Miami Heat offense rolling despite ignoring key position

We're in wild times for Miami Heat supporters. The team is finally finding its rhythm without a traditional point guard, but trade rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler have drowned the Heat's recent performances. How true is the idea that "Pat Riley failed Jimmy"? Amid all this drama, we shouldn't overlook that Tyler Herro deserves to make his first All-Star appearance this year.

1. The Heat are getting it done without a traditional point guard
2. Jimmy Butler trade saga
3. The little things add up with Dru Smith
4. Tyler Herro's All-Star competition
5. Did the Heat let down Jimmy Butler?

The Heat are getting it done without a traditional point guard

While riding this four-game winning streak, the Heat's offense has sharpened up. The starting lineup change has been a miracle maker. The Heat offense is up to 9th per NBA.com.

Herro, Robinson, Highsmith, Butler, and Adebayo are geling with no traditional point guard. Any player in the lineup can get the ball and push it. 

While each player makes us the parts for point guard play, there has been a conservative effort to get Adebayo going scoring-wise. Last week, we touched on Bam's ridiculous catch radius as a lob catcher, and lobs are coming his way more frequently from all over. 

Duncan Robison got in early on the action in the first possession out of the break on the Raptors game. He's usually the least likely to create for others like this, but this new starting five gets the most juice out of each player.

Bam is defacto point guarding stuff when he isn't skying up to slam imperfect lobs. He's had five or more assists in 10 straight games. This Kevin Love hit-a-head-type pass was placed in a spot only the receiver had a chance to get. 

Adebayo can be used as a hub because of his quick thinking and natural feel as a ball mover. He instinctively hits Jimmy on this back door cut when the ball is inbounded— Bam threaded the needle. Splitting the offensive load between Herro, Jimmy, and Bam is possible because of Bam's lowkey guard skills. 

Those same guard skills from a big are made Nikola Jovic enticing as a prospect. Getting taken out of the rotation lit a fire under him, and he came out guns blazing against the Raptors. 

Nikos's comfort level has been questionable, but seeing his gigantic smile after hitting 3s or this 3-point celly is encouraging. The game hadn't seemed fun for Niko for a while, so being part of the group that sparked the second-quarter comeback could be the juice he needs to turn his season around.

This tough drive to the cup is the nastiness Niko has to bring. He missed and got fouled, but this mean drive was him using all his force and length in the same possession. Keeping the 6-foot-10 playmaker out of the lane is challenging when he drives with purpose and aggression. 

Jovic's archetype gives Spoelstra another option to run a de facto point guard offense. When Jovic is locked in like he was against the Raptors, he's forcing Spo to give him more minutes. Jimmy Butler's complete game helps the Heat trot out good lineups without a traditional point guard, but he's been in the news for everything except Heat basketball.

Jimmy Butler trade saga

Either ESPN's Shams Charnia put his credibility on the line to break trade interests, or Jimmy Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, is trolling the basketball world (like Butler likes to troll us with his hair).

There's "some" truth to Shams' report. If the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Phoenix Suns are Butler's preferred landing spots if he and the Heat cannot extend their marriage, only one team makes sense.

The Houston Rockets are fresh off, punching their ticket to Las Vegas in the NBA Cup. They have a young nucleus that doesn't make much sense to break up for Butler at the moment. The young guns are second in the West and hold the No. 2 defense. Butler fits their identity besides their youthfulness. An ascending team trading a core piece for a 35-year-old-could-be-a-rental Jimmy Butler is arguably malpractice. 

The Dallas Mavericks don't have enticing young players if the Heat decide to go the young route. From the Heat's perspective, Dallas should be crossed off the list unless they get another team involved, shipping young talent to Miami. The Sun's bit doesn't make sense in the 2nd apron world. Reports show they want to keep their big three: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. The Warriors have young gold mines and are in win-now mode.

The Heat-Warriors connection comes down to how much each side values Jononthan Kuminga. Is he good enough to be the best young player in a haul for Butler, or do the Warriors view him as too good to give up for a potential rental? The Warriors' recent move to start Kuminga over Draymond Green to maximize his value suggests they are more than willing to move him. 

Kuminga has averaged 21 points and six rebounds, shooting 36 on 4.4 3s a game since being inserted into the starting five. He's an enticing piece that could bridge this post-Butler era. The efficiency, shot selection, and motor are question marks with Kuminga. These traits are partly why the Warriors haven't offered him a rookie extension yet.  

