2024-25 Regular Season Thread Vol. 2

[AirP.]

If we believed Jimmy could still carry the team in the reg season he would have his extension. Contract was still talking about Herro taking shots from our "best player"

Jimmy is our best player. Easily. Jimmy is better at 35 than Herro will ever be. That doesn't mean he should be extended because players get real old real fast once they hit their mid 30s.

Catch-all metrics show Herro as their best offensive player and Bam as their best defensive player. Herro’s more skilled offensively, while Butler relies on craftiness and playing the “old man game” and his defense is not what it used to be.

Bam and Herro have also been there every night, at this point he isn't their undisputed best player.

The issue with this is... welcome to the middle with little to no chance in the playoffs.

IMO, the offense should be built around Bam but instead it's built around spreading the court out and Bam is mostly a spacer. For the 3rd season in a row Bam and Butler's rate of shots, scoring and usage (they're all tied together) are dropping which also coincides with Herro starting, seems like the wrong direction to be utilizing max players as Bam as he's in his prime now and Butler seems to be playing at a pretty high level. On Herro although he isn't a good defender, it is encouraging that he's being more active on the defensive side which helps his effectiveness as a team defender.

Who knows, maybe with the drafting of and developing of Ware the FO is preparing to move on from Bam in the next few season since as a 4 he's not a good 3pt shooter which Spoelstra and the league seems to want to go towards at as many positions as possible. Ware's size should help some of the defense that isn't really there when Bam's off the court, especially in the zone as he won't be so eager to defend parameter players looking to switch to get closer to the basket.

The whole league is heading towards almost having a whole lineup on the court who can shoot 3s since there are currently 100 different players shooting over the league average at 3pt range of 36% and 129 shooting 34% or higher (1.2 pts per shot, 120 points per 100 possessions). With so many people able to make that shot, it needs to be made more difficult to be worth 50% more than a regular shot. The game needs to evolve before over half the shots a night is the average, right now 11 teams (including Miami at 39.1 3pa) have a shot to get to 40 3s per game for the season.

[Wiltside]

Bam is having a down year on the offensive end. His efficiency is the lowest it has ever been. FT% is the second lowest. We’ve reverted back to year 3 Bam where he’s our defacto point and relied on heavily for screen assists and hand offs.

I don’t even blame him really. He has a huge workload on both ends of the floor. I wish we’d just try play bigger for once and see if it works ffs

[AirP.]

Could be worse for Miami on being small...

Read on Twitter

[AirP.]

Bam is having a down year on the offensive end. His efficiency is the lowest it has ever been. FT% is the second lowest. We’ve reverted back to year 3 Bam where he’s our defacto point and relied on heavily for screen assists and hand offs.

I don’t even blame him really. He has a huge workload on both ends of the floor. I wish we’d just try play bigger for once and see if it works ffs

Spoelstra specifically talked about Bam and Butler having to adjust to a new offense before/at training camp, Butler somewhat has, Bam not so much. I'd be running so much through Bam to make him a much bigger threat on the offensive end with his playmaking and having another great 3pt shooter (when the ball isn't in Herro's hands) to pass out of.

[VaDe255]

Jimmy is our best player. Easily. Jimmy is better at 35 than Herro will ever be. That doesn't mean he should be extended because players get real old real fast once they hit their mid 30s.

Catch-all metrics show Herro as their best offensive player and Bam as their best defensive player. Herro’s more skilled offensively, while Butler relies on craftiness and playing the “old man game” and his defense is not what it used to be.

Bam and Herro have also been there every night, at this point he isn't their undisputed best player.

The issue with this is... welcome to the middle with little to no chance in the playoffs.

IMO, the offense should be built around Bam but instead it's built around spreading the court out and Bam is mostly a spacer. For the 3rd season in a row Bam and Butler's rate of shots, scoring and usage (they're all tied together) are dropping which also coincides with Herro starting, seems like the wrong direction to be utilizing max players as Bam as he's in his prime now and Butler seems to be playing at a pretty high level. On Herro although he isn't a good defender, it is encouraging that he's being more active on the defensive side which helps his effectiveness as a team defender.

Who knows, maybe with the drafting of and developing of Ware the FO is preparing to move on from Bam in the next few season since as a 4 he's not a good 3pt shooter which Spoelstra and the league seems to want to go towards at as many positions as possible. Ware's size should help some of the defense that isn't really there when Bam's off the court, especially in the zone as he won't be so eager to defend parameter players looking to switch to get closer to the basket.

