A brand new (although slightly familiar) approach to the offensive end has been the biggest talking point around the start of the Miami Heat's season. And for good reason. When a team that perpetually ranks among the NBA's bottom-third in offensive efficiency is suddenly occupying the category's No. 10 spot, per NBA.com, that's worth discussing.
If the Heat can put up points like this, they'll be an absolute handful for opponents. That's not, however, the same as saying offense will determine how far this group can go. Because for all of the changes made on that end, the defensive side of the floor still holds this team's true identity.
In fact, defensive dominance is sort of what makes this offensive breakthrough so intriguing. If the Heat can even rank above-average on offense, they might be able to capitalize on the wide-open nature of the injury-riddled Eastern Conference because elite defense almost feels like a given.
Miami must remember it is built to win with defense first.
Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell have two things in common. First, they're the only players to start every game for Miami this season. While Mitchell's starting gig could be in jeopardy once Miami gets Norman Powell and Tyler Herro back, these are clearly three of the most important players on the roster.
That's what makes the second similarity so important: They all do their best work on the defensive end. They aren't one-way players—Adebayo has (finally) added an outside shot to his arsenal, Wiggins remains a punishing downhill attacker, and Mitchell has helped cover the playmaking void—but defense is the calling card for all three.
That surely didn't happen by accident. Dominant, relentless defense is almost always a hallmark for an Erik Spoelstra-coached team. And it will need to be one for this group to do more than just be mentioned in the playoff tournament race.
The good news is the Heat have been super-stingy for much of this early stretch. Only the undefeated defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and one-loss San Antonio Spurs have better defensive ratings than Miami's 108.9.
That said, the Heat can't afford the kind of slippage they displayed their last time out. Allowing 130 points to the Los Angeles Lakers (as Miami did Sunday) may not sound alarming at first, but it gets that way when considering Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves weren't great (18-of-44 overall, 5-of-25 from three combined), and the team was missing LeBron James and Deandre Ayton.
No one should overreact to a single contest, obviously, but the Heat have to (and do) hold themselves to a higher standard on defense.
Their makeup demands as much. It's not just about playing to their identity, it's also guarding against possible offensive regression at some point. Jaime Jaquez Jr. won't shoot 63.8 percent all season. Norman Powell and Simone Fontecchio won't be 50-plus percent three-point shooters. And who knows how this all looks once Tyler Herro gets back in the action.
Tireless, disruptive defense is supposed to be a constant for this club. As long as Miami remembers that and plays that way, this team should be a factor in the conference race even if the offense isn't always as razor-sharp as it has been.