When it comes to the Miami Heat’s 37-45 record last season, they were exactly what that record shows. The Heat were a 10th seed team in a weaker conference that somehow managed to secure the final postseason spot— which took winning two play-in games on the road to do so.
But how did they really get put in the position for a third consecutive play-in spot? It’s as simple as realizing their inability to close out games.
And those issues only magnified after trading away Jimmy Butler.
Butler has a proven reputation of being one of the greatest clutch players in the league. His time in Miami showed that he could always be counted on to step up when it matters the most. Whether those moments came in playoff matchups, or down the stretch of close games— Butler’s winning impact helped the Heat remain competitive in big moments.
However, his departure left a glaring hole in that department. Although each of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have had clutch moments of their own throughout their career, they haven’t been able to do so on a consistent basis.
Herro especially had displayed inefficient shooting this season with the game on the line.
Miami went 12-21 after the Butler trade, including an embarrassing 10-game losing streak and ranking in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency during that span. It was good for the longest skid of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career.
More importantly, they were 14-26 in clutch games on the season, and 3-12 after the trade. The Heat lost a league-high nine games when leading by at least 15 points.
The Miami Heat’s biggest offseason priority should be pursuing a star capable of closing out games.
This goes deeper than the team just searching for a new identity in a post-Butler era. They were unable to find somebody internally to replace Butler’s late game heroics in Spoelstra’s rotation.
It’s not as simple as offensive execution. And it goes deeper from anything Spoelstra could have done to fix the issue in a down year from himself on the sidelines as well.
It is the talent and personnel. The Heat don’t have a reliable clutch shot maker.
As the Heat traded away their most talented player in a decade that fit that description perfectly, they got swept out of the NBA playoffs. Meanwhile, Butler is stepping up for his new Golden State Warriors squad in these moments— including just recently closing out a Game 7 on the road to advance to the West Semi’s.
These glaring statistics only highlight the Heat’s desperate need for a new franchise star even more.
There’s already a structure in place with Spoelstra, Herro and Adebayo. Adding a true number one option capable of closing out games is what can get this franchise back to contending status as quickly as possible.
Sure, there will still be more work involved even at that point— such as bringing in role player additions to supplement Miami’s core. But the Heat aren’t as far off as it seems, and they have more assets to re-tool back into a contender than it seems, as well.
All it takes is one strong offseason to bounce back. And Pat Riley should be as aggressive as he’s been in years after this disastrous campaign that just took place.