Bill Simmons admits that the Miami Heat made one of the best moves of the offseason, and says that the decision to essentially swap out Norman Powell for John Collins (and eventually Bradley Beal) has been unspeakably bad for the LA Clippers. For Simmons specifically, the move goes from bad to worse, considering it's helping power the Heat back into semi-relevancy in the Eastern Conference this season.
Simmons has been a notorious Heat hater, which isn't surprising considering his allegiances to the Boston Celtics. But the fact that he is relegating to the stance that the Heat made one of the steals of the offseason by acquiring Powell, especially with the way he's looked so far this season, tells you all you need to know about how the Heat should feel.
Great. Blessed.
With the Heat, Powell is fueling the highest-scoring offense in the NBA. Miami leads the league in points per game and is about to welcome back All-Star guard Tyler Herro into the rotation. There's a very good chance that, despite the encouraging signs that the Heat have already shown so far this season, their best is yet to come.
Norman Powell has changed the Heat's narrative
And while the return of Herro plays a big part in that, it's difficult to minimize how much Powell has completely revolutionized this Heat offense.
It's easy to look at how much the Heat have improved this season, specifically on the offensive end of the floor, and credit Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. In fact, he probably deserves a lot of it.
But there's no question that the Heat wouldn't be in the position they currently find themselves in without Powell, especially considering they've had to manage the start of the season without Herro.
Many are underestimating the impact that Powell has made on the Heat. He's fit perfectly into Spo's high-octane offense, and has been the team's most efficient and best scorer when he's on the floor. Miami is 9-4 when Powell is in the lineup, and 1-2 when he's not.
Powell is coming off a season in which many in LA believed he should've been an All-Star selection. Somehow, Powell has been even better through the first month of this season with the Heat.
That's just a testament to how quickly he's managed to acclimate himself into the Heat's new system and with his new teammates.
Overall, this move for the Heat has been a huge home run. And, slowly, the rest of the league, including the Heat's rivals, like Simmons, are beginning to realize that.