The whole league is heading towards almost having a whole lineup on the court who can shoot 3s since there are currently 100 different players shooting over the league average at 3pt range of 36% and 129 shooting 34% or higher (1.2 pts per shot, 120 points per 100 possessions). With so many people able to make that shot, it needs to be made more difficult to be worth 50% more than a regular shot. The game needs to evolve before over half the shots a night is the average, right now 11 teams (including Miami at 39.1 3pa) have a shot to get to 40 3s per game for the season.

You can’t build an offense around Bam in today’s NBA, it just doesn’t work. Bam’s great at what he does: playmaking, setting screens, finishing at the rim but without a three-point shot, he’s not built to lead a modern, high-powered offense.

Against teams like Boston, spacing is everything. Bam doesn’t stretch the floor, so defenses sag off him, clogging the paint and making life harder for everyone else. That’s why players like Herro and Duncan are so valuable. Herro, especially, is an incredibly skilled scorer, he can play on or off the ball, drive into the paint, and hit threes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s off the catch, a pull-up, or motion shots coming off screens. He keeps defenses honest and creates the space this team needs to operate.

The way the NBA works now, you need lineups where everyone can shoot threes. Bam’s lack of range makes him better as a complementary player, not the main focus of the offense. He’s at his best working in hand-offs or pick-and-rolls with shooters like Herro, who can create and score at all three levels. That’s the kind of versatility you need to beat a team like Boston, who’s great at switching and taking away easy options.

You need an offense that spreads the floor and keeps defenses guessing. Bam’s an amazing all-around player, but the offense works best when it’s built around dynamic scorers and shooters like Herro/Duncan, with Bam as the anchor and playmaker, not the main scorer. That’s how you get the most out of everyone.

[AirP.]

Read on Twitter

[Shewasfly]

Here we go again with infantilizing Bam and making excuses for his poor play, or laser focusing on poor games from other players to deflect away from him.

Defenses not even looking at Bam as a threat to score is a huge problem for our offense. You know the way we all talk about Duncan's gravity? To give him credit for helping our offense, even when he himself isn't shooting well? K, well what's the opposite of gravity? Because whatever that is, that's what Bam is to our offense. And I'd say it hurts our offense far more than Tyler missing a bunch of open shots he would normally make. Which get talked about a lot when it happens, and with zero excuses afforded.

I don't even mind Bam not being the best offensive player on the floor. We know that'll never be the case for a team that's actually good/wants to be competitive. But he can't continue being a non-factor on that end. The standard lie is that our system is forcing him to do that when it couldn't be further from the case. The ball is put in his hands to make a decision. He consistently makes the decision to never attack, even when he has the mismatch. Or when he does attack, its a low quality, mid range that he's shooting horribly for the season on.

Even if we trade Jimmy, building around Bam is a HORRIBLE idea.

[AirP.]

Here we go again with infantilizing Bam and making excuses for his poor play, or laser focusing on poor games from other players to deflect away from him.

Defenses not even looking at Bam as a threat to score is a huge problem for our offense. You know the way we all talk about Duncan's gravity? To give him credit for helping our offense, even when he himself isn't shooting well? K, well what's the opposite of gravity? Because whatever that is, that's what Bam is to our offense. And I'd say it hurts our offense far more than Tyler missing a bunch of open shots he would normally make. Which get talked about a lot when it happens, and with zero excuses afforded.

I don't even mind Bam not being the best offensive player on the floor. We know that'll never be the case for a team that's actually good/wants to be competitive. But he can't continue being a non-factor on that end. The standard lie is that our system is forcing him to do that when it couldn't be further from the case. The ball is put in his hands to make a decision. He consistently makes the decision to never attack, even when he has the mismatch. Or when he does attack, its a low quality, mid range that he's shooting horribly for the season on.

Even if we trade Jimmy, building around Bam is a HORRIBLE idea.

It's about maximizing a known quantity that Miami is giving the max to vs using him as a spacer. What scares a defense more, a 3pt shooter like Herro with the ball with a guy like Bam spacing or Bam having the ball with a 3pt shooter like Herro spacing? Then again, maybe it's a 3pt shooter like Herro with a 3pt shooting as his spacer (which isn't Bam). The offense isn't built for Bam, it's putting up nearly 40 3s a game which teams have to worry about more than Bam getting a shot here or there. I personally think Bam won't be in Miami in a few seasons, I think he's being phased out of the offense because of the lack of 3pt shooting.

BTW, I think Bam is a limited offensive player, I'm just wanting him to become a bigger threat (which means the ball in his hands, doesn't mean he's shooting it) for teams to worry about vs being a below average spacer.

