The Miami Heat are entering a tricky phase of their competitive timeline in which they’re tasked with remaining relevant, even good, while they wait and hope for a conventional superstar to shake loose. Bam Adebayo gets that there is no traditional safety net in place, and wants the offense to operate accordingly.
“We’re getting up and down, playing faster,” he said, per the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “It’s a no-hold style of offense. We’re pushing the pace, moving the ball, and keeping everyone involved.”
The Heat are indeed playing at a dizzying pace so far. They are running not only after grabbing rebounds, but also following opponent makes. Their transition frequency is waaaay up in the preseason relative to the past few regular seasons, and the absence of Tyler Herro has forced them to explore a more egalitarian dynamic in which they aren’t overly reliant on any one player—including Adebayo.
Norman Powell is perhaps the perfect example of Miami’s new world order. Instead of turning more ball control over to him amid injuries and a star-ball-handler deficit, head coach Erik Spoelstra has him operating as more of a perimeter play-finisher. The role looks good on him, because it has always looked good on him.
More importantly, even as the offense struggles from a statistical perspective, the higher-octane pace seems like it’ll eventually fit this iteration of the Heat’s roster.
Bam Adebayo is right about the Heat’s offense
While the speed at which a team plays isn’t perfectly correlated to offensive efficiency, it can help offset the absence of someone who breaks down set defenses at a high level. Running whether the other team misses a shot, makes one, or commits a turnover keeps opponents on their toes, and should carve out more opportunities in transition.
These opportunities in transition are usually higher quality, particularly when it comes to attempts at the rim. Last year, the average half-court play yielded 0.978 points per possession. By comparison, the average fast-break play clocked in at nearly 1.26 points per possession.
It isn’t just about finishing in transition, either. Prioritizing looks early in the shot clock (or semi-transition) goes a long way, too.
The Heat posted an effective field-goal percentage north of 63 last season early in the possession, defined as attempts coming with 18 or more seconds left on the shot clock. Their effective field-goal percentage dropped to 54.6 with between 15 and seven seconds left on the shot clock.
Miami needs to keep this up after Tyler Herro returns
We can relitigate the Heat’s approach to speed if their overall efficiency doesn’t improve during or after the preseason. For now, it makes sense to follow through on Bam’s vision. That includes when Herro comes back from ankle surgery.
This might be easier said than done. Miami’s transition frequency has dipped with Herro on the court through all but one of his seasons.
Still, those were different rosters, many of which were headlined by Jimmy Butler, who preferred to operate inside the half-court later in his career. Plus, as noted above, this isn’t just about the raw fast-break volume. It’s about getting into half-court actions faster.
Herro played last season like someone who can fit that mold. Even as the Jimmy Butler saga warped his time on-ball, he proved that he could both rework his shot profile, and move away from the actions. If he keeps that same energy this season, the Heat’s superstar-less offense might just surprise a whole lot of people—maybe even Bam himself.