3 Flaws the Heat Must Improve on After NBA Season Restart
By Nick Porr
As each day goes by, we grow closer to a return for the NBA, which is reportedly scheduled for July 31. Every team has had several months off to consider their flaws heading into whatever playoff format awaits them, and none will likely take advantage of the opportunity as well as Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Spoelstra is one of the brightest minds in basketball. If he and the Heat want to make a deep run this postseason, they'll need to focus in on these three issues.
3. Isolation Scoring
When defenses lock down in the playoffs, teams need a player to find a way to score on their own. The Heat are one of the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to isolation offense. They run isolation plays on just 4.8% of possessions, 23rd in the NBA. They score just .9 points per isolation possession, ranking a mediocre 13th in the Association. If the Heat want to make a deep run, they need to become more comfortable working in isolation, especially with a player of Jimmy Butler's magnitude.
2. Crunch Time Scoring
The Miami Heat shocked the league by putting together one of the most well-rounded offenses this season, ranking seventh with an offensive net rating of 112.2. That number takes a sharp dive in the fourth quarter to 107.7, 25th in the NBA. There's only one playoff team worse, and that's the Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat should start working to solve their fourth quarter scoring woes ASAP.
1. Defense
Led by defensive stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, many would expect the Heat to be one of the most stout defensive teams in the league. Instead, they rank towards the bottom of the league in steals (No. 20), blocks (No. 23), opponent turnovers (No. 24), and points off turnovers (No. 24). If the Heat want to have any chance of surviving the playoffs, they need to lock down their opponents and turn defensive stops into points in transition.