Q: Wasn’t this the year they fixed the offense? You wrote they were 29th in pace, but they’re also 27th in scoring, 25th in field-goal percentage. That’s worse than last year. – Eddie.
A: But you’re also talking small-sample-size theater, just four games in. Still, as the slow pace shows, this team in many ways is what it is, that you can’t teach a returning roster new tricks. At this point, it would seem to make more sense to allow Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler to get back in their comfort zones in the midrange. Yes, you can’t beat threes with twos. But you also can beat threes with zeroes. That doesn’t mean that Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Nikola Jovic can’t play at pace and hunt threes. It just means that if you get bogged down in the halfcourt, as the lack of pace has shown, then allowing players to get to their bread and butter ultimately could prove more sating.
Q: Ira, one thing that jumps out once again this season, as in most seasons in the last decade or more, is that the Heat sorely need a true point guard who can orchestrate the offense and get everyone involved. – Joel.
A: And they thought they had that with Kyle Lowry. And then Kyle somewhat aged out. Yes, Tyler Herro has provided ample playmaking, and Terry Rozier seemingly has been trying to fight instinct and also move the ball. But so much about 3-point shooting is about on time, on target, and that’s where a true point guard comes into play. To their credit, the Heat rank ninth in assists to this point, which is heartening. But the ball hardly is moving the way it was during the preseason. For that matter, bodies hardly are moving at the same pace, either.
Q: I remember the old days, Alonzo Mourning would relish the opportunity to go up against the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and others. He might not win all of those battles but he definitely knew they were on the calendar. Karl-Anthony Towns played like he had something to prove; Bam Adebayo not so much. – Douglas.
A: And part of that could be as simple as Bam Adebayo considering himself a power forward. Recall how he thrived in the Olympics alongside Anthony Davis. What happened on Wednesday night is not necessarily new, as the 2023 NBA Finals against Nikola Jokic showed. What the Heat need is more beef, more than Bam beef.