It just seems odd people don't think roles have anything to do with player's effectiveness. Sometimes a player needs to be in the flow of the offense to be effective and it could take a while if it ever happens to being good without being in the flow of the offense, that's where why some people excel as role-players even if they're not the most talented players.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

We do not have the brightest fanbase to say the least

VaDe I can’t even believe you gave props to that nonsense haha you’re better than that.

[AirP.]

Catch-all metrics show Herro as their best offensive player and Bam as their best defensive player. Herro’s more skilled offensively, while Butler relies on craftiness and playing the “old man game” and his defense is not what it used to be.

Bam and Herro have also been there every night, at this point he isn't their undisputed best player.

Spoiler:

The issue with this is... welcome to the middle with little to no chance in the playoffs.

IMO, the offense should be built around Bam but instead it's built around spreading the court out and Bam is mostly a spacer. For the 3rd season in a row Bam and Butler's rate of shots, scoring and usage (they're all tied together) are dropping which also coincides with Herro starting, seems like the wrong direction to be utilizing max players as Bam as he's in his prime now and Butler seems to be playing at a pretty high level. On Herro although he isn't a good defender, it is encouraging that he's being more active on the defensive side which helps his effectiveness as a team defender.

Who knows, maybe with the drafting of and developing of Ware the FO is preparing to move on from Bam in the next few season since as a 4 he's not a good 3pt shooter which Spoelstra and the league seems to want to go towards at as many positions as possible. Ware's size should help some of the defense that isn't really there when Bam's off the court, especially in the zone as he won't be so eager to defend parameter players looking to switch to get closer to the basket.

The whole league is heading towards almost having a whole lineup on the court who can shoot 3s since there are currently 100 different players shooting over the league average at 3pt range of 36% and 129 shooting 34% or higher (1.2 pts per shot, 120 points per 100 possessions). With so many people able to make that shot, it needs to be made more difficult to be worth 50% more than a regular shot. The game needs to evolve before over half the shots a night is the average, right now 11 teams (including Miami at 39.1 3pa) have a shot to get to 40 3s per game for the season.

You can’t build an offense around Bam in today’s NBA, it just doesn’t work. Bam’s great at what he does: playmaking, setting screens, finishing at the rim but without a three-point shot, he’s not built to lead a modern, high-powered offense.

Against teams like Boston, spacing is everything. Bam doesn’t stretch the floor, so defenses sag off him, clogging the paint and making life harder for everyone else. That’s why players like Herro and Duncan are so valuable. Herro, especially, is an incredibly skilled scorer, he can play on or off the ball, drive into the paint, and hit threes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s off the catch, a pull-up, or motion shots coming off screens. He keeps defenses honest and creates the space this team needs to operate.

The way the NBA works now, you need lineups where everyone can shoot threes. Bam’s lack of range makes him better as a complementary player, not the main focus of the offense. He’s at his best working in hand-offs or pick-and-rolls with shooters like Herro, who can create and score at all three levels. That’s the kind of versatility you need to beat a team like Boston, who’s great at switching and taking away easy options.

You need an offense that spreads the floor and keeps defenses guessing. Bam’s an amazing all-around player, but the offense works best when it’s built around dynamic scorers and shooters like Herro/Duncan, with Bam as the anchor and playmaker, not the main scorer. That’s how you get the most out of everyone.

So, are you saying you can build a modern offense around someone else having the ball and Bam is one of your spacers? I see a lot of teams in the playoffs letting the ball funnel to Bam at the 3pt line to take a bunch of shots vs letting anyone else take a 3. Sometimes you have to take the lesser of 2 evils, it's great Bam is starting to take 3s but until he's solid at it, putting him as a spacer will be like playing 4 on 5. At least with Butler he will get that ball and attack forcing players to foul him vs letting him get to the hoop cleanly.

I see the same thing happening to Jaquze Jr, if the ball isn't in his hands teams are going to be ok with the ball funneling to him at the 3pt line. If he has the ball and attacking/playmaking that's one less player that the defense can relax against to put more pressure on the other 3-4.

If you have a bad 3pt shooter in your offense, either you put the ball in their hands more often to make them a threat or you're going to make it rougher on the other 4 players on the court and you can expect in the playoffs the ball to be much easier to end up in their hands at the 3pt line.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

What all players lead their teams in every basic statistic? Giannis? Bam leads at 4 of the 5 and we’re mad he isn’t also our leading scorer while he has to spend majority of the time on offense as a hub to get other guys space.

“Teams don’t even defend Bam from scoring” teams literally collapse on Bam with every touch/drive, just say you don’t watch and keep it moving lol.

