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22 teams, 22 days – Miami Heat: importance of Jimmy Butlers’ leadership
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The Miami Heat was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2019-20 NBA regular season before the game was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite tepid preseason expectations and a relatively inexperienced roster, they rose to No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, boasting of having one of the best home records (27-5) in the entire league. They sent two players to the All-Star Game in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and helped make Duncan Robinson a deadly sniper. Overall, Miami looks like a legitimate postseason threat.
With eight games to play before the playoffs begin, the Heat rank fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-24. They are just 2 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics for third place in the conference, but also just two games ahead of the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers in qualifying. In other words, the position of the Miami playoffs is far from immovable and could change dramatically depending on how it performs in those games.
Here’s a look at Miami’s roster, schedule, and some key stories for when the season resumes in Orlando on July 30.
Heat list
Seated players: None
Heat schedule
All East Times
Key arguments
How much Iguodala has left in the tank?: At the peak of his powers, Iguodala was one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA. He was a closed perimeter defender with extreme athleticism and the ability to get buckets in transition and midfield. He has also shot a respectable 33 percent from long range over the course of his career. It was a big part of the reason the Golden State Warriors won titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018, and he was named Finals MVP in ’15 because of the overall impact he had on the series. Thus, there was great excitement when the Heat traded for the Grizzlies’ Iguodala in February and immediately signed him with a two-year, $ 30 million extension.
However, right now it is fair to wonder how much Iguodala has left in the tank. Iguodala is 36 years old and has been in the NBA since 2004. He has played in more than 1,200 regular-season and postseason games, and has dealt with injury issues throughout his career. In the 14 games he played for the Heat during the regular season, he averaged just 4.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and two assists in 18.5 minutes of action. Although his numbers weren’t flashy at Golden State, it didn’t necessarily resemble the difference he was with the Warriors in the games he played this regular season. If your tank is almost empty, your impact in Orlando will likely be limited. However, if he can look like his old self, it could be a big factor for the Heat in the postseason.
Postseason post: The Heat could realistically finish between third and sixth in the East, depending on how they perform during their eight qualifying games, while where they end won’t matter in terms of on-court advantage, it obviously will matter a lot in terms of his way of playoffs. If things remain as they currently are, the Heat would face the Pacers in the first round, but they could also end up competing against the 76ers or Celtics depending on how things shake up. While qualifying games are a formality for some squads who already have their postseason position locked in, that is not the case in Miami.
Stellar Power, or lack thereof: More than in any other sport, star players are fundamental to the team’s success in the NBA. Due to the fact that there are only five players on the court at a time for a basketball team, compared to higher numbers in other sports, it is easier for one person to have a huge impact on the result. That is why you will often hear people refer to the NBA as a “star league.” It’s not necessarily impossible to win a title without a superstar, but the more elite talent you have on a team, the easier it will be. Just ask the Golden State Warriors.
Considering this, it’s fair to wonder if the Heat has enough top-notch talent to make a deep playoff career. With five All-Star appearances and two All-NBA picks to his name, Butler is a bona fide star, but besides him there is a gap. Adebayo was named for his first All-Star Game this season, and while he appears to be well on his way to stardom, he is not there yet. Robinson has been shut off from beyond the arc, but is relatively inexperienced. The same goes for talented rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn. And while a first Iguodala could be placed in the “star” category, it’s fair to say that its best moment is over at this point in her career. The Heat themselves do not appear to be selling because their own star power is sufficient as they continue to appear in rumors related to their interest in acquiring one or two additional stars.
A tangential question about whether the Heat has enough stellar power to make a deep postseason run is whether Butler may be the best choice in a legitimate contender. Despite all his abilities and skills, Butler has never been out of the second round and was unable to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves or Philadelphia 76ers to the conference finals or beyond, despite the hopes of both organizations that he could just do that. Will Miami’s youth roster be big in the playoffs? We will find the answers to all these questions in Orlando.
