2023 Miami Heat Regular Season Thread - Westbrook and Love edition

[HeatFanLifer]

Well I am glad I don''t need your help.

I wouldn't help you even if you did need it.

If either one of ya’ll told me you were drowning, I would lend a hand.

[rate_]

Spoiler:

If Bam didn't have a limited scoring arsenal, with the amount of touches and involvement he gets on offense, TBH he should be averaging 25+ pts in this scoring inflated era. We wouldn't have to be so reliant on Strus hitting his threes if Bam had the arsenal and repertoire to take the usage away from him. Bam is easier to scheme for because of this and on top of that he isn't a bruiser like Jimmy. He looks to avoid contact instead of initiate it. So, stop trying to make him into something he is not and let him focus on defense. a

There are 4 players in the league averaging more points than Bam on less shot attempts. Let’s stop acting like he’s out here jacking up shots and hijacking the offense. For his FGA and usage he’s about right where he should be. His usage has went up .9% this season. You’re grasping for straws.

17 of the top 25 scorers in PPG have a higher TS% than Bam. Actually, for the last 3 seasons when Bam have seen an increase in shot attempts his scoring efficiency has decreased. The numbers are supporting my claim.

[HeatFanLifer]

Losing is making things spicey here. I’m partly to blame. So I’ll do better tomorrow.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Spoiler:

If Bam didn't have a limited scoring arsenal, with the amount of touches and involvement he gets on offense, TBH he should be averaging 25+ pts in this scoring inflated era. We wouldn't have to be so reliant on Strus hitting his threes if Bam had the arsenal and repertoire to take the usage away from him. Bam is easier to scheme for because of this and on top of that he isn't a bruiser like Jimmy. He looks to avoid contact instead of initiate it. So, stop trying to make him into something he is not and let him focus on defense. a

There are 4 players in the league averaging more points than Bam on less shot attempts. Let’s stop acting like he’s out here jacking up shots and hijacking the offense. For his FGA and usage he’s about right where he should be. His usage has went up .9% this season. You’re grasping for straws.

15 of the top 22 scorers in PPG have a higher TS% than Bam. Actually, for the last 3 seasons when Bam have seen an increase in shot attempts his scoring efficiency has decreased.

He scores more on a points per field goal attempt basis than quite a few of them as well, seems like he should be getting more shots.

Bam when taking 18 or more shots this season:

26-12-3-1-1 on 55/20/83 shooting splits. I’d find him some more shots.

Heat offensive rating:

Bam on: 112
Bam off: 104

[rate_]

Spoiler:

There are 4 players in the league averaging more points than Bam on less shot attempts. Let’s stop acting like he’s out here jacking up shots and hijacking the offense. For his FGA and usage he’s about right where he should be. His usage has went up .9% this season. You’re grasping for straws.

15 of the top 22 scorers in PPG have a higher TS% than Bam. Actually, for the last 3 seasons when Bam have seen an increase in shot attempts his scoring efficiency has decreased.

He scores more on a points per field goal attempt basis than quite a few of them as well, seems like he should be getting more shots.

Bam when taking 18 or more shots this season:

26-12-3-1-1 on 55/20/83 shooting splits. I’d find him some more shots.

Heat offensive rating:

Bam on: 112
Bam off: 104

TS% is a far better indicator of individual scoring efficiency than PTS/FGA. 17/25 of the highest PPG scorers in the NBA currently have a higher TS% than Bam. Bam's assist/turnover ratio has also decreased over the seasons as his scoring role increased. He does contributes to some of the lackluster offense although it's not necessarily his fault as the team is forcing to mold him into something he is not.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

15 of the top 22 scorers in PPG have a higher TS% than Bam. Actually, for the last 3 seasons when Bam have seen an increase in shot attempts his scoring efficiency has decreased.

He scores more on a points per field goal attempt basis than quite a few of them as well, seems like he should be getting more shots.

Bam when taking 18 or more shots this season:

26-12-3-1-1 on 55/20/83 shooting splits. I’d find him some more shots.

Heat offensive rating:

Bam on: 112
Bam off: 104

TS% is a far better indicator of scoring efficiency than PTS/FGA. 17/25 of the highest PPG scorers in the NBA currently have a higher TS% than Bam. Bam's assist/turnover ratio has also decreased over the seasons as his scoring role increased. He does contributes to some of the lackluster offense although it's not necessarily his fault as the team is forcing to mold him into something he is not.

Efficiency will drop when teams are sending constant doubles your way and constantly swarming when you get touches, especially when you’re not just scoring off lobs and dump offs at point blank range.