I wish he was more involved scoring wise too, trust me I hate watching him defer to these bum players we have on the team but that’s how Spo wants to run his offense.

Also someone mentioned the money, Herro is paid near the same as Bam right now and he’s paid to strictly be a scorer. It’s good he’s finally living up to it. Bam at the same amount is our best rebounder by far, best defender by far, and best playmaker while in normal seasons he’s giving you 20 points a night as well. We have a $30M a year Herro and a $60M Jimmy so he isn’t required to do EVERYTHING but yea I want to see more. I want to see him getting 16-18 shots next to a good playmaker because I promise you he will put up numbers if he’s consistently that involved in the offense. I don’t even really see how it’s debatable considering the 3 ball is also coming along now

[Shewasfly]

Here we go again with infantilizing Bam and making excuses for his poor play, or laser focusing on poor games from other players to deflect away from him.

Defenses not even looking at Bam as a threat to score is a huge problem for our offense. You know the way we all talk about Duncan's gravity? To give him credit for helping our offense, even when he himself isn't shooting well? K, well what's the opposite of gravity? Because whatever that is, that's what Bam is to our offense. And I'd say it hurts our offense far more than Tyler missing a bunch of open shots he would normally make. Which get talked about a lot when it happens, and with zero excuses afforded.

I don't even mind Bam not being the best offensive player on the floor. We know that'll never be the case for a team that's actually good/wants to be competitive. But he can't continue being a non-factor on that end. The standard lie is that our system is forcing him to do that when it couldn't be further from the case. The ball is put in his hands to make a decision. He consistently makes the decision to never attack, even when he has the mismatch. Or when he does attack, its a low quality, mid range that he's shooting horribly for the season on.

Even if we trade Jimmy, building around Bam is a HORRIBLE idea.

It's about maximizing a known quantity that Miami is giving the max to vs using him as a spacer. What scares a defense more, a 3pt shooter like Herro with the ball with a guy like Bam spacing or Bam having the ball with a 3pt shooter like Herro spacing? Then again, maybe it's a 3pt shooter like Herro with a 3pt shooting as his spacer (which isn't Bam). The offense isn't built for Bam, it's putting up nearly 40 3s a game which teams have to worry about more than Bam getting a shot here or there. I personally think Bam won't be in Miami in a few seasons, I think he's being phased out of the offense because of the lack of 3pt shooting.

BTW, I think Bam is a limited offensive player, I'm just wanting him to become a bigger threat (which means the ball in his hands, doesn't mean he's shooting it) for teams to worry about vs being a below average spacer.

It just seems odd people don't think roles have anything to do with player's effectiveness. Sometimes a player needs to be in the flow of the offense to be effective and it could take a while if it ever happens to being good without being in the flow of the offense, that's where why some people excel as role-players even if they're not the most talented players.

You say it's about maximizing a known quantity and I say that's exactly what we're doing. What we've been doing. He has the ball in his hands a ton, but he mostly ends up just facilitating for better offensive players like Tyler or shooters who are willing to shoot like Duncan. But we have all seen and called out during games times where Bam will get the ball, have a wide open lane or jumper, and do nothing with it. Or he'll be so hesitant that he just ends up messing it up. Essentially a turnover. And he knows it, which is why the majority of the time he makes the choice he does to pass. Keep in mind, we are also small because of Bam. That thing we all complain about ad nauseam on here? Yeah, a huge part of that is to accommodate Bam's limitations on offense.

The fact is, you can't draw blood from a stone. Bam is not a player that you can give the ball and look to to get a bucket. He's also not a guy who defenses will start inching towards and looking to collapse on when he has the ball in his hands, making it easier for other guys. He's the guy who sets great screens for others, DHOs, and here and there can take a less athletic big off the dribble, if they're not too tall or solid physically. I would actually like to see Bam develop more of a UD style game, where he is that outlet to a #1, spotting up immediately after a screen to take a mid range standstill J. That's about the ONLY thing I can say we don't see enough of out of him. But even that is mostly a decision Bam is making when the ball gets kicked back to him (and to be fair, we don't have a #1 kicking it to him).

Its not about not acknowledging roles, it's about using your eyes to see what a player is capable of and accepting it for what it is. The conversation continually being framed as if the coaching staff is doing something to prevent some offensive juggernaut that is lying within Bam is laughable and needs to stop. They're working with what they have with Bam as far as his capabilities.

[AirP.]

What all players lead their teams in every basic statistic? Giannis? Bam leads at 4 of the 5 and we’re mad he isn’t also our leading scorer while he has to spend majority of the time on offense as a hub to get other guys space.

