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The 2019-20 NBA Championship runners-up Miami Heat have made some incredible changes to their roster. Heat management have signed Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris. What these signings will yield for the team, only the future will tell. But they sure look good on paper.
For the team from Florida, the 2020-21 season was disappointing for more than one reason. After a brilliant run in the 2020 finals, Miami were highly anticipated as championship contenders. But the Heat's 40-34 win loss ratio was a reality check for all those that had faith in the men from South Beach.
The made-it-by-an-inch playoff team was outperformed by the title-hungry Milwaukee Bucks in the very first round and sent back to the drawing board.
The Miami Heat can contend for the 2021-22 NBA Championship
Issues with the past season aside, the upcoming season seems to be more promising for the Miami Heat. In fact, their ability to contend for a championship is so strong that we'd like to share three reasons to help you believe us.
#1 Defense
It is surprising how much modern fans and analytics departments ignore the age-old virtue of "defense wins games." A defensively elite team can influence more turnovers, limit second attempts, and control the rhythm of the game.
The Miami Heat are a team that has arguably the best defense in the league. In their matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, they were the only team that was able to properly defend Giannis Antetokounmpo and restrict his offensive abilities. The Heat had an answer to every presumably unstoppable Greek Freak move.
This year's roster, however, looks far more defensively stronger than the 2020-21 season. With the addition of PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris, the Heat line-up has become a nightmare for opposing teams. On paper, this exceptional defense has the potential to frustrate every opponent.
Apart from the new signings, the Miami Heat's defensive stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are exceptional in their particular roles. Adebayo can overwhelm players in the paint; controlling rebounds, swatting shots, and generally irritating opponents. At the same time, Butler is one of the greatest perimeter defenders in the league. His IQ and quick reading allows him to make key defensive decisions as well.
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#2 Offensive potential
The Miami Heat have arguably the most underrated offense in the league. Due to the lack of isolation players, or players that completely rely on self-created plays, the Heat have developed a style of scoring that is a thing of beauty. The team believes in the philosophy of creating offense as a team and not as an individual.
One of the few teams in the current league that has ball movement reminiscent of the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat averaged 108.1 points per game in the 2020-21 season. At the same time, they were also able to force 14.1 turnovers every game.
The Miami team led the league in the 2020-21 season in potential assists. They averaged an incredible 51.4 potential assists per game along with a solid 26.3 assists per game. The Heatles were also one of the top teams in terms of points created through assists with a 69 per game tally.
However, with the upcoming season, the Jimmy Butler-led team has become even more of an offensive threat than they already were. While Butler has continuously evolved as a lethal scorer, the combination of Kyle Lowry, Bam, and Tyler Herro will create more options and opportunities on offense for the team.
What they lacked on the perimeter can also now be handled by Lowry, Duncan Robinson and Herro, who are all reliable and deadly three-point shooters. With the pass-heavy style of play and pre-drawn extensive screening, the Miami Heat's downtown shooters can rain down three-pointers or create enough fear in their opponents to open up the paint for quick post-up shots and layups.
#3 The combination of Lowry and Butler
It might come as a surprise to many readers to see the combination of Lowry and Butler mentioned as one of the reasons for the Miami Heat's championship aspirations. However, those who saw Butler's command over the 2019-20 Miami Heat team and Lowry's impact on the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors will understand our reasons for highlighting this.
The two are experienced playmakers. They bring to the team more than just their skill sets, scoring abilities and passing acumen. They bring their game sense and their battle experience. With Lowry and Butler setting up plays and controlling offense and defense, the Miami Heat can contend for the 2021-22 NBA Championship.
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