3 Questions the Miami Heat must answer before the playoffs
Who takes the last shot, and does Tyler Herro return to the bench when Duncan Robinson returns?
By Max Marshall
With just two games left in the regular season it feels like the Miami Heat still have more questions than answers. If they are going to make a similar run to last year and surprise the NBA with another deep postseason run, they'll need to answer those questions.
3. Who takes the last shot?
Recent games against the Pacers, Hawks and Mavericks have indicated that Miami still has late-game scoring issues. The Heat have a lot of good actions they run throughout the game, but when they are in a last-shot situation, they crumble. No one is moving, and Jimmy Butler takes a tough contested jumper, which bails out the defense. Miami needs to figure this out before it's too late.
The Heat have a lot of options when it comes to who takes the last shot. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Terry Rozier and Butler can all take their guy off the dribble and score. However, we have seen over the past few years that Miami needs to improve in these situations.
It's not that fans are upset with Butler taking the final shot, it’s the type of shot that he is taking. No more contested jumpers. Butler needs to attack the rim or set himself up to get fouled. Herro and Rozier should have the chance to make a play with the ball in their hands as well.
Miami needs more creativity, more guys coming off screens, misdirection, and getting the defense thinking more. Miami is constantly bailing out the defense based on what they do in late-game situations.