The Latest Miami Heat Ranking Makes Absolutely No Sense

We're also talking about a team that added Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, and Erik Spoelstra.

Would winning one playoff series be considered an accomplishment for that group?

The Defense Could Be Much Better Than Just 'Solid'

The strange part is The Ringer acknowledges how good Miami could be defensively.

“Miami’s defense should be solid. Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, and Erik Spoelstra’s broad playbook should get the job done,” The Ringer wrote.

Solid feels like a pretty conservative description after adding a former DPOY to the roster.

I've talked about this since Miami acquired Antetokounmpo. I think this group has a legitimate chance to become one of the best defensive teams in basketball, and it starts with the possibilities Adebayo and Antetokounmpo give Spoelstra.

There just aren't many weaknesses to attack with those two on the floor together.

Then Spoelstra gets to mix in his zones, switches, traps, and whatever else he comes up with. That's a ridiculous amount of defensive versatility that opposing teams should struggle against.

Isn't Changing The Offense The Entire Point?

This is where I disagree most with the concern surrounding Miami.

The Ringer points to Spoelstra's offense from last season, which moved away from heavy pick-and-roll basketball, and questions how Antetokounmpo will fit into that system.

My answer is pretty simple: change the system. Why would Miami run the exact same offense? Spoelstra didn't have Giannis last season; you'd think he’d use the pick-and-roll more now.

When you acquire one of the most dominant offensive players of this generation, you don't hand him last year's playbook and tell him to figure it out. You start finding new ways to take advantage of what he does. That's actually one of the things I'm most excited to watch with this team.

Give me Giannis and Bam in the pick-and-roll. Let Bam pop out to the perimeter, or roll to the rim.  Use Giannis as the screener and force defenses to decide what they're doing when he starts rolling toward the basket. Run inverted actions for them both and  put shooters around them and see how teams react.

Bam and Giannis like to operate in similar areas. The spacing won't always be perfect, and Miami is going to have to figure some things out.

People Are Almost Treating Giannis Like A Normal Addition

This might be the biggest thing bothering me about Miami's placement. Sometimes I feel like we're talking about this move as if the Heat added another good starter, not one of the most dominant players in basketball.

Opposing teams have spent years designing their entire defensive game plans around this guy.

They load the paint, and they  have to send multiple defenders at him. They built the famous “wall.” They do everything possible to keep him from getting downhill because once he gets there, the possession is basically over.

Now Spoelstra gets to weaponize that gravity, and Klay Thompson should get open looks because of it. Do I think Miami could use even more shooting and another creator? Absolutely, I do.

Do I think those concerns are enough to drop a team with Giannis and Bam to 17th?

Not a chance in hell would I do that.

The Heat Aren't Perfect: That's Not The Argument

A few things about this roster do concern me a little.

I've probably talked more than anything else this offseason about the lack of another high-level ball handler. Mitchell has made real strides as a playmaker, but he's not a score-first guard, and Miami could eventually need somebody who can create his own shot and organize the offense when playoff possessions start getting ugly.

That's fair criticism about this Heat team. What I don't understand is allowing that one weakness to overshadow everything else Miami has.

The Heat have two defensive superstars in their frontcourt. They have the shooting now, and they have quality wing defenders.

There aren't 16 teams I'd look at and say Miami clearly belongs behind them based on the talent and upside of these rosters.