The Miami Heat will have their work cut out for them this offseason if they want to remain a championship contender in the East.
The Miami Heat have plenty of questions to address going into the offseason. Even though they surpassed expectations on a large scale, there is still room for improvement as we all saw in their 2023 NBA Finals appearance.
So let’s take a look back and see what went wrong for this team. First and foremost, the Heat just missed too many shots. The Denver Nuggets were too talented of a team and their opponents must take advantage of every opportunity they get to score.
The Heat managed to make the NBA Finals, becoming the third team in NBA history to finish last in points per game during the regular season but still advance to the championship round. Still, the Heat struggled to score when it matters most.
Miami only scored over 100 points only once in the series. It’s also true that defense does win championships but this had to be that one rare occasion where that did not turn out to be true.
The Heat played spectacular defense as they held the Nuggets to an average of 102.6 points per game in the series. That’s saying a lot about their defense due to the fact that the Nuggets averaged 116.4 points per game against every other opponent they faced in the postseason.
If they can find any kind of solace in losing the Finals, they should be proud of becoming the second 8th-seeded team in NBA history to advance to the Finals and also the first play-in team to make it as well.
The Nuggets’ lowest point total in the entire postseason came against the Heat as Miami was also the only team to defeat the Nuggets on their home floor in the playoffs. The Heat were able to control Game 5 through the first three quarters of Game 5 only to lose in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
The Heat fought hard and had plenty of opportunities to swing the series and gain momentum but the Nuggets were just too talented for them to overcome. The size mismatch really hurt the Heat and the front office should strongly consider looking at some options at center. Bam Adebayo played above expectations but he probably would be more valuable if he was to move to the power forward spot.
The Miami Heat needs to find a reliable backup center
Two big centers the Heat should focus on pursuing who could come in and provide help immediately are Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. Vucevic has the size and the height to contend with any center in the league. While he is a bit of a liability on the defensive end, he still could serve as that big body in the middle who could withstand a force such as Jokic.
While he won’t be able to stop him completely, the idea would be to lean on him and be physical in an attempt to wear him down so he won’t be effective down the stretch. Vucevic is a stretch-5 and can knock down 3-pointers as he has shot 36 percent for his career from behind the arc.
Drummond fits the mold of the “Heat culture” and would fit right in with his personality and style of play. He is a bulldog on the defensive end and specializes in rebounding and blocking shots. He’s not that skilled offensively but he can take pressure off of Adebayo and intimidate wings and guards from driving to the basket. Many were surprised when Erik Spoelstra did not insert Tyler Herro in Game 5 especially after the team only shot a combined 26 percent from downtown.
With the team shooting that badly and struggling to find their rhythm, how much worse could it have gotten from that point? Herro could have given them a spark that they needed in order to survive at least in Game 5. I understand that Spoelstra didn’t want to tamper with or disrupt the chemistry but Herro should have been given a chance at that point.
The Heat have their core players Jimmy Butler, Adebayo, and Herro under contract through the next couple of seasons so their window of opportunity is still very much open. However, the Heat will more than likely bring back fan favorites Max Strus and Gabe Vincent who will both become unrestricted free agents as both played important roles for the Heat all season long and were a huge reason for the team advancing to the Finals.
Kevin Love will also be an unrestricted free agent but it’s not yet known whether he will retire or come back for another season. He can still shoot it and can still get more than his fair share of boards on a good night. If all else fails he could fit nicely into the role vacated by Udonis Haslem as the team’s veteran’s presence.
Victor Oladipo has a player option for next season but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to return next season after tearing his patellar tendon in the playoffs. It was unfortunate for the Heat because Oladipo was a key contributor before the injury. Hopefully, he can return at some point next season.
It is also rumored that the front office plans on adding a superstar player to the roster and two possibilities are Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal. it would take a creative trade package in order to acquire either player but a player of their caliber could push the Heat over the top.
The Heat have a better shot of acquiring Beal but would more than likely have to part with their draft picks for the foreseeable future as the Wizards probably will ask for a king’s ransom in return. All eyes will be on the Heat as the league will be paying close attention to what Pat Riley and the Heat do in the offseason.