Luckily it’s Bams first year being featured as a scorer and he’s already our 2nd best and 2nd most efficient scorer. He will continue to develop and add skills, he has by far the most untapped potential on this team and at 22-10-3 that shows be a scary thought for other teams.

All those guys in the top 25 have been in those scoring roles for many years now, a lot of them because that’s the only way they can impact the game at all.

Believe it or not but not every player has reached their full potential at the age of 25, your boy Jimmy could tell you a thing or 2 about that.

Next season Bam gets to the line a little more, increases his percentage again, tinkers his shot diet a little and those adjustments alone and we’re having a different conversation right now.

I think he settles a little too much for the mid range because he’s gotten so good at it, I’d take a couple of those away in favor of getting to the rim. That alone will help a lot.

[ShulaDon92]

I'll come in with some hyperbole on Bam:

Bam' a bigger Kawhi Leonard with less handles. Garnett with a little less skill. If he improves in all of that and adds a three ball, it's over. If he stagnates, becomes mediocre offensively and loses his defensive prowess he will be out of the league after reaching peak athleticism. All in all, he's already had a great career, he's got mileage.

[RexBoyWonder]

Damn our next 5 games is Philly (2x), Knicks and then Hawks (2x). We could really end up as 9th or 10th seed if we keep playing like poo

Would a lottery pick really be worse then a first round exit?

We have 3 players worth a damn on the roster - 2 of them we picked at #13 and #14.

[RexBoyWonder]

As far as this season goes. There's a lot of blame being pushed on Spo's coaching, Lowry being bad, Jimmy coasting, Herro for being inconsistent or Bam for some reason?

But truth is we'd be a top 3 team in the East if our shooters hit a decent percentage from 3. How many games have been lost this season by like 3-5pts if those guys hit their WIDE OPEN shots we winning like 30-40% more of our losses this year, which would be another 10-12 wins and have us sitting near the top of the conference.

The blame can only be put on the front office for believing we could just run this back minus PJ while all other teams making the moves necessary to continue competing and the role players who aren't doing their only job.

I definitely think management is to blame for this sub-par team build. But I saw this sequence of events (below) last night in the replay and Spo needs to be held to account for not doing anything while his team had a 16-0 stretch ran on it through two quarters without making any adjustment. Not sure what BBallFreak has to say about that mental lapse. Looks to me the signs of a coach without much left.

Spoiler:

3 mins lefts in the first quarter Spo puts in the amazing unit we seen in the Bucks game of Oladipo, Strus, Duncan, Martin and Zeller this amazing unit which started with of course everyones favorite Strus brick. Unit stayed in and was scoreless until they sub Bam in 2 mins later in the 2nd

Lowkey feel we have the worst coaching staff in the League around Spo. Even if you Believe Spo is great, the rest are just useless.

Nobody there to save Spo from himself and cover for his weaknesses, they all look like yes men that commend zero respect.

We know Spo has trouble with in-game adjusting and pulling guys at the wrong times, and there's nobody there to challange any mistake or create anything different on offense.

[ShulaDon92]

As far as this season goes. There's a lot of blame being pushed on Spo's coaching, Lowry being bad, Jimmy coasting, Herro for being inconsistent or Bam for some reason?

But truth is we'd be a top 3 team in the East if our shooters hit a decent percentage from 3. How many games have been lost this season by like 3-5pts if those guys hit their WIDE OPEN shots we winning like 30-40% more of our losses this year, which would be another 10-12 wins and have us sitting near the top of the conference.

The blame can only be put on the front office for believing we could just run this back minus PJ while all other teams making the moves necessary to continue competing and the role players who aren't doing their only job.

I definitely think management is to blame for this sub-par team build. But I saw this sequence of events (below) last night in the replay and Spo needs to be held to account for not doing anything while his team had a 16-0 stretch ran on it through two quarters without making any adjustment. Not sure what BBallFreak has to say about that mental lapse. Looks to me the signs of a coach without much left.

Spoiler:

3 mins lefts in the first quarter Spo puts in the amazing unit we seen in the Bucks game of Oladipo, Strus, Duncan, Martin and Zeller this amazing unit which started with of course everyones favorite Strus brick. Unit stayed in and was scoreless until they sub Bam in 2 mins later in the 2nd

Lowkey feel we have the worst coaching staff in the League around Spo. Even if you Believe Spo is great, the rest are just useless.

Nobody there to save Spo from himself and cover for his weaknesses, they all look like yes men that commend zero respect.

We know Spo has trouble with in-game adjusting and pulling guys at the wrong times, and there's nobody there to challange any mistake or create anything different on offense.

Interesting feels.

In my view, the boss should not be getting challenged too much but Spo's assistants have to have Spo's back and step up when Spo makes a mistake. That's what copilots are for. If the assistants are leaving Spo hanging, they are not doing their job and should be canned after evaluation.

