4. Rim Pressure
Brennan Sims: It's challenging to generate efficient offense without getting to the rim. Rim attacks open up the floor as defenses collapse to prevent the easiest shot in basketball (besides free throws).
The Heat do not get to the rack at a high level. Only 28% of their shots come at the rim, and to double down, the Heat only converts 63% of said rim attacks; both numbers rank in the bottom five in the league.
The addition of Terry Rozier may pay dividends in the playoffs. He's not a natural rim-attacker, but his unorthodox game is unpredictable. When getting downhill, he frequently looks to throw lobs to cutters and spray the ball out to shooters in the corners. Jimmy Butler gets to the rim at a high rate, but those are the only two half-court rim threats.
Bam Adebayo needs to drive more in the postseason. Teams will dare him to make his patented mid-range shot. After demolishing that coverage, he must put his head down and attack aggressively when the defenses close out. Caleb Martin is a terror in transition but needs to bring some of that juice to the halfcourt.
The Heat's lack of rim pressure could derail their championship aspirations. However, there's still time to turn it up if they make attacking a point of emphasis. The rim numbers were similar last year, and the Heat made the Finals—an amazing feat, but that's not the goal.