He's never been off the leash in Golden State. Could Erik Spoelstra maximize the former 7th overall draft pick? We've seen what he's done with undrafted role players-- Kuminga could flourish in Miami. If the options are to lose Butler for nothing or trade him for Kuminga, put me on the latter. 

The little things add up with Dru Smith

Trading for Kuminga would differ from the Heat's usual 'turn up role player X' approach. While it might not be cool to praise Miami for its gem finds these days, Dru Smith is emerging as another one. 

Smith is known for his tenacious on ball defense and steadiness with the ball. 

Devin Booker didn't want any issues with Smith, as he relinquished the rock when the 200-pound bully stepped up and snatched his chain (with ease). Smith is mean on the ball and rivals Haywood Highmsith as the Heat's best perimeter defender. Smith is better suited guarding elite smalls than Highsmith. 

Bball-Idex grades his screen navigation an A+ and averages under a turnover per game for his career. Smith has been celebrated for defensive prowess but almost scapegoated for his offensive deficiencies in the past. 

He's added layers to his game on offense. Smith buried three triples in the win against the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night. He's up to 53% from deep on low volume. It's difficult to deny him minutes when he's making timely open looks paired with the little things he brings to the table.

Smith was all over the floor, battling for rebounds. His efforts paid off with another three in the corner. The little things add up. Fighting for boards like that is usually a big man attribute, and Smith has more of those up his sleeve. 

Here, the Heat are running an inverted offense, placing the small Smith in the middle of the zone while big man Adebayo hangs out in the short corner. Smith shows off his big skills with a crispy screen that begins the chaos for Cleveland. Smith then darts to the corner behind a Bam "splash screen", drives baseline, and throws a lollipop to Duncan Robinson for the trey. The pass appears reckless, but it lands right in Robsinson's lap in a spot where he's shooting 53% from. Knowing your personal and teammate's tenancies is a small nuance fans take for granted. Smith certainly knows how to do the little things. Heat fans shouldn't take the season homegrown star Tyler Herro is having for granted. 

Tyler Herro's All-Star competition

Seven players are averaging at least 24 points, five assists, and five boards, with a 60 TS%-- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgious-Alexander, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, and Miami Heat's own Tyler Herro. 

Herro is in good company: five perineal All-Stars and Jalen Bruson, who's earning that title. Herro's improved shot diet is the main culprit of this year-6 breakout. Add that he's performing at this rate on a winning team, and you have to think he's punching his ticket to the Chase Center in February.

Before injury replacements, five guards made the Eastern Conference All-Star game last year: Dame, Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tyrese Maxey. Trae Young was voted in as an injury replacement.

New faces have stepped up, and neither of the Tyrese's has replicated their All-Star campaigns. Dame, Brunson, and Mitchell should be shoe-ins as we sit in December. Each guard steers their ships and has their teams out of the play-in bracket. Giannis is the Bucks' leader, but Dame has been a playmaking machine, averaging ~nine assists over the last 11 games with his earth-bending scoring. 

We'll add a sixth guard to our All-Star predictions because frontcourt players like Paolo Banchero, Scottie Barnes, and Joel Embiid are not on pace to be selected.

LaMelo Ball would be the next guard on my list. The electric point guard scores over 30 a game and is one of the league's best showmen. He's missed the last seven games, so he's in jeopardy of getting knocked out of contention due to games played. 

Herro would be a no-sweat in my books; this wouldn't come down to the last spot. Herro has been more efficient than the next three players and has as many responsibilities as two of them. Herro has been the best player on a 13-10 Heat team, sitting 5th in the East. 

Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, and Trae Young are duking it out for that final 6th guard spot. Cunningham is putting up career-counting stats, leading the Pistons out of worst team of all-time territory. Garland is orchestrating the best team in the league, even though he has Donovan Mitchell to lean on. Young leads the league in assists and is more popular than either of these guards. What Cunningham has done would earn my last guard spot, but one could easily convince me Garland or Young deserves a spot. It's that close. It's harder to convince me that Jimmy Butler has been "failed" in his time in the 305.

Did the Heat let down Jimmy Butler?

Look out for a separate column later today 👀

Stats as of 12-12-2024 are via shotcreator.com, Basketball Reference, Bball-Index, Cleaning The Glass, NBA.com, and PivotFade