Max Strus grabbed the Jarrett Allen rebound that could have ended the game had the free throw gone through the bucket. On Wednesday, the Miami Heat found themselves down three with the ball with about twenty seconds to go.
Tyler Herro, now with the ball strutting up the court, gets picked up by Allen. Jimmy Butler comes from the opposite wing to set a pindown for Max Strus for a 27-footer to tie it with five to go.
Miss. The Heat dropped to 35-32 and 3-7 in their last ten.
Why do I tell you this? Multiple reasons: (1) Max Strus fell off, seriously -- 33.5% from three. (2) He was 2-7. Why run a pindown for him? (3) Tyler Herro needs to be taking that shot for Miami. He may not be the most efficient and may be somewhat underwhelming as of late, but he has the ability to make that tough shot. Put the ball in his hands.
All of this goes to say there are issues with this Miami Heat team. Clearly, as mentioned, the #1 concern for this team is the shooting, or the (newfound) lack thereof. The team as a whole is shooting 33.6% from three (28th) after leading the league just last season. Think about the Heat team right now, and I ask you: who has provided for this team to stretch the floor?
No one. Strus’ 33.5 3PT% is 4th on the Heat among players with over 30 games played. 4th? At 33.5%? Terrible, simply.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo deserve better. They work best with shooters around them -- see last year and the bubble run. See why Duncan Robinson at his peak was so successful next to these two (I’m pulling for Duncan to find form once again, by the way).
Adebayo has received recognition for his great season, averaging what is essentially 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists on a 59.4 TS% as one of the league’s best defenders. What is not being talked about enough is Butler’s performance though. He, no doubt, was snubbed of the All-Star Game while averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists with a 63.1 TS% on typical Jimmy Butler defense. This is Jimmy coasting, too; he’s still at his best.
And with Butler still playing at a high level and Adebayo improving at only age 25, the Heat need to win now. But somehow, The team didn’t do anything to add significant talent to this team at the trade deadline, which seemed clearly needed. Kevin Love hasn’t been great for the Heat, and while Cody Zeller has actually been a very solid backup center for Miami, he -- in no way -- is a needle threader.
Tyler Herro is a good scoring option, no doubt. But he should not be the top scoring option in a championship level team. The Heat need more, so there needs to be changes this offseason.
What could make this offseason difficult for the Heat is the salary cap and contracts on the books. Kyle Lowry has another year of $29.7M on the books. Duncan Robinson has three more seasons of $55.7M total on the books. Those are two of the most ugly contracts in the league.
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The Heat need to turn it around, but it seems unlikely that it’ll happen this year. Years of Butler’s remaining prime may being wasted right now, so Pat Riley and company need to get on the phone this offseason.
Charlie Spungin , NBA Analyst