Heat first-month grades: Miami still struggling to fill the void of Dwyane Wade
The Heat are reeling from the departure of Dwyane Wade
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5 min read
The offseason was not kind to the Miami Heat. Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley failed to see eye-to-eye so the franchise legend left Miami to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls. Chris Bosh failed his team physical due to recurring blood clots and is unable to play for the Heat. And if losing two superstar players wasn't damaging enough, the Heat lost even more talent with the departures of Joe Johnson and Luol Deng.
When the dust settled, the Heat had re-signed shot blocking maestro Hassan Whiteside and the versatile Tyler Johnson but other than those two notable transactions, Miami had to flesh out their roster with inconsistent talent like Dion Waiters, Derrick Williams and James Johnson.
With such an uneven roster, Miami has struggled out of the gate and a month into the season, the Heat are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 7-13. Here an early report card:
The $98 million dollar man: B+
Miami was laser focused on re-signing Whiteside once free agency started and although he flirtated with other teams, the Heat center opted to stay in South Beach. And with Wade and Bosh gone, Whiteside is now the Heat's franchise star, a role he's shown he can handle, at least in the stat sheet.
Whiteside's offensive numbers have improved this season. His scoring average has increased from 14.2 points last season to 17.8. And while he does most of his scoring right at the rim (he's shooting 56.2 percent), he is now capable of knocking down mid-range shots. Whiteside shoots 15-to-19 footers at 45 percent, a notable increase from last season when he was shooting 35.9 percent from the same distance.
As impressive as his offensive numbers are this season, it's his defense that continues to be his greatest strength. Whiteside is one of the best rim protectors in the league and leads the NBA in rebounds, averaging 14.9 boards a game. He is also averaging 2.6 blocks, which ranks second overall.
Despite Whiteside's gaudy numbers, there are some notable negatives to the Heat center's impact. For starters, the Heat are statistically a better defensive team when Whiteside is on the bench. This could be because Miami focuses more on perimeter defense when Whiteside is on the bench since they know he's not down low protecting the rim. When Whiteside is out, the Heat give up 98.5 points per 100 possessions compared to the 102.1 points per 100 possessions they give up when he is in the game.
Whiteside also sags too far back while defending pick and rolls, allowing opponents to get wide open shots and making it difficult for Miami's perimeter defenders. Another bad habit Whiteside needs to improve on is that he's just a black hole when he gets the ball, rarely passing to his teammates.
Whiteside isn't perfect, but he is Miami's No. 1 player and the Heat will continue to rely on him as the season progresses.
Filling the void left by Dwyane Wade: D
With their former franchise star now in Chicago, the Heat hoped that second-year players Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson along with Johnson would help fill some of the void left by Dwyane Wade. The trio would by no means have the same type of production as Wade, but the hope was that they would all take the next step to help the franchise speed up their rebuilding process. So far, that hasn't happened.
To be fair, Winslow and Richardson have been injured, so once they both return to full strength, the Heat should somewhat improve. Johnson has also increased his scoring average and is one of the better shooters on the Heat. However, Wade is averaging 19.1 points for the Bulls, which would lead the Heat. And that's just from a scoring perspective. From a larger standpoint, the Heat have been really missing Wade.
Wade did just about everything for the Heat. He was their leader, their go-to scorer, a calming presence and the rare superstar that only the Heat had. As the Miami Herald's Greg Cote breaks down, the Heat are losing fans because Wade isn't there anymore:
Miami's home sellout streak continues at 302 games, second longest in the NBA, but empty seats have been an increasingly glaring issue and made a paper tiger of that streak. Actual attendance is down. And ask any season-ticket holder about the resale market.
As recently as last season Miami was still a top-10 draw (ninth) in average road attendance. So far this season, post-Wade, Miami has plummeted to 23rd. Local Heat TV ratings fell 27 percent, to a 5.0 average, the first season after LeBron left. They dipped to 4.5 last season. Early this season, post-Wade, they'd fallen to 3.7.
Couldn't have just been a bit more cordial and accepting Mr. Riley?
Defense: A
With Whiteside manning the middle, Miami has one of the better defenses in the league, ranked 11th overall and giving up 102.1 points per 100 possessions. Miami's defense should probably be even better but injuries to Winslow and Richardson have been a factor.
Winslow was close to a lockdown defender in his rookie season and was building off his success last season as a sophomore. The same thing could be said of Richardson, who is a strong perimeter defender. The Heat are getting solid contributions from the rest of the team though as players like Tyler Johnson and Rodney McGruder are tenacious defenders.
Coach Erik Spolestra always has strong defensive teams and that continues to be the case in Miami this season.
Offense: C-
While the Heat are excellent on defense, they are the exact opposite on offense. The Heat average 97,1 points per game, which is near the bottom of the league. Miami's offensive rating is slightly better though, scoring 100.2 points per 100 possessions, 24th overall.
Miami's overall sub-par offense can be attributed to their lack of true scoring options. Whiteside is their best option but he hardly passes, causing the Heat's offense to stall due to lack of ball movement. Goran Dragic's play has improved as of late and is averaging 17.1 points and 6.7 assists. But besides for Dragic and Whiteside, the Heat don't have many other options on offense.
Waiters is perhaps Miami's third option, yet he is shooting 38.4 percent and 34.4 percent from downtown. Then there's Winslow, whose shooting was dismal last season and has only made incremental improvements so far this season. Richardson's injuries have made him a non-factor in large part. Realistically, the only other strong option Miami has is Tyler Johnson, who is solid but is not a big time scorer, averaging 12.3 points on 40.9 percent shooting.
Unless Whiteside all of sudden turns into a passing big man and Winslow's shot dramatically improves, Miami's offense will likely remain near the bottom of the league.
