5 Positive things the Miami Heat can take away from whirlwind season

Any fan, pundit, or basketball enjoyer who watches the Miami Heat on a game-to-game basis has the same thoughts on Terry Rozier. I'll let Locked on Heat's David Ramil take it away.

He shouldn't be on the floor that often, that's clear. Bam Adebayo challenging any center in the league is a positive thing, though. One of the Heat's young players stepped up during injury-ridden Heat week. Lastly, we must find some joy in continuing to watch this team. One of my childhood favorites is thriving, which shows why size helps. 

1. The Captain is back and here to stay
2. Miami Heat ball movement is trending up like the last time they were a good regular season team
3. The Heat's All-Time leading 3-point shooter will always be defended as such
4. If Spo still rewards grit-and-grind, this kid should be in 
5. Former UCLA Bruin defines wingspan

The Captain is back and here to stay

Bam Adebayo is back to playing at the elite level. There was never a doubt about his all-around play, but the buckets are piling up, and it's needed. In an early edition of 5 Things U Can Heat, Tyler Herro said that Bam needs to get out of his head and play his game. It might've taken some time, but he's back on both ends.

Over the last 16 games, Bam has had a 64 TS%. His invaluable defense kept his top-five center talks alive, but the scoring has Bam firmly in that discussion. With the injuries to Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Victor Wembanyama, there's a case that in the second half of the season, Bam has been the best center (besides Jokic, of course). Domantas Sabonis, Alperen Sengun, and Karl-Athony Towns have cases.

Towns is on pace to make an All-NBA team, but his deficiencies in protecting the rim could cause the Knicks to go home early. Bam's mid-January and on shotmaking closes the gap with KAT.

He's shooting jumpers from the midrange, 3-point range, and knocking down free throws. Here's his shot breakdown over the last 15 games. 

"The Onomatopoeia" has been on a mission. He's still the Heat's most valuable and best player. I couldn't always say that this year, but I'm glad I can today. His early-season struggles are still dumbfounding, but those days are behind us. Bam is still the big of the future who can finally attract a real No. 1 to Miami. 

Miami Heat ball movement is trending up like the last time they were a good regular season team

The Heat lost two out of four games this week, but the ball movement was spot on. Miami's 73.2 assist percentage was the fourth-highest since February 28th. The mixed results are what they are, but some of these extra passes ooze 2022 Heat basketball.

That was the last year Miami was great in the regular season. The Heat dashed away with the one season with Kyle Lowry steering the ship as a true point guard. That type of player is nonexistent on this Heat roster, but we had a blast from the past this week. 

Even in the most recent loss to the No. 1-seed Cavs, the Heat had 29 assists on 36 made field goals. Herro was out of the lineup, so Miami was down another shot creator. Rozier hasn't been any help, as we know, so moving the ball and moving without it are the only pathways to success for this team currently. 

The ball movement here is remedial but doesn't always occur. Some guys fire one of these shots before it gets to the corner, but Miami has been giving up good shots for great shots. This uptick in team-wide assist percentage hasn't resulted in more wins, but this playing style fits this lackluster roster. 

The Heat's All-Time leading 3-point shooter will always be defended as such

Duncan Robinson may get the Steph Curry X on the scouting report. He could go 0/10 in the previous game, but teams still stick to him like their lives depended on it. Robinson is shooting a respectable 38% on 6.5 3PA. That's a far cry from his 2020 self, who caught the league by surprise, but that's the thing. 

Robinson isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore. As soon as he checks in, he hears, "I got the shooter," "Shooter running baseline," and "We have to close out." Hearing "shooter" when you check in the game is a top-five basketball feeling. 

Opponents sending two to the ball so you can't fire from the holster isn't ideal from a personal perspective (depending on how you view the game), but it opens everything up for teammates.

Gravity doesn't show up on the stat sheet. The Knicks would rather send two to Robinson, forcing it out of his hands, and roll the dice with a Haywood Highsmith decision. The Heat burnt New York here as Highsmith made the A+ decision to get the lob off to Bam. Robinson's presence creates that look, though he receives no stat sheet credit.

Robinson was robbed of the credit for tying the game vs. the Cavs late in regulation. They call the Max Strus foot on the line out of bounds, and the Heat's chance to snap Cleveland's 11-game winning streak vanished. We're on to the next one, but more young defender minutes and fewer bricklaying layuping minutes. 

If Spo still rewards grit-and-grind, this kid should be in 

Pelle Larsson played semi-extensive minutes early in the season, but his minutes have diminished over the year. With the numerous injuries on the Heat roster, Erik Spoelstra had no choice but to play the knuckles-brawling rookie out of Sweden. 

He fights until the dust clears, even when Larsson is clearly outmatched. His 16 points and five assists against the waiting-on-the-draft Washington Wizards were an audition for more minutes when the boys get healthy.

Larsson has been an in-your-grill defender whenever he gets minutes. He's a fouling machine, but hey, a little effort never hurt anybody. Okay, that was a lie because that's partly why Larsson hasn't been on the floor as much. 

The other side of the ball has been more of a struggle, but with open-range shooting shots dropping and slick, nifty passing, Larsson can hold on to a spot in the rotation. He's not the ballhandler Rozier is, but the Heat have Davion Mitchell now. Play Larsson if the pick is between him and Rozier. 

Former UCLA Bruin defines wingspan

When Herro was named an All-Star, Bam took the occasion to address Herro's long-time doubters. He even threw in a jab at the critics who weren't big Herro guys due to his negative wingspan.

Herro, JJ Redick, Desmond Bane, and other T-rex arms snipers have proven you can be a valuable player with smaller limbs. Those with an extended wingspan do have some advantages. Kyle Anderson has made a career using his. 

Slo Mo from UCLA. I adored that UCLA team that featured Anderson, Zach LaVine, Norman Powell, and the Alford son/coach duo. Seeing Slo Mo suit up for my favorite NBA team has been an enjoyable portion of this otherwise face-palming year. His 7-foot-3 wingspan is a known fact throughout the NBA community, but the plays he makes lulling with those arms are still awesome.

You're taught to get low as a ballhandler to turn corners and keep the ball on a string. Slo Mo isn't upright, but he isn't Kyrie Irving-low here, either. He's somewhere in the middle but look at his left arm. It's about an inch from the ground, and that looks peculiar.

You don't see that every day, but Heat fans have the pleasure of seeing it in addition to Anderson's wavy passing ability.

I get what this post means. Anderson plays with a certain cerebralness that prioritizes his teammate's success. That's what he did at UCLA as a ginormous point guard, and his NBA career mirrors his thought process back then.

The way his elastic arms accidentally get this steal cracks me up. Plays like this illustrate why your little league coach constantly told you to "get your hands up" on defense. It seems pointless until you get your fingertips on the ball by just being active and present. More Slo Mo buckets, steals, and dimes will heal me throughout the remainder of this Miami Heat season. 

Stats as of 03/06/25 via PivotFade, NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Cleaning The Glass, and PBP Stats.