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Heat offense trying to be entertaining

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Nov 2, 2024 1:18 PM ET

The Heat offense is trying to be entertaining. Heat analyst John Crotty alluded to this in the Orlando game. The emphasis this season was to have more three pointers and dunks and less mid-range jumpers. So far in four games, there are some players who are enjoying this and others who aren’t. John Wooden said that a mid-range jumper is more effective than a layup.

The Heat’s offensive pace has always been triggered by their defensive pressure. The formula is: Disrupt the other teams offense, get turnovers, push the ball up court and get easy baskets. The success of this all depends on the defenders and how good the shot makers push the ball up court.

Intent to quicken pace

In the Youtube video below from Amir, Team to Beat channel, the Heat play at one of the slowest paces on offense. The team rolled it out in preseason games. The Heat defense was getting turnovers, racking up fast break points and everyone was scoring. Then, pfft. The rebounding has been non-existent. The turnovers and transition offense are so-so. Look at the team stats here on NBA.com.

The results after four games are: Heat are 10th in the league in assists, but 17th in Fast break points per game. They are getting killed on opponent second chance points and are 24th in the league in rebounding. The offensive game plan right now is Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro penetrate. Then, everyone else “eats.” In other words, the team’s offensive identity is a “work in progress.”

NBA overdoing the “Entertainment” of the game

Nick Wright on the Fox Sports podcast here, “What’s Wright Show,” says that the league needs to change the rules of the game. The three point offense trend will turn off viewers. Mainly, because there would be no villains. No team would be able to match the other defensively and the game would be non-stop three fest.

Look at this article here from the For The Win page on USA Today. Teams are shooting more three point shots than ever this season. Wouldn’t the Heat be better off doubling down on their current game plan and get better role players, i.e. a “vacuum-like” rebounder, a “surgeon-like” point guard. The defense is elite and the scorers would be Butler and Adebayo.

I wrote here on our site that the Heat regular season would boil down to 25 games. The Knicks game on Wednesday wasn’t good as they killed Miami again in rebounding. The next tough game is November 18 against Philly. Let’s gauge the team again at that point.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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