The Miami Heat’s offense looked dead in the water for parts of the last few seasons, but this season has been a different and far more positive story. Miami has massively picked up the pace with which it plays on that end, and the results have been astoundingly impressive.
The Heat rank in the top 10 in the league in pace, points per game and offensive rating, and that formula for success has them with a solid 3-2 record on the season. Miami’s offensive success is turning heads around the league, and one executive said the organization is “about the right s—.”
“As scouts started assessing what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had cooked up after a summer of soul searching on how to pull the Heat out of the offensive doldrums (Miami has ranked 21st, 21st and 25th over the past three seasons), they started to ponder one thing:,” wrote ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Doesn’t this new system look like what the Memphis Grizzlies did last year?
“It sure does. Spoelstra and the Heat consulted with former Grizzlies assistant Noah LaRoche, sources told ESPN, before installing a more free-flowing, motion-based system that largely eliminates pick-and-rolls.
“That has led to a stunning offensive start in South Beach. The Heat are running more than any team in the league, utilizing the fewest pick-and-rolls and having gone entire quarters without Spoelstra calling a play.
“‘You know Spo is running the polar opposite of the system that [Heat president] Pat Riley used to run, where he called every play and each play design was exact,’ a league executive said. ‘And it makes me further appreciate and respect that the organization is about the right s—. They’re about exploring and teaching in Miami.'”
Before the season started, the Heat were said to be doing something to shake up their offense, and they appear to be executing their vision.
“I love it,” one scout said of the new offense, per ESPN. “It’s so different than everybody else. You don’t need to have a point guard, you need ballhandling wings. It’s nonstop, and it’s refreshing to see. It vibes with Miami’s principles, which is to play hard on defense and push the tempo.”
The Heat have already had two games this season in which they’ve scored 144 points or more.
“Coaches love this type of system, because it’s about movement and team concepts — not the ‘hunt the mismatch’ style you see a lot of places,” one scout said. “To make this work, you probably can’t have a ball dominant star and you probably need a pretty strong coach. Well, that’s what they have in Miami.
“They didn’t really have that in Memphis. We’ll see how it all works when [Tyler] Herro comes back [from a foot injury].”
While Miami is on the heels of an unspectacular offensive showing against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, it’s important to put that game into context. San Antonio ranks near the top of the NBA in defensive rating and employs maybe the best defensive player in the league in center Victor Wembanyama. Even when factoring all that in, the Heat still lost by just six points and knocked down 15 3-pointers on the road while missing some key help.
Maybe no single player for the Heat has been a bigger beneficiary of their unique offensive philosophy this season than newcomer Norman Powell. While the guard has sat out the last two games with a groin issue, he’s kicked off his maiden season in Miami guns blazing. Not only is he the Heat’s leading scorer this season at 24.0 points per game, but he’s been a flamethrower from 3-point range. Amazingly, he’s shooting at a 50.0 percent clip from deep on 6.0 attempts per contest.
In other good news for the Heat, they will be facing off against a far less intimidating defense in their next game. They won’t be back in action until they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, and Los Angeles ranks in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating. The Lakers, however, will likely have guard Luka Doncic back in action by then, which would give them a huge boost on the offensive end.