The Miami Heat are not the same team they were in the past. They are usually an excellent defensive team that slows the game down and forces opponents to play in the half-court. However, something has changed this year. Miami has become one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, and it is not by accident.
“I think a lot of guys will tell you we did a lot of running in training camp and even preseason leading up. We were always doing drills to get us conditioned. It’s prepared us for this. We feel very confident in our conditioning going into the third quarter, fourth quarter. We know that we can lean on that and understand that we put the work in to get our bodies in the best shape possible,” Jaime Jaquez said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Miami has adopted a new style of play this season. They want to push the ball and get points in transition. The Heat are intentional in their work on the offensive side of the court, and it is showing through the first 11 games of the year.
How Sustainable is the Heat’s Offensive Production?
Miami is not usually a strong offensive team. In the last five years, Miami has finished 24th, 26th, 30th, 17th, and 25th in points per game. Under Erik Spoelstra, the Heat have always been a team that does not score at a high rate. In fact, Miami has been heavily reliant on their play on the defensive end of the court in the past.
This year, the Heat have changed the way they play. Miami runs the court, and they are scoring at a franchise-record pace. In fact, three of their 11 highest scoring games in history have come in the first 11 games this season, including their 140-point win on Monday night.
Miami leads the NBA in points per game (125.5), they are second in assists (30.5), sixth in field goal percentage (49.6%), and seventh in field goals attempted (91.6). Miami is not only taking plenty of shots, but they are making sure those shots are high-quality.
What makes the offensive start even more impressive is Miami has been without a few key players. Bam Adebayo is dealing with a sprained toe, and he has missed three games this year. Tyler Herro, on the other hand, has yet to make his season debut.
These two players will only make the Heat a stronger team when they return from injury.
The Heat Have Sacrificed Defense For Offense
Having a high-scoring offense does not always translate to wins. If it did, the Heat would be better than 7-4 this year. Instead, a lot of the time, it sacrifices the play on the defensive end of the court. Playing fast forces the other team to match the energy, which makes the game a shootout.
Miami has been great defensively in the past, but this year has been different. The Heat are allowing the seventh-most points per game (119.8), second-most shots attempted (97.2), and the most second-chance points (19.5).
Despite this, Miami still has the seventh-best defensive rating. Hope is not lost, but the Heat need to find a way to play better defensively. But their offensive style of play has changed, and it looks to be sustainable over the season. They will not average over 125 points per game all year, but scoring will carry this team.
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