[RexBoyWonder]

Only positive I see with this roster is that we have flexibility.

Herro and Lowry should be tradeable next year, and other then Duncan nobody makes long term money.

This roster could (and Should) look COMPLETELY different next year, I'd only want to keep 4 players overall.

[3ballbomber]

Damn Russ is playing well for the Clips right now lol

[ShulaDon92]

As far as this season goes. There's a lot of blame being pushed on Spo's coaching, Lowry being bad, Jimmy coasting, Herro for being inconsistent or Bam for some reason?

But truth is we'd be a top 3 team in the East if our shooters hit a decent percentage from 3. How many games have been lost this season by like 3-5pts if those guys hit their WIDE OPEN shots we winning like 30-40% more of our losses this year, which would be another 10-12 wins and have us sitting near the top of the conference.

The blame can only be put on the front office for believing we could just run this back minus PJ while all other teams making the moves necessary to continue competing and the role players who aren't doing their only job.

I definitely think management is to blame for this sub-par team build. But I saw this sequence of events (below) last night in the replay and Spo needs to be held to account for not doing anything while his team had a 16-0 stretch ran on it through two quarters without making any adjustment. Not sure what BBallFreak has to say about that mental lapse. Looks to me the signs of a coach without much left.

Spoiler:

3 mins lefts in the first quarter Spo puts in the amazing unit we seen in the Bucks game of Oladipo, Strus, Duncan, Martin and Zeller this amazing unit which started with of course everyones favorite Strus brick. Unit stayed in and was scoreless until they sub Bam in 2 mins later in the 2nd

Lowkey feel we have the worst coaching staff in the League around Spo. Even if you Believe Spo is great, the rest are just useless.

Nobody there to save Spo from himself and cover for his weaknesses, they all look like yes men that commend zero respect.

We know Spo has trouble with in-game adjusting and pulling guys at the wrong times, and there's nobody there to challange any mistake or create anything different on offense.

Just had this vision of Bob McAdoo with bifocals sitting at the end of the bench during the Riley years.

[Wiltside]

Bam got sonned by a rookie last game, but honestly he’s the least of our concerns. He’s 25 and has a good 6-8 prime years ahead of him.

We need talent. A lotto pick would low key be useful, as would playing Jovic and actually developing him. He’s been out for a long time with this “back issue”.

[BBallFreak]

Some more stats for ya:
Heat rank 2nd to last in league in team fg% at 45%. 3rd to last in league for team 3 pt% at 33.1%. They are also in the worse half of the league in both opp fg % and opp 3 pt %.

Take that info however you like. Just don’t lie about what I say again breh.

First, no one lied about your take, You responded to a post praising Spo by talking about what he's like without the Big 3 as a clear refutation. You've made no secret about your disdain for Coach Spo as you admit,

Second, sometimes the talent isn't right, the chemistry on a team is delicate, and sometimes injuries happen. One year's stats don't stack up to the entirety of his career...

Oh, and don't call me breh...

[dean456]

Two of the biggest changes from last season to this season as far as our offense goes is there is much more Herro running the PnR as a starter which means less Jimmy running the PnR and more of Bam looking to the basket rather than using him as a trigger man to either generate open looks for shooters or make passes to guys cutting to the basket. While usage and shot attempts are relatively the same for both the way they are using that time with the ball and attempts they take are not the same as last season.

While a lot of our problems have been guys not making open shots as we are still generating open looks. I still think the way we've been producing those open looks just doesn't have the same energy as they had in the past.

Feel like when Jimmy is running a PnR now he's mostly doing it to get his own offense where before he'd have more reps and would make an effort to be a play maker, and with Herro taking most of those reps in the starting unit he doesn't see the floor as well as Jimmy and is predominantly getting his own offense too. I feel most of Herro's assists in the PnR are to Bam. Also feel like there's too many additional PnR's run for guys like Dipo and Strus meaning the balls sticking too much rather than moving to find the open man.

Part of it is also Bam not being used as a trigger for our offensive sets, when Bam gets the ball in the mid range now he's looking to score. To be honest the fact that most here would consider Bam being a lot more aggressive this season and it only amounting in an additional 2.3ppg on 2.7fgas more than last season which is not great, he's also surprisingly getting to the FT line less which shouldn't be the case with his change in play style.

I can give him a pass as it's his first year playing this way and I expect it to get better, but the team may be better off playing him the way they were until our overall talent on the team is better and not so reliant on what Bam provides them.

At this point its not something we can change to salvage this season but if this core somehow stay together next season its something they need to consider looking at.

