There are a litany of issues that have plagued the Miami Heat's 0-3 start to the season.
And while it's completely fair to question their shooting, half-court offense, the rotation, the fit of the starting 5, and even the rotation as a whole, Bobby Portis may have unintentionally pointed out a much simpler fix for the Heat.
One that may not solve everything, but an important detail that, coupled with the Heat's other issues, makes everything look much worse. And it's effort. It's energy. It's the ability to play on the same wavelength as one another.
Bobby Portis' comments about rebounding may have nothing to do with rebounding
Portis didn't exactly spell out those words with his recent comments, but his explanation about the Heat's rebounding issues could point to each of those concerns (or criticisms) if you read between the lines.
“It’s a new era of NBA ball now. Lot of teams are crashing 3-4 guys. Lot of long rebounds with people shooting a ton of 3s. We need boxes and elbows, gang rebounds. Dont just rely on one person. Everybody finish the game with 4-5 boards. Most the time the teams that win the rebounding game, wins the game”
Through three games, the Heat have now been outrebounded by a combined 31 boards. Is it effort? Is it just energy? Is it laziness? Who knows. But there may be something to Portis' comments, thanks to how Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was speaking after their most recent loss against the Charlotte Hornets.
Talking about how the Heat rallied around an unlikely group in the fourth quarter, nearly pulling off an inconceivable fourth-quarter comeback against the Hornets, Spoelstra said the effort "inspired" the rest of the team.
And you could see it from the court to the bench. It was, really, the first time all season that the bench was active and engaged with what was going on in the game. As Spoelstra said, they were inspired.
He finished off those comments by saying that the team needed to build on that and, hopefully, carry on that spirit into the next game.
“Right now, we need inspiration”
Are the Heat playing uninspired basketball?
It sure is an interesting word for Spoelstra to use. And, theoretically, it does fall in line with the idea that the Heat may be playing some "uninspired" basketball right now. What does uninspired look like? Generally, that's a lack of effort. It's a team that looks flat. A team that is just going through the motions.
Through three games, that's exactly how the Heat has looked. So, just maybe, there is something to what both Spoelstra and Portis were hinting at.
It's certainly something to watch heading into the Heat's next game against the Dallas Mavericks. Looking to get their first win of the season, if the Heat aren't playing inspired basketball now, there may be a deeper problem.
It's still way too early to panic, and maybe a greater effort could make all the difference for this team. It does seem as if Portis and Spoelstra appear to believe so.
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