The rest of the NBA is beginning to figure out the Miami Heat's new, revamped offense. At least that's the way things are beginning to trend, and Norman Powell verbalized that much after the team's brutal loss at the hands of the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.
After the game, Powell said that teams are "doing a great job of scouting" the Heat's offense, and it's slowed them down. NBA expert Tim Bontemps noted on a recent podcast that the same fate was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies last season, after they crafted a similar offense to the Heat's.
Over the last eight games, the Heat's offense has suffered greatly. And it's not just about missing shots. They look out of sorts, their pace has slowed down, and, as Powell has noted, it does seem as if the rest of the league is quietly catching up to their offensive tendancies.
During the stretch, the Heat rank 23rd in offensive rating and have begun to fall back from their league-leading pace. They're also just 3-5 in those games.
I wouldn't necessarily say it's time for the Heat to panic, but there's no question Erik Spoelstra (and the rest of this coaching staff) needs to get back in the lab to introduce some adjustments on offense.
The Heat have time to pivot and recover
The good news is that now that the Heat has been eliminated from the NBA Cup, they'll have some time to regroup over the next few days. Miami doesn't play again until Monday, December 15, against the Toronto Raptors.
It may be too tall a task to expect this offense to be completely "fixed" when the Heat returns to the court, but something needs to give. And maybe some of that involves simple practice time with Tyler Herro, who has certainly hurt the team's overall chemistry since his return.
That's not a knock on Herro or to place all the blame on him, but it's the reality.
This team got off to such a promising start without Herro. It's hard to just drop in a player like Herro, despite his clear talent, into the rotation. Growing pains were expected.
It's time for the Heat to successfully navigate through them.
Even if the rest of the league is catching up to the Heat's tendancies on offense, that doesn't mean it's all doom and gloom for Miami. Because if there's any coaching staff that could figure things out, it's Spo's.