Even stretching back to last season, the Miami Heat had two very big problems with their roster construction. The first was that they lacked the necessary star power to compete with other contenders across the league. Secondly, they didn't have a natural playmaker in the backcourt to help make the Heat's pace-and-space offense thrive in a significant way.
And while the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo may have solved one of those issues, the one problem in the backcourt is still a very big question mark heading into the start of this new chapter of Heat basketball.
The hope is that the superstar will solve many of those playmaking questions, but that's far from a guarantee. After all, Giannis is not necessarily known as a playmaking-first type of superstar. He's certainly shown his capabilities when it comes to that, and it's probably an area of his game that is often overlooked, but for the Heat to expect those playmaking concerns to be gone just because of Giannis is a bit foolish.
A playmaking guard is still a big concern for the Heat
Heading into the season, the lack of a natural playmaking guard has to be somewhat of a concern for the Heat. Maybe the Heat feel they have "enough" that it won't be a huge issue, but there's no question they could be in a much better spot as far as playmaking.
And if Giannis isn't as durable as the Heat is hoping he can be, or doesn't take on a bigger playmaking role this season, there's reason to believe that Miami could be in a bit of trouble after not deciding to pursue a natural playmaker in the backcourt during the summer.
There wasn't necessarily a clear-cut target that the Heat could've zeroed in on, but they clearly prioritized the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson. At least through the first few games of the preseason, it's difficult to argue with the results, but over the course of the season, it will be interesting to see if shooting was the right priority over playmaking.
On paper, it does seem like the right move. After all, the Heat are building around Giannis. In theory, especially if you're going to prioritize one, you'd rather have shooting over playmaking. But there's no question it's still somewhat of a concern if you're in the front office.
And at the first sign of offensive struggles, the criticisms are going to rise again. That perhaps the Heat made a mistake not to address their playmaking concerns in the backcourt.
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