“Teams don’t even defend Bam from scoring” teams literally collapse on Bam with every touch/drive, just say you don’t watch and keep it moving lol.

I wish he was more involved scoring wise too, trust me I hate watching him defer to these bum players we have on the team but that’s how Spo wants to run his offense.

Also someone mentioned the money, Herro is paid near the same as Bam right now and he’s paid to strictly be a scorer. It’s good he’s finally living up to it. Bam at the same amount is our best rebounder by far, best defender by far, and best playmaker while in normal seasons he’s giving you 20 points a night as well. We have a $30M a year Herro and a $60M Jimmy so he isn’t required to do EVERYTHING but yea I want to see more. I want to see him getting 16-18 shots next to a good playmaker because I promise you he will put up numbers if he’s consistently that involved in the offense. I don’t even really see how it’s debatable considering the 3 ball is also coming along now

Well, it would be nice if Bam were to get a size mismatch near the basket, he could be counted on scoring an easy 2 or going to the line but his low post game isn't where it should be.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Here we go again with infantilizing Bam and making excuses for his poor play, or laser focusing on poor games from other players to deflect away from him.

Defenses not even looking at Bam as a threat to score is a huge problem for our offense. You know the way we all talk about Duncan's gravity? To give him credit for helping our offense, even when he himself isn't shooting well? K, well what's the opposite of gravity? Because whatever that is, that's what Bam is to our offense. And I'd say it hurts our offense far more than Tyler missing a bunch of open shots he would normally make. Which get talked about a lot when it happens, and with zero excuses afforded.

I don't even mind Bam not being the best offensive player on the floor. We know that'll never be the case for a team that's actually good/wants to be competitive. But he can't continue being a non-factor on that end. The standard lie is that our system is forcing him to do that when it couldn't be further from the case. The ball is put in his hands to make a decision. He consistently makes the decision to never attack, even when he has the mismatch. Or when he does attack, its a low quality, mid range that he's shooting horribly for the season on.

Even if we trade Jimmy, building around Bam is a HORRIBLE idea.

It's about maximizing a known quantity that Miami is giving the max to vs using him as a spacer. What scares a defense more, a 3pt shooter like Herro with the ball with a guy like Bam spacing or Bam having the ball with a 3pt shooter like Herro spacing? Then again, maybe it's a 3pt shooter like Herro with a 3pt shooting as his spacer (which isn't Bam). The offense isn't built for Bam, it's putting up nearly 40 3s a game which teams have to worry about more than Bam getting a shot here or there. I personally think Bam won't be in Miami in a few seasons, I think he's being phased out of the offense because of the lack of 3pt shooting.

BTW, I think Bam is a limited offensive player, I'm just wanting him to become a bigger threat (which means the ball in his hands, doesn't mean he's shooting it) for teams to worry about vs being a below average spacer.

It just seems odd people don't think roles have anything to do with player's effectiveness. Sometimes a player needs to be in the flow of the offense to be effective and it could take a while if it ever happens to being good without being in the flow of the offense, that's where why some people excel as role-players even if they're not the most talented players.

Bam will continue to improve his 3, this is year 1. 2 years from now he’ll be at 38% on 5 attempts.

But yea I agree he might be gone, he will/shoukd likely want out. Hes being asked to defer touch lesser players to “sacrifice” when that sacrifice gets you to the play in games. Now hes deferred even more this year with the usage plummeting and his status in the league is going to take a hit accolades wise. It’s best for him and his career to get somewhere with an elite guard he can play off of. People don’t really understand this but you have to make a concerted effort to get your center the ball in his spots and run plays for him, it’s much easier to just run and gun 3s which is part of why he’s not heavily involved all the time. When we want him to score we just throw it to him and tell him to iso over 2 guys, that’s not good offense

[3ammy3uck3ts]

What all players lead their teams in every basic statistic? Giannis? Bam leads at 4 of the 5 and we’re mad he isn’t also our leading scorer while he has to spend majority of the time on offense as a hub to get other guys space.

“Teams don’t even defend Bam from scoring” teams literally collapse on Bam with every touch/drive, just say you don’t watch and keep it moving lol.

I wish he was more involved scoring wise too, trust me I hate watching him defer to these bum players we have on the team but that’s how Spo wants to run his offense.

