3 Ways the Heat are better than last season's Finals team

2. Shooting like their Finals run

Shooters shoot, and the Heat shooters had no problem getting them up last year. Tyler Herro, Max Strus, and Kyle Lowry were the leaders in 3-point attempts during this season. All three of them shot over five 3s a game, but only Herro was efficient, shooting at a 38% clip.

Lowry and Strus were at or below league average (36%). Those players are appreciated for their contributions, as Miami doesn't make the Finals without either of them. Strus showed every ounce of his value during the play-in game against the Bulls (hopefully, they don't need a play-in game this year).

During the regular season, the Miami team had a poor 3-point shooting percentage of 34%, which ranked 27th out of 30 teams. However, the Heat improved their shooting accuracy in the last two weeks of the regular season. They carried this momentum into the playoffs and managed to shoot 38% from beyond the arc on their way to the Finals.

The Heat are similar to their playoff run this year. They are shooting 37%. as a team. Their top two shooters, Duncan Robinson (who was out of the rotation in '23) and Tyler Herro, are carrying the volume load for this roster. Robinson is shooting 40% on seven attempts, and Herro is right there with 8 attempts.

Other vital players contribute from deep, but their volume isn't high. Nikola Jovic and Jimmy Butler are at 40%, but they don't get up enough 3's. Even though the Heat are a better 3-point shooting this year than last, they still don't shoot enough.

The Heat's 3-point rate (3Pr) ranks 15th in 2024, down from 9th last year. They need to take more shots to maximize their scoring potential. In 2023, their impressive shooting almost carried them to the promised land. With precision shooting abilities as a game-changer, more shot attempts will increase their chances of winning.