Criticism of the Miami Heat has run rampant since the days of the Giannis Antetokounmpo acquisition. Much of it has revolved around the team's "lack" of shooting, playmaking, and depth.
Interestingly enough, one former Heat head coach went a different route with his questioning of the Heat. Stan Van Gundy says that one of the reasons why he's not that high on the Heat heading into the start of the season is the fact that he believes Bam is a "little overrated" on the offensive end of the court.
It's not necessarily a groundbreaking take, but it is a curious and unexpected one that we haven't heard all too much about recently.
“I’m not as high on Miami as people are… The shooting they added compromises them badly on the defensive end of the floor. Even though he was great last year, I’m not sold on Davion Mitchell as a full time starting PG… I’d actually be surprised if they were in the top 6… I’m not a fan of their roster. — I think Wiggins is underrated but I think Bam is a little overrated, particularly at the offensive end of the floor. I’m not sold on them”
Is Stan Van Gundy's criticism of the Heat fair?
To a certain extent, everything that SVG said is fair. There are questions about whether their shooters can be good enough on the defensive end of the floor to remain on the floor and make a significant impact. There are many who are not sold on the idea of Davion Mitchell being the team's full-time starting point guard.
Their depth is still a question until they can prove it. But the Bam anecdote is fairly interesting. He's not been "called out" much as a reason why the Heat may falter this season.
Without putting words in SVG's mouth, it's fair to say that he's questioning whether Bam can be a capable No. 2 superstar on a championship-contending team, particularly on the offensive end of the floor.
And while Heat fans have every right to disagree with him, it's not that outlandish a concern. While he's certainly grown into his own on that end of the floor over the last few years, he's far from a well-oiled machine on offense. There are questions.
Especially next to Giannis, can Bam be consistently good enough of a 3-point shooter? When the Heat need a bucket and opposing defenses are focusing on Giannis, can Bam step up? Can he be a closer when Giannis is struggling?
Can Giannis and Bam coexist enough on the offensive end of the floor?
All fair questions; just not necessarily ones that have been talked about much. So it is interesting that SVG, a former Heat coach, went there with his criticism of the team. Time will tell whether this take from SVG ages well or not, but at least his questions of the Heat take a slightly different tune from everyone else's.
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