Miami Heat Bench Is Coming Up BIG
Chris Andersen continues to be a force on both ends of the floor with some great defense and efficient offense. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule)
The Miami Heat are well-known for their star power with the likes of All-Stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, as well as the reigning Most Valuable Player, LeBron James. However, for all the firepower they possess in the starting lineup, perhaps the key to a three-peat lies on the bench.
Last year, Coach Erik Spoelstra often went with a limited portion his bench and the Heat ended up 24th in bench points per game with 28.6 points per game. This time around though, that second unit–which is still very similar to last year’s–is averaging more than 36 ppg and is currently seventh through the opening 13 games. (Hoopsstats.com)
The biggest difference is arguably the fact that Coach Spo is focusing more on keeping his stars fresh for the Playoffs and that has led to him using 10 or 11 players in a game more often thanks to the versatility of the squad. On several occasions this year, Spoelstra has gone for long stretches of time with a line-up of just his second string team i.e. not playing his starters in the fourth quarter against Charlotte and Orlando.
The fact that LeBron (35.1), Wade (33.3) and Bosh (28.4) are all playing career lows or near career lows in minutes in a season where the Heat are third in scoring and first in efficiency is quite a feat. Then again it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise when your second unit features the likes of would-be starters such as Michael Beasley and the all-time leader in 3 pointers, Ray Allen.
Having been released by the Phoenix Suns for his off-court troubles and lack of performance on it, Michael Beasley has been nothing short of a saint during his second stint in South Beach. Granted the season is only 14 games old, but we have been nothing but praise for B-Easy out of the Heat camp.
He has been focusing more on the defense side of the ball and it’s clear he has improved in Spoelstra’s high intensity system which requires a lot of focus and movement due to the numerous rotations. By no means is he the finished article yet on but at least he had made great strides on that side of the ball. He even has a few defensive highlights to show for it including this swat to reject Nando De Colo in the preseason.
Offensively, the former number two Overall draft Pick has continued to be a live wire, averaging 10.3 points in just 15 minutes of action. The impressive thing is that he has learned to do it all within the flow of the game. He is no longer isn’t hurting the offense by hogging the ball and stopping the ball movement, but rather moving it along for better looks.
Apparently he has also developed a stronger work ethic to as illustrated by this play against Milwaukee as he outran the Bucks for the fastbreak slam.
Ray Allen has also been huge off the bench. As you would expect for such a great shooter and player, he has the freedom to do as he wishes offensively. But nonetheless, Ray is such a great player he has the awareness and basketball I.Q to know when to move the ball on, as is the case for the rest of the team. And that is why Miami is among the leaders sixth in bench assists with 8.3 through 13 games.
With Udonis Haslem in and out of the rotation, Miami has relied upon Chris Andersen to bring the intensity and he has done that and so much more. The Birdman leaves everything on the floor in his 17 minutes of play in addition to efficiently averaging nearly 7 ppg while shooting 63.2 percent from the field.
His defense and tenacity on the boards has been crucial for Miami since he signed on mid-way through last season and 1.9 blocks and 9.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Norris Cole too has been a key to player off the bench as the third year player has improved and has been consistent with his play.
The speedster out of Cleveland State has become a better decision maker and now knows when and when not to turn on the after burners. Of course he’s prone to making mistakes every now but he has been playing the point guard role well with 5.2 assists per 36 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that Greg Oden hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet so it’s still unknown what he’ll bring to the table. Moreover, there wasn’t even any mention of players such as Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier, James Jones or Roger Mason Jr. in this article, that’s the kind of fire power Erik Spoelstra has at his disposal. And on any given night, any of these players can step in and provide a big boost to the team; making the Miami Heat that much more difficult to prepare for.
I suppose with all the talent they have, it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise the Miami Heat have one of the best second units in the NBA. So when crunch time comes, that could prove to be a crucial commodity.
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