The start of the new year has the Miami Heat working on improving the team’s defense, according to a recent report.
After losing to the Washington Wizards on Monday, it was clear that the Heat have been playing poorly on the defensive side of the court.
“The Miami Heat began 2020 with a two-and-a-half hour training camp-like practice Wednesday afternoon,” wrote Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“What was the focus? Defense.”
Following the practice, veteran leader Goran Dragic applauded the decision.
“A lot of defense,” Heat guard Goran Dragic said after practice, which included court work and a film session. “I think that’s the right approach. Our defense has been not so good the last few games and we need to work on it. Today’s practice was all about defense, and we knew it. We know that we have to get better as a team.”
On Monday, the Heat allowed the 10-23 Wizards to score 123 points despite them playing without All-Star Bradley Beal. Beal is averaging 27.8 points per game this season, but it looked as though the Wizards hardly missed his presence.
The defensive issue is one that Heat star Jimmy Butler has grown tired of simply talking about. He knows that he and his teammates need to now execute on the court.
“I’m tired of talking about it, to tell you the truth,” Butler said when asked about the Heat’s recent defensive struggles. “I feel like we talk about it too much and we don’t just go out and execute it. I don’t know. I could tell you the same thing I’ve been saying over and over again, but until we actually go out there and do something about it, ain’t no sense to keep telling you what we need to focus on and what we need to do.”
The Wizards loss likely triggered coach Erik Spoelstra and his training staff to get this team back to focusing on stopping its opponents rather than simply outscoring them.
As good as the Heat’s record is, they can easily fall in the standings if they become complacent.
Reclaiming their defensive identity should help keep Miami from underperforming against teams with losing records from here on out.