence, then, that the Heat have finished in the bottom 10 in offensive rating in each of the last three seasons. There’s only so much Spoelstra can do to get this team to score. Talent wins out in the NBA, and the Heat haven’t had a truly elite offensive force since the days of the Big 3.
Tyler Herro, who averaged 23.9 points this past season (the most for a Heat player since 2014), is the closest thing they have to an elite scorer, but he’s not an elite playmaker. And that’s the missing piece. Jimmy Butler created shots for others, but was reserved as a scorer.
The Heat need someone who can do both. Take a look at the teams remaining in the playoffs. They all have someone who generates easy looks for themselves and others. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton are examples of what Miami is looking for.
Miami’s offense is so often a slog. It doesn’t have to be! The Heat don’t have to play their games in the mud, but they need a star who makes scoring look easy.
2. Do something on defense
It’s a lot to ask an elite shot creator to also be an elite defender, which is why we’re not doing that here. But that player also can’t be a complete negative on the defensive end, either.
Can this star player disrupt passing lanes and create turnovers? Can he slide his feet well enough to stay in front? Can he fight over screens and chase? Does he have the heft to switch onto bigger players and hold his own in the post? Can he draw charges? Can he block shots?
Whatever it is, he has to be able to do something to make an impact on that end. If Miami’s next star is an elite two-way player, even better. But that doesn’t have to be a requirement as long as the front office bolsters the roster with strong defenders around him.
3. Availability
As we’re seeing in these playoffs, the NBA is a battle of attrition. The best ability is availability, as they say, and it doesn’t help to have a star player on the roster if he’s injured.
The Heat don’t have the patience for a lack of availability. They challenged Butler and Herro to be more available this past season for a reason. Butler forced a trade, and Herro headed the call.
But, as they learned from the Butler experience, when the head of the snake is out it forces everyone else to carry more weight than they can handle, too often. Herro and Adebayo are not no. 1 options, but they project as awesome complementary stars.
When the Heat consider star trades, they’ll take a close look at the injury history and dig in on the medicals. The Heat need a star player in a big way, and they need him to be available for the regular season and the playoffs.