The Miami Heat were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference last season, and they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. They were down double-digits in Game 7, but it went down to a Jimmy Butler missed three that spelled the difference of them missing another chance in the NBA Finals. Entering this year, they have a similar nucleus from last year, but their production has not been close to a top seed in the East.
Currently, Miami has dropped to 10th place in the East with a 7-8 record despite the fantastic showing of Jimmy Butler. Max Strus is another player who has been excellent for the Heat averaging 15 PPG on 3 threes made per game. However, the rest of the roster has been underperforming like Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson.
The (Current) Heat Window Is All But Shut
Jimmy Butler is known to be one of the best players in the association during playoff time. The problem with Butler is he is not the type of individual that will give it his all in the regular season. For instance, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have a higher usage rate than Butler at the juncture of this season, which may be tough to succumb for the Heat fans.
The two-way prowess of Butler has not been missing a click this year, but it seems inevitable that he sustains a short-term injury that will force him to miss 10-15 games. Moreover, some of Miami's victories this season were solely due to the offensive load Butler does in the fourth quarter. He will not be able to carry the scoring production due to his pacing in the regular season, especially with Tyler Herro missing the last five games because of an ankle injury.
Herro has been one of the best athletes off the bench, but head coach Erik Spoelstra has inserted him in the first unit for all games he played this season. He can score 20 on any given night, but Tyler Herro's durability has been a cause for concern for a squad, especially with a depleted rotation. Max Strus and Duncan Robinson are two of the best sharpshooters in the league, but the inconsistency of contributing to other facets of the game aside from shooting is another issue for Miami.
Kyle Lowry is way past his prime, and the Heat cannot expect him to tally the same numbers as he did in the 2019 championship run. Victor Oladipo has still not suited up for Miami this year, and he is past his peak self as well. In terms of acquiring a Buddy Hield or Bojan Bogdanovic type of player, the Heat barely has any assets to move as Duncan Robinson's or Kyle Lowry's contracts are not attractive to the other organizations.
The Heat have been playing six individuals 30 minutes a game, which indicates they rely on their main guys a ton. For the bigs in their rotation, it is more of relying on Bam Adebayo or no one else. Adebayo has had his flashes of brilliance this season, but his production has plummeted from the past two seasons. The stats have been similar, but it is the impact that has been the vast difference of Adebayo. His defense continues to be stellar as he is 13th in defensive win shares in the NBA, but there cannot be games wherein he is not a threat offensively.
To wrap it all off, the Heat are the third oldest team in the league with an average age of 28,3. For a squad lacking youth and utilizing most of their top guys in a plethora of minutes, this is a very risky approach for Miami as the season progresses.
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