Miami Heat: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18

Strength No. 2: Interior defense

Teams shot the fifth-worst field goal percentage from 2-point range against the Heat. This is what I call the “Whiteside Effect.” Spoelstra has his guards go over screens most of the time to deter the opposition from taking 3-pointers. A big reason for this strategy working is Whiteside’s ability to shut off drives while also tracking his original mark.

Whiteside was fourth in the league with 2.1 blocks per game, and also made sure to clean up the defensive glass for the Heat in 2017. He was a one-man wrecking crew as the back-line defense, and he grabbed an astonishing 35.3 percent of the defensive boards available to him. That figure would put him in line with prime (Minnesota) Kevin Love and Dennis Rodman in terms of elite defensive rebounding.

Teams found it hard to drive on Miami because of the speed they could put on the floor without sacrificing height. Rookie big Bam Adebayo has immense amounts of potential, and though Spoelstra will likely use him as a small-ball 5, the thought of he and Whiteside on the floor together defending pick-and-rolls is tantalizing for Heat fans.

James Johnson returns as the prototypical modern NBA power forward. At 6’9” and 250 pounds, Johnson guards positions 1-4 comfortably, and can guard certain 5s. Having Johnson and Whiteside minimizes the amount of damage teams can do to Kelly Olynyk or any of Miami’s guards on the perimeter.

The Heat snuffed out dribble-drive penetration with their towering defensive big man Whiteside) last season. Expect more of the same this year and possible Defensive Player of the Year noise for Whiteside.