Also someone mentioned the money, Herro is paid near the same as Bam right now and he’s paid to strictly be a scorer. It’s good he’s finally living up to it. Bam at the same amount is our best rebounder by far, best defender by far, and best playmaker while in normal seasons he’s giving you 20 points a night as well. We have a $30M a year Herro and a $60M Jimmy so he isn’t required to do EVERYTHING but yea I want to see more. I want to see him getting 16-18 shots next to a good playmaker because I promise you he will put up numbers if he’s consistently that involved in the offense. I don’t even really see how it’s debatable considering the 3 ball is also coming along now

Well, it would be nice if Bam were to get a size mismatch near the basket, he could be counted on scoring an easy 2 or going to the line but his low post game isn't where it should be.

Sure he could be better there, we could also be better about finding him in those spots. We simply don’t. He just led the league in points in the paint a year or 2 ago, that doesn’t just randomly happen and “bad offensive players” don’t do that.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

“Bam is not a player that you can give the ball and look to to get a bucket“

Bam has been the 2nd best isolation player on the team the last 6 years behind only Jimmy, which is essentially giving him the ball to look to get a bucket

[AirP.]

Spoiler:

Here we go again with infantilizing Bam and making excuses for his poor play, or laser focusing on poor games from other players to deflect away from him.

Defenses not even looking at Bam as a threat to score is a huge problem for our offense. You know the way we all talk about Duncan's gravity? To give him credit for helping our offense, even when he himself isn't shooting well? K, well what's the opposite of gravity? Because whatever that is, that's what Bam is to our offense. And I'd say it hurts our offense far more than Tyler missing a bunch of open shots he would normally make. Which get talked about a lot when it happens, and with zero excuses afforded.

I don't even mind Bam not being the best offensive player on the floor. We know that'll never be the case for a team that's actually good/wants to be competitive. But he can't continue being a non-factor on that end. The standard lie is that our system is forcing him to do that when it couldn't be further from the case. The ball is put in his hands to make a decision. He consistently makes the decision to never attack, even when he has the mismatch. Or when he does attack, its a low quality, mid range that he's shooting horribly for the season on.

Even if we trade Jimmy, building around Bam is a HORRIBLE idea.

Spoiler:

It's about maximizing a known quantity that Miami is giving the max to vs using him as a spacer. What scares a defense more, a 3pt shooter like Herro with the ball with a guy like Bam spacing or Bam having the ball with a 3pt shooter like Herro spacing? Then again, maybe it's a 3pt shooter like Herro with a 3pt shooting as his spacer (which isn't Bam). The offense isn't built for Bam, it's putting up nearly 40 3s a game which teams have to worry about more than Bam getting a shot here or there. I personally think Bam won't be in Miami in a few seasons, I think he's being phased out of the offense because of the lack of 3pt shooting.

BTW, I think Bam is a limited offensive player, I'm just wanting him to become a bigger threat (which means the ball in his hands, doesn't mean he's shooting it) for teams to worry about vs being a below average spacer.

It just seems odd people don't think roles have anything to do with player's effectiveness. Sometimes a player needs to be in the flow of the offense to be effective and it could take a while if it ever happens to being good without being in the flow of the offense, that's where why some people excel as role-players even if they're not the most talented players.

You say it's about maximizing a known quantity and I say that's exactly what we're doing. What we've been doing. He has the ball in his hands a ton, but he mostly ends up just facilitating for better offensive players like Tyler or shooters who are willing to shoot like Duncan. But we have all seen and called out during games times where Bam will get the ball, have a wide open lane or jumper, and do nothing with it. Or he'll be so hesitant that he just ends up messing it up. Essentially a turnover. And he knows it, which is why the majority of the time he makes the choice he does to pass. Keep in mind, we are also small because of Bam. That thing we all complain about ad nauseam on here? Yeah, a huge part of that is to accommodate Bam's limitations on offense.

The fact is, you can't draw blood from a stone. Bam is not a player that you can give the ball and look to to get a bucket. He's also not a guy who defenses will start inching towards and looking to collapse on when he has the ball in his hands, making it easier for other guys. He's the guy who sets great screens for others, DHOs, and here and there can take a less athletic big off the dribble, if they're not too tall or solid physically. I would actually like to see Bam develop more of a UD style game, where he is that outlet to a #1, spotting up immediately after a screen to take a mid range standstill J. That's about the ONLY thing I can say we don't see enough of out of him. But even that is mostly a decision Bam is making when the ball gets kicked back to him (and to be fair, we don't have a #1 kicking it to him).

Its not about not acknowledging roles, it's about using your eyes to see what a player is capable of and accepting it for what it is. The conversation continually being framed as if the coaching staff is doing something to prevent some offensive juggernaut that is lying within Bam is laughable and needs to stop. They're working with what they have with Bam as far as his capabilities.

