Miami Heat: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18
Weakness No. 1: Playmaking
Goran Dragic is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. The veteran guard is entering his 10th season in the league. Last season he averaged 6.2 assists per 36 minutes while taking on most of the scoring load. Despite his stellar play, Miami still finished 24th in the league as a team in total assist percentage.
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The lack of playmakers didn’t hurt the team last year, but that could change in 2017-18. James Johnson and Justise Winslow both boast considerable playmaking skills for forwards. Their success as defensive rebounders allow them to push the ball in transition. Miami’s preference for half-court basketball limits the pair of forwards’ playmaking duties. That is when the lack of a “true” point behind Dragic becomes a major weakness.
Trusting the trio of Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson behind Dragic worked last season. Playing at a slow pace helps, but they need Dragic’s production. If his production slows down, Waiters all the sudden becomes close to a full-time distributor. That should worry Heat fans. Last season was Waiters’ best in terms of assist percentage, but that did little to help his pedestrian impact in terms of offensive wins share or offensive rating.
In the meantime, Miami fans should watch the development of Larry Drew II in the G League, as the 6’2” guard out of UCLA could become an intriguing rotation piece sooner than expected. This team knows how it wants to play, but they will need assist-men outside of Dragic to help facilitate easy baskets when the inevitable cold streak comes for a team that has the 3-pointer as a central hub in its offense.