Erik Spoelstra's new starting lineup has injected the Miami Heat with some much-needed juice. Since the move, the Heat are 2-0 and their five-man lineup of their new starting five is among the best in the league.
It's surely a small sample size, but inserting Pelle Larsson in Andrew Wiggins' place at the small forward position has given the Heat a strong foundation that they can start building off.
The Heat's new starting lineup is setting the tone for the rest of the team
In the last two games, the Heat's new starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Larsson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo has a net rating of +23.8. Perhaps most importantly, that lineup has a defensive rating of 100. That's exceptional, especially considering how much the Heat's defense has struggled to begin the year.
To put that number into context, that'd qualify for the best defensive rating in the league if extrapolated over the course of 48 minutes. Of course, that's easier said than done, but the Heat's new starting lineup has accomplished the art of setting the tone to begin the game.
That's exactly what Spoelstra wants to see out of the starting five.
Speaking of setting the tone to start the game, since the Heat's starting lineup change, Miami has the 9th-best defensive rating,13th in offensive rating, and 9th in net rating. It's an extremely small sample size (just two games), but it's a positive sign.
The Heat, despite their 0-4 start to the year, seems to be trending in the right direction. And, at least to some extent, part of that is due to the breath of life that their new starting lineup has given the rest of the team.
The true test for the new starting 5 is on the way
Overall, the Heat have now won five of their last seven games (after their 0-4 start to the season) and have a very crucial five-game home stand on deck. After a solid first two games with their new starting lineup, it will surely be tested in the next few games as their opponents get more challenging.
The Heat will host the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Oklahoma City Thunder in the next 11 days. Miami will find out a lot about where they stand after that stretch.
At the very least, though, the new starting lineup has given the Heat life. After a 3-6 start to the season, that's exactly what the hope was when Spoelstra made the move. Through two games, it's certainly worked.
Add us as a preferred source on Google