I don't think Bam is some offensive juggernaut, I think he can score some near the basket and is a good passer as a center, back when he was more of a focus of the offense Bam's career average calculated ORTG, is 117 in 8 seasons. Herro, having the best season by far of his career is putting up a calculated ORTG of... 118. Bams has had 2 seasons of over 120 so far in his career, the reason for previous years being so low in scoring was Herro's shot diet of loving the midrange shot while being a very good 3pt shooter.

Right now, Miami has an ORTG of 114.1, previous seasons in descending order... 114.0, 113.0, 113.7, 111.2, and 111.5, the issue, the defense has become worse at a higher rate than the offense has gotten good.

Maybe it's time to sell not only Butler but Bam too and just lean into 3pt shooting with a big rim protector. I don't think you're going to like the success that does/doesn't bring Miami.

Keep using your eyes, I'll continue to look at actual production and success.

[VaDe255]

Spoiler:

The issue with this is... welcome to the middle with little to no chance in the playoffs.

IMO, the offense should be built around Bam but instead it's built around spreading the court out and Bam is mostly a spacer. For the 3rd season in a row Bam and Butler's rate of shots, scoring and usage (they're all tied together) are dropping which also coincides with Herro starting, seems like the wrong direction to be utilizing max players as Bam as he's in his prime now and Butler seems to be playing at a pretty high level. On Herro although he isn't a good defender, it is encouraging that he's being more active on the defensive side which helps his effectiveness as a team defender.

Who knows, maybe with the drafting of and developing of Ware the FO is preparing to move on from Bam in the next few season since as a 4 he's not a good 3pt shooter which Spoelstra and the league seems to want to go towards at as many positions as possible. Ware's size should help some of the defense that isn't really there when Bam's off the court, especially in the zone as he won't be so eager to defend parameter players looking to switch to get closer to the basket.

The whole league is heading towards almost having a whole lineup on the court who can shoot 3s since there are currently 100 different players shooting over the league average at 3pt range of 36% and 129 shooting 34% or higher (1.2 pts per shot, 120 points per 100 possessions). With so many people able to make that shot, it needs to be made more difficult to be worth 50% more than a regular shot. The game needs to evolve before over half the shots a night is the average, right now 11 teams (including Miami at 39.1 3pa) have a shot to get to 40 3s per game for the season.

You can’t build an offense around Bam in today’s NBA, it just doesn’t work. Bam’s great at what he does: playmaking, setting screens, finishing at the rim but without a three-point shot, he’s not built to lead a modern, high-powered offense.

Against teams like Boston, spacing is everything. Bam doesn’t stretch the floor, so defenses sag off him, clogging the paint and making life harder for everyone else. That’s why players like Herro and Duncan are so valuable. Herro, especially, is an incredibly skilled scorer, he can play on or off the ball, drive into the paint, and hit threes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s off the catch, a pull-up, or motion shots coming off screens. He keeps defenses honest and creates the space this team needs to operate.

The way the NBA works now, you need lineups where everyone can shoot threes. Bam’s lack of range makes him better as a complementary player, not the main focus of the offense. He’s at his best working in hand-offs or pick-and-rolls with shooters like Herro, who can create and score at all three levels. That’s the kind of versatility you need to beat a team like Boston, who’s great at switching and taking away easy options.

You need an offense that spreads the floor and keeps defenses guessing. Bam’s an amazing all-around player, but the offense works best when it’s built around dynamic scorers and shooters like Herro/Duncan, with Bam as the anchor and playmaker, not the main scorer. That’s how you get the most out of everyone.

So, are you saying you can build a modern offense around someone else having the ball and Bam is one of your spacers? I see a lot of teams in the playoffs letting the ball funnel to Bam at the 3pt line to take a bunch of shots vs letting anyone else take a 3. Sometimes you have to take the lesser of 2 evils, it's great Bam is starting to take 3s but until he's solid at it, putting him as a spacer will be like playing 4 on 5. At least with Butler he will get that ball and attack forcing players to foul him vs letting him get to the hoop cleanly.

I see the same thing happening to Jaquze Jr, if the ball isn't in his hands teams are going to be ok with the ball funneling to him at the 3pt line. If he has the ball and attacking/playmaking that's one less player that the defense can relax against to put more pressure on the other 3-4.

If you have a bad 3pt shooter in your offense, either you put the ball in their hands more often to make them a threat or you're going to make it rougher on the other 4 players on the court and you can expect in the playoffs the ball to be much easier to end up in their hands at the 3pt line.

