4. A Better System
This season, we will witness a new-look Heat team that plans to push the tempo and increase the pace of play. The team will focus on a style of play more suited to point guard Dragic’s game.
“I’m sure it’s going to be uptempo, maybe even more uptempo [than last season],” team captain Haslem said over the summer of the new-look Heat. “With Dwyane (Wade) being out, we’re going to have to get Goran (Dragic) more and more involved. Everybody knows Goran is at his best when he’s in the open floor.”
It’s true, in his years running the point with the Phoenix Suns, the Slovenian guard excelled when everyone was running. For the first half of the 2015-16 season, Miami ran a slow, plodding offense led by Wade. After the All-Star break, Spoelstra began to quicken the pace with Dragic at the helm of the offense and the team’s offensive efficiency increased immensely.
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Because the team is now committed to a quicker pace, it will benefit Whiteside in a number of ways. First, we can expect a lot more fast-break dunks and alley-oops this season from the big fella. Also, this young team anchored by Whiteside, who is actually quite mobile for a seven-foot, 265-pound center, will tire out the older, slower teams out by running circles around them on a nightly basis.
In addition, Whiteside will benefit from being more of an option in clutch situations. Wade took 130 shots in “clutch situations” last season (including playoffs). This season, we will likely see a more “team-oriented” system in late-game scenarios with Whiteside being considered as a pick-and-roll option and even a short-to-mid-range shooter.
Next: He’ll Have Help
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