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The Miami Heat's season ended on a rough note. After making the NBA Finals the year prior, there were high expectations for the team in the 2021 NBA playoffs. But they were swept and eliminated in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat require a serious roster upgrade to rectify the errors they made this year. Injuries and COVID-19 protocols plagued many teams this season and the Miami Heat were one of them.
Let's take a look at 5 issues that the Miami Heat had to deal with in the 2020-21 NBA season.
#1 Miami Heat were one of two teams that had the shortest offseason
The Miami Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals and, due to a lockdown caused by the pandemic, played until October 2020. The 2019-20 season ended around the time a new season would normally begin and the NBA wanted to restart the new season as quickly as possible. They agreed to commence the 2020-21 season in December 2020 which marked the shortest offseason in North American professional sport history.
The 72-game offseason was one of the reasons why the Miami Heat got off to a slow start this year. They started off the season 6-12 and their talisman Jimmy Butler missed out due to injury for a major part. LA Lakers' LeBron James stated the repercussions of starting the season too early this time around and mentioned how players would face injuries, which is what happened to the Miami Heat.
#2 Jimmy Butler's injury
Jimmy Butler was hurt when the 2020-21 NBA season started and played just 6 of the first 18 games. As a result, the Miami Heat started their campaign with a 6-12 record. The slow start meant they began below the playoff spots and had to work their way up.
Butler was injured a few more times later in the season and missed a total of 20 games. Given how he is the Miami Heat's driving force and does everything for the team, Butler was a major miss for the side.There was also a point during the season where nine or more players were ruled out due to injury for the Heat and they evidently struggled to cope.
Butler spoke about his inconsistent season in an interview with Bally Sports and mentioned how injuries were derailing their mission.
#3 Miami Heat had subpar offense
The Miami Heat boasted an incredible defense this season. They were 7th in defensive rating and 4th in points allowed. But they largely lacked an offense that could beat the volume shooting teams of today.
The Heat were ranked 17th in offensive rating overall but were below 20th in many of the categories. For a team with a lot of young players, the Miami Heat occupied 29th position in pace and 25th in points scored, which is quite disappointing.
They attempted the fewest attempted shots per game as a team in the league last season and were the 4th-lowest in shots made. The Miami Heat also got to the free throw line less often compared to other teams and didn't sufficiently attack the paint. Much of their field goal attempts were three-pointers and when their players didn't make them, they inevitably lost games. The Heat were also ranked 29th in both total and offensive boards.
#4 Victor Oladipo's injury
Victor Oladipo barely played for the Miami Heat this season. He appeared in just 4 games for the Heat and averaged 12 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in 27.8 minutes of play. He was inserted into the starting lineup and seemed like a perfect fit early on. But an injury to his right quadriceps tendon meant he underwent a season-ending surgery.
The Heat traded Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley in exchange for Oladipo earlier. Olynyk was excellent for the team in the past three seasons and was always going to be a miss once he left. Judging from last season, it seems as though the Heat lost an important role player and in return, got a star who always seemed to be injured.
#5 Inconsistency in their performances
As a result of injuries, the COVID-19 health and safety protocols and constant roster rotations, the Miami Heat were incredibly inconsistent in the 2020-21 campaign. Coach Erik Spoelstra couldn't salvage the season with a hapless roster that had no major playing time together.
The Heat had 21 players who played for them this season and 17 different starters. This meant the side used a new combination for their starting five almost every other game with no sight of consistency.
The Miami Heat would go on an occasional winning streak, but an injury or sidelining would see them skid and go back to square one.
Also Read: What next for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat?
Guess the Lakers players!