[Hallstar]

Two of the biggest changes from last season to this season as far as our offense goes is there is much more Herro running the PnR as a starter which means less Jimmy running the PnR and more of Bam looking to the basket rather than using him as a trigger man to either generate open looks for shooters or make passes to guys cutting to the basket. While usage and shot attempts are relatively the same for both the way they are using that time with the ball and attempts they take are not the same as last season.

While a lot of our problems have been guys not making open shots as we are still generating open looks. I still think the way we've been producing those open looks just doesn't have the same energy as they had in the past.

Feel like when Jimmy is running a PnR now he's mostly doing it to get his own offense where before he'd have more reps and would make an effort to be a play maker, and with Herro taking most of those reps in the starting unit he doesn't see the floor as well as Jimmy and is predominantly getting his own offense too. I feel most of Herro's assists in the PnR are to Bam. Also feel like there's too many additional PnR's run for guys like Dipo and Strus meaning the balls sticking too much rather than moving to find the open man.

Part of it is also Bam not being used as a trigger for our offensive sets, when Bam gets the ball in the mid range now he's looking to score. To be honest the fact that most here would consider Bam being a lot more aggressive this season and it only amounting in an additional 2.3ppg on 2.7fgas more than last season which is not great, he's also surprisingly getting to the FT line less which shouldn't be the case with his change in play style.

I can give him a pass as it's his first year playing this way and I expect it to get better, but the team may be better off playing him the way they were until our overall talent on the team is better and not so reliant on what Bam provides them.

At this point its not something we can change to salvage this season but if this core somehow stay together next season its something they need to consider looking at.

For a modern NBA offense, 1 of Bam and JImmy needs to give us at least the threat of a 3 pt shot next year. Jimmy is what he is, so hopefully Bam can extend the range.

[dubasilva]

I'll come in with some hyperbole on Bam:

Bam' a bigger Kawhi Leonard with less handles. Garnett with a little less skill. If he improves in all of that and adds a three ball, it's over. If he stagnates, becomes mediocre offensively and loses his defensive prowess he will be out of the league after reaching peak athleticism. All in all, he's already had a great career, he's got mileage.

I agree with that. Additionally, Bam needs to be moved to PF, and we need a big/nasty defensive C in the middle.

[IceColdCubano]

Two of the biggest changes from last season to this season as far as our offense goes is there is much more Herro running the PnR as a starter which means less Jimmy running the PnR and more of Bam looking to the basket rather than using him as a trigger man to either generate open looks for shooters or make passes to guys cutting to the basket. While usage and shot attempts are relatively the same for both the way they are using that time with the ball and attempts they take are not the same as last season.

While a lot of our problems have been guys not making open shots as we are still generating open looks. I still think the way we've been producing those open looks just doesn't have the same energy as they had in the past.

Feel like when Jimmy is running a PnR now he's mostly doing it to get his own offense where before he'd have more reps and would make an effort to be a play maker, and with Herro taking most of those reps in the starting unit he doesn't see the floor as well as Jimmy and is predominantly getting his own offense too. I feel most of Herro's assists in the PnR are to Bam. Also feel like there's too many additional PnR's run for guys like Dipo and Strus meaning the balls sticking too much rather than moving to find the open man.

Part of it is also Bam not being used as a trigger for our offensive sets, when Bam gets the ball in the mid range now he's looking to score. To be honest the fact that most here would consider Bam being a lot more aggressive this season and it only amounting in an additional 2.3ppg on 2.7fgas more than last season which is not great, he's also surprisingly getting to the FT line less which shouldn't be the case with his change in play style.

I can give him a pass as it's his first year playing this way and I expect it to get better, but the team may be better off playing him the way they were until our overall talent on the team is better and not so reliant on what Bam provides them.

At this point its not something we can change to salvage this season but if this core somehow stay together next season its something they need to consider looking at.

For a modern NBA offense, 1 of Bam and JImmy needs to give us at least the threat of a 3 pt shot next year. Jimmy is what he is, so hopefully Bam can extend the range.

Incorperating something like a 3pt from a big man takes multiple seasons once he decides to take them. If Bam decides to start next year, he might make use of it correctly by the time his 30-31 which is were he needs to reinvent hid games as he loses his athletism, needs to move to playing like Horford more.

[contract]

We have no reason or right to be shocked, looking at the roster with objective eyes it's easy to see we have 2 great player, 1 inconsistent good player -

and nothing much around them. Everyone else on the roster can fairly be described as "below average player"

Why should the team be so great when that's your roster? we overachieved big time last season, this season is a much more accurate picture of the talent level on the roster

This franchise has gotten addicted to filling the roster with guys we found at the Y and polished up ... and Spo somehow making it work. That is not a sustainable approach to winning.