With the Miami Heat having completed their first 10 games of the 2017-18 season, here are three significant observations from their year thus far.
With a 4-6 record through their first 10 games of the 2017-18 season, the Miami Heat clearly haven’t set the world on fire.
Two of their four wins have been against the lowly Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, while their most impressive performance for the season came during their 104-101 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers. However, their two games against two of the elite teams the league, the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs, each resulted in 17-point defeats.
While their 30-11 record to finish last season was not expected to be duplicated, the Heat’s commencement to the season has certainly not been at the level they were expecting.
Having finished last season with an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) that ranked eighth over the final 41 games at 109.7, the Heat have thus far produced a rating of just 99.2, ranking 27th overall.
.@MiamiHeat guard Goran Dragic on the loss the Warriors, the struggles on offense and the performance from Whiteside on Monday. #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/8aPI0UdVW7
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) November 7, 2017
Furthermore, unlike their start to last season, the Heat have had a relatively full bill of health, with the exception of swingman Rodney McGruder, who’s currently sidelined indefinitely with a leg stress fracture.
So in the midst of their current six-game road trip, here are three important observations from the Heat’s opening 10 games.