2025 Regular Season Thread Vol. 8

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Tyler needs to be your 4th best player on a championship team so we’ll need 2 more all stars coming in here. Maybe KD or Trae are the 1st piece this summer and then we get the final piece in 2026. Or maybe Herro is moved and we just form an elite big 3 like we used to have. We’ve seen what Bam and Spo can do with a player like Jimmy next to them but they were still a piece away. It’s time to be aggressive but also be smart about it

[DayofMourning]

With those two unprotected picks due, this team will be forced to continue finding short term bandaids to “stay competitive”. It will further delay the much needed tear down required to build through the draft with high lottery picks. It is dire times right now.

My fantasy draft plan has us jumping in to the top 4 of the lottery because we suck. Its easier to move up these days with the new format. We draft Dylan Harper.

My plan continues with us drafting Khaman Maluach with the 11th pick we get from GSW. We now have 2 LEGIT bigs.

We then trade Jovic, Jaime and whatever pics remain for KD.

We then win the next 3 chips.

Still fascinated by the notion that Bam is not a legit big.

My definition is 7'0" tall with length. Bam needs to eat more spinach or something to get there.

[greg4012]

My fantasy draft plan has us jumping in to the top 4 of the lottery because we suck. Its easier to move up these days with the new format. We draft Dylan Harper.

My plan continues with us drafting Khaman Maluach with the 11th pick we get from GSW. We now have 2 LEGIT bigs.

We then trade Jovic, Jaime and whatever pics remain for KD.

We then win the next 3 chips.

Still fascinated by the notion that Bam is not a legit big.

My definition is 7'0" tall with length. Bam needs to eat more spinach or something to get there.

Need more Dedmons to be able to rosterbate appropriately!

[contract]

Tyler needs to be your 4th best player on a championship team so we’ll need 2 more all stars coming in here. Maybe KD or Trae are the 1st piece this summer and then we get the final piece in 2026. Or maybe Herro is moved and we just form an elite big 3 like we used to have. We’ve seen what Bam and Spo can do with a player like Jimmy next to them but they were still a piece away. It’s time to be aggressive but also be smart about it

Tyler can't be your 4th best player because of his salary ... which is only going to increase after this season.

And it's way too late to build around Durant.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Tyler needs to be your 4th best player on a championship team so we’ll need 2 more all stars coming in here. Maybe KD or Trae are the 1st piece this summer and then we get the final piece in 2026. Or maybe Herro is moved and we just form an elite big 3 like we used to have. We’ve seen what Bam and Spo can do with a player like Jimmy next to them but they were still a piece away. It’s time to be aggressive but also be smart about it

Tyler can't be your 4th best player because of his salary ... which is only going to increase after this season.

Yea I agree. If we’re able to land a star this summer we need all hands on deck outside of that new star and Bam to get the 3rd in here whether that’s this summer or the 2026 summer. It’s time to sell high for once though and if he falls back to his norm next year we kind of hurt ourselves there waiting for 2026.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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[greg4012]

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Despite the disaster that was the Atlanta game offensively for Miami, it was super impressive watching Bam seemingly guarding Trae as much or more than anyone else and rendering his scoring obsolete (Trae showed out with his playmaking tho).

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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Despite the disaster that was the Atlanta game offensively for Miami, it was super impressive watching Bam seemingly guarding Trae as much or more than anyone else and rendering his scoring obsolete (Trae showed out with his playmaking tho).

Best defender in the world and won’t ever win a DPOY, it’s a sad sight. I remember Heat fans saying he was getting cooked by Banchero game 1 this season, Banchero was 4-13 against him that game

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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Some more stats.

We have the best player in the world on one side of the ball, we need to make the moves to get back into contention asap.

[greg4012]

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Some more stats.

We have the best player in the world on one side of the ball, we need to make the moves to get back into contention asap.

Best playoff defender in the NBA without question. Thanks for sharing.

Some notable bits:

When Adebayo has been on the floor, Miami is allowing 110.4 points per 100 possessions. That would be good for the No. 6 Defensive Rating in the league. When Adebayo has shared the floor with Kel’el Ware (255 minutes), freeing Adebayo to do some of the things he does best including a bit more switching in pick-and-rolls as he hounds opposing team’s best scorers, Miami’s Defensive Rating has been 104.4. That would be the best defense in the league over a full season.

With Adebayo, Miami has been 6.4 points per 100 better than without him. Among players who have been on the floor for at least 1,500 minutes this season, that is the seventh-best On/Off differential, neck-and-neck with not only Wembanyama but other leading award candidates in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Evan Mobley. Along the way, teams have seen their rim rate drop by 2.6 percent with Adebayo on the floor, below Wembanyama but better than Jackson Jr. and Mobley, while teams attempt corner threes 3.0 percent less often, the best mark in the league.

[jele]

Bam si a great defender, top 5 in the league, can guard all positions, etc.. They truth is, we're not going to compete let alone win a title with his defense: PERIOD. If Bam were a 30 PPG player with an average defense, we'd probably be closer to title. This is why this board keeps debating about how to get a KD or a Trade Young for this team. The only reason we had success in the playoffs was because of Jimmy who went ballistics scoring wise during the playoffs run. Now that we do not have Jimmy, Herro is the only scorer that this team has and unfortunately, he does not have the physical tools to be a complete star.

[greg4012]

“It’s another part of his development,” Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s probably this next stage. Three months ago it was trying to get him to rotate and go for blocks. And that’s the harder thing to do. Now, there’s decision making with it and context, of game, situation, if you overextend too much, especially when it’s not realistic – and you don’t want to discourage it or say that a guy can’t get to it – those can be deflating plays. He’s starting to calibrate that. Those are decision making positions, but his rebounding is a factor, his size is a factor, at least people know who he is now, they know that he’s down there. We can correct it.”

