The Miami Heat have long been one of the slowest teams in the NBA, and it has cost them a lot over the past few seasons.
They played at a crawling pace that just doesn’t work in today’s NBA, and while they have always been a hard-nosed defensive team, they’ve struggled to put enough points on the board to hold leads or to stack wins.
But so far this season, Miami has completely flipped the script on who they are, and it’s paying off in a big way.
More NBA Content From TWSN:Â
The Oklahoma City Thunder Look Even Better This Year
The Milwaukee Bucks Are The NBA’s Most Surprising Team
Cade Cunningham And The Efficiency ConversationÂ
The Miami Heat Are Exceeding ExpectationsÂ
Before the season started, most people were expecting the Miami Heat to be a middle-of-the-road team, either in the play-in tournament or right on the outside looking in.
To be honest, those were very undeserving expectations because everyone should know the Heat are too well-coached with too many good players and a great system to lose so many games that they miss the play-in entirely.
If anything, the expectations should’ve been way higher for Miami this season, because the Eastern Conference was looking weaker and more winnable than ever, with two of the best teams, the Pacers and Celtics, missing their best players for the season.
And so far this season, Miami is proving that the expectations for them should have been higher, because they’re doing a lot better in many ways than anyone expected, and it’s looking like they will be in the running for the Eastern Conference all season long.
Erik Spoelstra Has Transformed The Miami Heat
It’s no secret that the main knock on the Miami Heat over the past few seasons has been how slow they play.
In each of the last six seasons, Miami has been a bottom-five team in the league in pace, usually floating around 100 possessions per game or less.
But this season, they are the fastest team in the league at 109.8 possessions per game through 18 games. And they’re also the NBA’s highest-scoring team, putting up 124.9 points per game.
This is a credit to how great of a coach Erik Spoelstra is, recognizing that the slow pace of play was becoming a detriment to the team’s ability to compete, and after seeing how much success Indiana had last season by breaking teams with their relentless pace, he has implemented a system that is akin to it, as well as the old school 7 seconds or less Phoenix Suns team that was so offensively innovative.
And Miami still holds it down as well as anyone on the defensive side of the ball, too. The Heat are fourth in the NBA in team defensive rating, allowing just 110.6 points per game, showing that just because they’ve taken an offensive jump, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be slacking on defense.
Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kel’el Ware Have All Stepped Up
In the absence of Tyler Herro, it’s been a group effort to keep this team not just afloat, but thriving.
Norman Powell is having a career year so far, continuing his great play from last season in LA by putting up All-Star numbers, and if he keeps it up, he will be a lock for the All-Star game in February.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is rebounding in great fashion for his third season after a disappointing sophomore slump that had most fans already deciding his time was over as an impact player in the NBA. If the season were to end today, he would be an almost guaranteed lock for Sixth Man of the Year, as he’s stepped up as a scorer, playmaker, and defender.
And Kel’el Ware is emerging as the big man that Miami has desperately needed to help alleviate some pressure from Bam Adebayo, who has been the team’s undersized center for so long. Ware and Bam have complemented each other excellently so far this season, making them one of the best defensive tandems in the league.
Davion Mitchell Is A Perfect Fit For Heat Culture
Davion Mitchell was acquired at the trade deadline last season for Miami, and right away everyone knew it was a match made in heaven because of the type of player that Mitchell is.
Mitchell is a hard-nosed defender who is also an elite playmaker. He makes things dirty on defense and then makes life as simple as it can be on offense for his team, and that style is the selfless leadership a team like Miami needs.
Mitchell has fit flawlessly into Miami’s system, and he defines what Heat Culture is all about, so Heat fans should be excited for what’s to come out of him for the rest of the season.
Tyler Herro Is Back, and Bam Adebayo May Be Better Than EverÂ
Then you have the two main men in Miami, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, who have both been such integral parts of the many deep playoff runs Miami has been on over the last few seasons.
Herro has been out all season so far recovering from an injury but returned Monday night and put up 24 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, helping Miami get its 12th win of the young season. As he gets more acclimated to the new system, which shouldn’t be too hard or take too long, he may be in for another leap much like he had last season.
And as for Bam Adebayo, it looks like he’s finally taking the next step as a player that we all hoped he would take after the Summer Olympics last year. He is anchoring the Miami defense and already looks like a lock for a spot on one of the All-Defensive teams, while also putting up career-best shooting numbers from the three-point line and the free throw line.
The Miami Heat Are True NBA Championship ContendersÂ
All in all, the Miami Heat are a team to keep an eye on all season moving forward if you haven’t already.
This isn’t the same old slow Heat teams that couldn’t put points on the board or hold leads late in games. They’ve transformed into one of the most fun and watchable teams in the NBA, and they could be poised for a surprisingly deep run this season.