Miami Heat need to open the court more to succeed in next NBA season – NBA Feature
Miami Heat possesses a talented core and are without a doubt, a force to be reckoned with. Last season, they did everything right and impressively made their way to finals but when it mattered most, in the NBA finals, they were
just all over the place.
Guided by their three superstars, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Miami are contemplated as favourites to reach the finals again. However, while they have the fragments required to make a monumental run, they need to
go back to the basics and work on circulating the ball.
Miami heat loaded with stars seemed to have chemistry issues last year and understandably so, they were a newly built side and players did not get much time to develop bonding. Add to that the fact that two of the main players
– Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller - were injured and only made their way back in the playoffs, the struggled against a well primed Dallas Mavericks team in the finals make sense.
Miami will probably be a much better outfit next season but an aggressive continuity has to be established. Miami’s colourless 20 assists per game last season was the major reason they lost in the finals. To make it right, Miami
need to start with a point guard.
They tried four different point guards throughout the season but by playoffs, it was obvious that Mario Chalmers was the best choice. Chalmers is undoubtedly one of the most talented point guards in league and he also fits Erik
Spoelstra's attack perfectly. He is a solid defender with an ability to score at will which makes him such a complete player. He is still young and can be groomed to be a classic player to cloud the other star players in the team.
Another example of meagre ball distribution last season was Miami’s ability to make role players productive. Presence of too many stars who believe in individual brilliance arrested the team’s movement. Team work is an important
factor as it spaces out the floor too, so had the other players been involved, it would have made Miami look a much better side.
And other thing that went against them was that their key players, The Big Three seemed inconsistent. They missed chances frequently and times looked totally clueless in the court.
Erik Spoelstra needs to assign role to every player in the court. Better ball distribution will help the spot-up shooters like Mike Miller or Eddie House. These players are not gifted enough scorers like LeBron or Wade and need
an assistance from others to score.
Bosh needs to keep the ball for maximum time as he has an impressive length and can easily penetrate through the defenders. Posting him up will create more chances for him and will also open backdoor chances for Wade and LeBron
too.
Miami should look to acquire an all-purpose centre who can pass and run well as it will allow for greater number of ball contacts inside and take some attention of Wade and LeBron. Miami’s best offensive centre was the Big Z last
time and with him in the team, Miami looked just unstoppable with other offensive players finding the posts often too.
Miami’s weakness was actually exposed in finals when their isolation offense proved unsuccessful. Kudos to Dallas Mavericks too for making Miami’s offense looks ordinary too. Big Three might the biggest force in NBA but they cannot
do everything on their own.
Better ball distribution will not only create more spaces for other players in Miami colours, but will keep opposition defenses on their toes all the time.
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