To Ware’s credit, he has often communicated an awareness of his own developmental process, realistic about where he is and where he’s trying to get to. He says that he an assistant coach Malik Allen regularly rewatch his defensive possessions, going through all those small decisions which add up to important results.

“Just learning how to manage which ones to go for, which ones not to go for,” Ware said. “There’s been a couple I could’ve went for but I second guessed them a little bit. I’m going to get better at that.”

While Ware’s rim protection numbers have hovered above 60 percent for much of the season – not unusual for a rookie, while he’ll want to get into the low 50’s in a couple of years, 50 percent typically among the best marks in a given season – Miami’s defensive rebounding rate with Ware on the floor has improved to what would qualify as one of the best in the league since he joined the starting lineup on January 21. Much of that is tied to the value of the double big lineup, Miami rebounding 77.7 percent of opponent misses with Ware and Adebayo on the floor. The top rebounding team in the league, the LA Clippers, rebound 73.2 percent of opponent misses. Overall, Ware is allowing just 0.87 points per to ballhandlers in pick-and-rolls.

Bolded is music to my ears.

Ware is better scouted for now. He's dealing with some growing pains on both ends of the floor as a result. I have no doubt the talent is there, and all signals are that the work ethic and want-to is there, as well. Bright future for Ware with his buy-in and development in the Miami system.

[greg4012]

Bam si a great defender, top 5 in the league, can guard all positions, etc.. They truth is, we're not going to compete let alone win a title with his defense: PERIOD. If Bam were a 30 PPG player with an average defense, we'd probably be closer to title. This is why this board keeps debating about how to get a KD or a Trade Young for this team.

Da hell does this even mean?

[Kobewade11]

Moving beyond this core in a responsible way is going to involve getting as much as you can for Tyler.

Sent from my SM-S936U using RealGM mobile app

The return for Herro would likely be young players and picks. So if thats the route we want to go then the responsible thing to do would also be to move Bam for as much as you can. Makes no sense to saddle a guy approaching 30 with a bunch of kids.

[greg4012]

Since January 1 Bam Adebayo has a 57.3 true-shooting percentage on top of 23.5 usage, and in February he’s been at 60.2 true-shooting on 25 percent usage. Before the calendar turned to 2025, Adebayo was at 64 percent at the rim, 41 percent in upper paint and 42.6 percent in the mid-range. In 2025 he’s at 77.5 percent, 46.6 percent and 47.1 percent. Miami’s roster situation clarifying in the past month or so has probably helped as the need for Adebayo usage has become more definitive after he spent the early months acting the playmaker as the HEAT reached for a new offensive system, but sometimes a slump is also just a slump. When a player has a proven track record, and is healthy, the best bet is always that they’ll find their way back to their usual numbers one way or another.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Bam si a great defender, top 5 in the league, can guard all positions, etc.. They truth is, we're not going to compete let alone win a title with his defense: PERIOD. If Bam were a 30 PPG player with an average defense, we'd probably be closer to title. This is why this board keeps debating about how to get a KD or a Trade Young for this team. The only reason we had success in the playoffs was because of Jimmy who went ballistics scoring wise during the playoffs run. Now that we do not have Jimmy, Herro is the only scorer that this team has and unfortunately, he does not have the physical tools to be a complete star.

Jesus Christ

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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Sit this one out brother, embrace the tank

[Daffy]

Like I said. Go get Trae and KD for cheap in the off season

Trae
Herro
KD
Bam
Ware

[Beenie]

The effects of the cope pill that a potion of the fanbase swallowed that Jimmy was the problem and his departure would lead to an addition by subtraction result has worn off and reality of just how bad the cast is is starting to set in for some. (not saying this is you)

If Atl never lost Jalen Johnson, theyd be clear cut better than Mia (still are imo), If Chi didnt pull the plug and trade Lavine, theyd also be better, and if Philly wasnt such a freak show, theyd be better.

In other words, a team lead by Bam and Tyler is for sure a lotto team in an most other years and they still probably are this season even with the benefit of a weakened eastern conference.

I wouldn't say Jimmy was the problem but he clearly was no longer part of the solution here. The outlook isn't as bleak as some want it to be. We always create these 'what if' scenarios for other teams but dont give our team the same grace. What about the 7-8..maybe more double digit leads we blew late in games this year? If we win those games, we're firmly in the 4-5 mix. That's on top of the cloud that was following this group for much of the season.

This season is as bleak looking as it gets; and the long term outlook (at least the next few years) doesnt look particularly inspiring at the moment. Jacquez and Jovic havent proven themselves to be mainstays and the agenda of clearing maximum cap space for '26 was compromised with the contracts gotten in the Jimmy trade.

At this point, I dont really know what the direction is and I suspect the FO hasnt decided on one either.

Regarding their tendency to collapse in late game scenarios, the truth is they dont deserve grace because it's not like that tendency is happening because of bad luck or for some other reason that's beyond comprehension. They are being out-coached and out-executed which has to do with several factors including not having sufficient talent who can play on the ball.

This group simply is not a 4-5 caliber team. At best they are a 7-8 and if they were to get into the playoffs, they'd be looking at a similar fate as last season of getting thoroughly embarrassed in the first round.

[MettaWorldPanda]

Like I said. Go get Trae and KD for cheap in the off season

Trae
Herro
KD
Bam
Ware

The salary cap and trade pieces involved make this scenario highly unlikely