{"id":714805,"date":"2026-04-20T20:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/714805\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:46:19","slug":"what-the-miami-heat-need-to-improve-to-return-to-contention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/714805\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Miami Heat Need to Improve to Return to Contention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6f\">The Miami Heat are stuck in the middle right now, good enough to compete, but not good enough to contend truly. The Heat had another up-and-down season, and it&#8217;s clear that this roster needs meaningful improvements this offseason. Chasing a superstar should remain the ultimate goal for the Heat, but here are three realistic areas Miami must address if they want to take a real step forward.<\/p>\n<p>1. Three-Point Shooting Has to Be More Reliable<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpp0xv5xetccc7bask.jpg\" alt=\" \" title=\" \" width=\"4000\" height=\"2250\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6s\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) during the second quarter during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">On paper, Miami\u2019s shooting numbers weren\u2019t terrible. They finished around the middle of the pack in both three-point makes and attempts, and even ranked 11th in percentage. For those of us who watched this tea, we know the issue wasn&#8217;t efficiency; it was consistency and volume.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">The Heat simply didn\u2019t have enough shooters they could trust night to night. Too often, the offense stalled because defenses didn\u2019t respect Miami\u2019s spacing. That puts more pressure on players like Bam Adebayo to create offense in tight windows, which isn\u2019t his natural role.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">Internal improvement is key here. Young players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovi\u0107, and Pelle Larsson all shot under 32% from deep last season. If even one or two of them can become reliable shooters, it changes the entire offensive dynamic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">relying solely on development is risky, though. Miami should also explore adding proven shooting through trades or free agency. In today\u2019s NBA, spacing isn\u2019t optional; it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n<p>2. Size and Athleticism Are a Real Problem<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7f\">This might be the most glaring issue on the roster. The Heat ranked near the bottom of the league in blocks, finishing 24th, and it showed. Outside of Bam and Kel&#8217;el Ware, there was little rim protection or frontcourt presence. That\u2019s just not sustainable, especially in a conference filled with size.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7i\">Teams like the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, and Denver Nuggets gave Miami real problems because of their length and physicality. The Heat were often forced into mismatches, and their lack of depth in the frontcourt made it even worse. Another issue? Rotation balance. With Jovi\u0107 falling in and out of the lineup, Miami essentially relied on just two true bigs for long stretches. That\u2019s not enough in today\u2019s NBA.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\">The solution is clear: get bigger, get longer, and get more athletic. Whether it\u2019s through the draft or a trade, Miami needs at least one more reliable frontcourt piece, preferably a strong reserve big who can protect the rim, rebound, and allow for more lineup flexibility next to Bam and Ware.<\/p>\n<p>3. The Need for a True Playmaker<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7r\">This might be the most important fix of all.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">The Heat offense lacked a true engine this season. Too often, possessions turned into isolation plays or late-clock situations without a clear creator. While Herro has taken strides as a facilitator, asking him to be your primary playmaker is asking too much.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\">Miami needs someone who can consistently organize the offense, create easy looks, and take pressure off everyone else. Right now, they don\u2019t have that. Shot creation was a major issue, especially in close games. When defenses tightened up, Miami struggled to generate clean looks. That\u2019s where an elite playmaker changes everything, someone who can break down defenses, collapse coverage, and open up opportunities for shooters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\">It\u2019s no secret the Heat have explored upgrading the point guard position, and that should remain a top priority this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>The Bigger Picture<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"86\">Yes, the reality is simple: if the Heat want to truly compete for a championship, they likely need a superstar. That\u2019s the ceiling-raising move.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"89\">For now, they have 3 options, and if the Heat can address even two of these weaknesses, they\u2019ll look like a completely different team next season. If they somehow solve all three? That\u2019s when things start to get very interesting in Miami.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Heat are stuck in the middle right now, good enough to compete, but not good enough&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":714806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3778],"tags":[7,144,295,189,3881,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-714805","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-heat","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-heat","10":"tag-miami","11":"tag-miami-heat","12":"tag-miamiheat","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116438995308768206","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/714806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}