Erik Spoelstra is doing his best Gregg Popovich impression this season, as he's managed to completely evolve the Miami Heat franchise right before our eyes. Last year, the Heat were arguably one of the most unexciting teams to watch in the league. Now, they're one of the most entertaining teams in the league.
The one big difference: Spo's decision to completley revamp the team's offensive philosophy. Just as was the case for Pop and the San Antonio Spurs when they had their own evolution from being one of the slowest-paced teams in the league to one of the highest, Spo has done the same. For Pop, it was a several-year process that spanned from the mid-2000s into the early 2010s that they were to accomplish the complete transformation.
Spo, while embracing a similar mantra, has managed to do it in one offseason.
Through the first few weeks of the season, the Heat ranks No. 1 in pace and has taken a significant jump in offensive efficiency (compared to last year). The Heat haven't even played a minute at full strength so far this season, and Spo is already beginning to see the full dividends of the decision to embrace change.
The Heat are completely bought into the new offense
While it's difficult to explain the Heat's new offensive philosophy, Bam Adebayo lays it out as best as he can:
"We run less pick-and-rolls, run less screens; there’s more five-out, and sharing the wealth. And to me, that’s the best way to play basketball. We’re on this long journey. And when you go through this long journey, you got all 15 of us on the bus. We all can’t drive the bus."Bam Adebayo on the new offense
It's one thing for a coach to attempt to implement big changes quickly. It's a completely different thing, and that much more impressive, for a team to buy in as fast as the Heat has. That's a testament to just how much respect Spo has in that locker room.
It also speaks to just how great a coach Spo is, that he's able to change so much about a team's philosophy on the fly.
Sure, there were some clear growing pains from the team during the preseason, but the fact that the Heat have looked as good as they have during the regular season, even without Tyler Herro in the lineup, just goes to show how much command and control Spo has on this team.
These are traits that often separate the good head coaches from the great ones in the Association. And the Heat have a pretty great one. Hopefully, fans are able to realize that.