You’re absolutely right. But this doesn’t mean you’re building around Bam/JJJ on offense. Instead, it's built around skilled perimeter guards and shooters like Herro/Duncan, who can create, space the floor, and hit tough shots.

Bam and Jacquez are key complementary players, thriving in roles like screening, rolling, and attacking mismatches. They’re most effective when playing off dynamic guards who lead the offense. It’s not about them being the centerpiece, it’s about fitting them into a system built around perimeter creators.

Also I don't think they are moving off Bam at all, they will try to build around Bam/Herro core, absolutely certain about that.

[AirP.]

Spoiler:

You can’t build an offense around Bam in today’s NBA, it just doesn’t work. Bam’s great at what he does: playmaking, setting screens, finishing at the rim but without a three-point shot, he’s not built to lead a modern, high-powered offense.

Against teams like Boston, spacing is everything. Bam doesn’t stretch the floor, so defenses sag off him, clogging the paint and making life harder for everyone else. That’s why players like Herro and Duncan are so valuable. Herro, especially, is an incredibly skilled scorer, he can play on or off the ball, drive into the paint, and hit threes in all kinds of ways, whether it’s off the catch, a pull-up, or motion shots coming off screens. He keeps defenses honest and creates the space this team needs to operate.

The way the NBA works now, you need lineups where everyone can shoot threes. Bam’s lack of range makes him better as a complementary player, not the main focus of the offense. He’s at his best working in hand-offs or pick-and-rolls with shooters like Herro, who can create and score at all three levels. That’s the kind of versatility you need to beat a team like Boston, who’s great at switching and taking away easy options.

You need an offense that spreads the floor and keeps defenses guessing. Bam’s an amazing all-around player, but the offense works best when it’s built around dynamic scorers and shooters like Herro/Duncan, with Bam as the anchor and playmaker, not the main scorer. That’s how you get the most out of everyone.

Spoiler:

So, are you saying you can build a modern offense around someone else having the ball and Bam is one of your spacers? I see a lot of teams in the playoffs letting the ball funnel to Bam at the 3pt line to take a bunch of shots vs letting anyone else take a 3. Sometimes you have to take the lesser of 2 evils, it's great Bam is starting to take 3s but until he's solid at it, putting him as a spacer will be like playing 4 on 5. At least with Butler he will get that ball and attack forcing players to foul him vs letting him get to the hoop cleanly.

I see the same thing happening to Jaquze Jr, if the ball isn't in his hands teams are going to be ok with the ball funneling to him at the 3pt line. If he has the ball and attacking/playmaking that's one less player that the defense can relax against to put more pressure on the other 3-4.

If you have a bad 3pt shooter in your offense, either you put the ball in their hands more often to make them a threat or you're going to make it rougher on the other 4 players on the court and you can expect in the playoffs the ball to be much easier to end up in their hands at the 3pt line.

Spoiler:

You’re absolutely right. But this doesn’t mean you’re building around Bam/JJJ on offense. Instead, it's built around skilled perimeter guards and shooters like Herro/Duncan, who can create, space the floor, and hit tough shots.

Bam and Jacquez are key complementary players, thriving in roles like screening, rolling, and attacking mismatches. They’re most effective when playing off dynamic guards who lead the offense. It’s not about them being the centerpiece, it’s about fitting them into a system built around perimeter creators.

Also I don't think they are moving off Bam at all, they will try to build around Bam/Herro core, absolutely certain about that.

Well, we'll see how good Herro and Robinson look in the playoffs when teams will no longer be concentrating on Bam as much and will put more emphasis on the guards, I think people may be upset at the result. Miami got a peek into it last season without Butler (and no Rozier, it may have been a good thing though).

If Bam's going to be playing a role on offense, it's probably not smart to keep him around on a max contract, go cash him in for assets and try to find a good defensive big on a much better contract.

I do wonder, if Miami could turn Butler into MPJ and assets from Denver, how would their offense look with another good 3pt shooter in the lineup and quite possibly seeing a bump in MPJ role and production as he'll be able to put up more 3s at SF or PF. Although I think Miami could have more success in the regular season going heavier on 3s and 3pt shooters, I don't think they'll have all that much success in the playoffs when you're needing better defenders and going against better defenders.

[marson]

Did anyone catch OKC’s game plan against Herro yesterday? Y’all are wild if you’re still hating on him. He went up against a top-5 defense and still delivered, even without another scoring threat on the floor. As a former Herro critic, I have to admit, the improvements are undeniable.

Teams are now focusing their game plans on Herro more than Bam.