ESPN's Zach Lowe didn't beat around the bush when it came to the brutally honest truth about the Miami Heat's quiet reality heading into this upcoming season, and it's the fact that their offense is going to look very different.
And, no, it's not necessarily just because Tyler Herro is slated to miss the first month of the season. Sure, that's probably going to have an impact on the Heat, especially on the offensive end of the floor, but Lowe describes it as much deeper than that.
Lowe admitted that even after the Herro injury, he believes the Heat are going to be better than what people think. Perhaps most noteworthy, Lowe also believes that the Heat's offensive philosophy has hit a wall, and he's heard that this team is going to look very different in terms of overall style on that end of the floor this year.
The Heat's offensive struggles
If you've followed the team closely over the past three seasons, you'd know that the Heat's offense has begun to grow stale. Over the last three years, the Heat has had a bottom-10 offensive rating during the regular season. More often than not, it was Jimmy Butler's heroics or their stingy defense saving the day.
And their fading offense may have reached its point of no return, when they were embarrassed out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Looking back, with all due respect, the Cavs were even that great a team.
Still, the Heat couldn't find an offensive rhythm whatsoever in that series. Miami lost to the Cavs by historic proportions, in large part because of the anemic offense.
And that's why Lowe is anticipating some big changes on the offensive end of the floor this season from the Heat, which was somewhat hinted at by Spo at media day.
Heat fans must trust Erik Spoelstra
Spo talked about how he had spent the last six weeks leading up to the start of training camp in preparing for a "new plan for a new team." You'd have to imagine most of those deals with changing up the offensive philosophy.
That's where Heat fans have to trust Erik Spoelstra. And, to be perfectly honest, Spo deserves all the trust in the world. Even though he's never technically been named the best coach in the league with an award, he's respected as such.
Interestingly enough, this might be his biggest test yet. But if Spo can find a way to spice up the Heat's offense in a way that will have a tangible impact on the win and loss column, this could finally be the year where it all comes to fruition for him.
The Heat don't need Spo to win the NBA's Coach of the Year award, but that type of season could be exactly what fans need. And it could very well begin with a revamped offense.