Miami Heat: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

Following a season that culminated in a first round playoff exit, here’s an overlook at the 2018 offseason thus far for the Miami Heat.

It’s safe to say it’s been a highly uneventful 2018 offseason for the Miami Heat.

While bouncing back from missing out on the playoff action in 2017 was commendable, a 44-38 record leading to a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers is simply not in the playbook of team president Pat Riley.

With the Heat basically capped out from a financial standpoint, adding any significant free agents was never going to be an option this summer. As a result, it’s understandable that the front office has reportedly attempted to unload some of their less friendly contracts, most notably Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson. However, these attempts have thus far proven to be fruitless.

So not only does this restrict their movements this offseason, the nature of these deals means it’s also going to be difficult next summer to make any inroads in the free agency market.

In addition to no big-name free agents signing with the Heat, they were also without a single draft pick, meaning they’ve been extremely handcuffed in transforming the roster this offseason.

Taking these obstacles into account, here are three takeaways from the offseason to this point for the Heat.

3. Derrick Jones Jr. shows potential

Prior to sustaining an ankle injury at the 2018 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Derrick Jones Jr. was again beginning to display flashes of his untapped potential.

Undrafted after one season at UNLV, Jones has been predominately a highlight reel throughout his brief appearances with both the Phoenix Suns and the Heat, as can be seen from the following highlight from a recent Summer League game in Sacramento:

While his athleticism is clearly unquestioned, it’s been the other aspects of Jones’ games that have been less desirable, most notably his outside shot. However, this has been a clear focus for Jones this offseason, as he recently relayed:

"“If I get an open shot, I’m not going to pass up on it,” he said. “I worked on my game so much, what’s the point passing up an open shot that I worked on so much? So if I get an open three, I’m taking it.”"

While his shooting is still very much a work in progress, Jones’ elite athleticism presents the Heat with a multitude of options moving forward for the 21-year-old. Signed to a two-way contract in the midst of last season, Jones recently signed a two-year standard deal with the Heat, with the first year being fully guaranteed. Following the signing, head coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise for Jones’ recent progress:

"“He’s been terrific. He’s been all in with all the work. He wants more. Those guys tend to do well in our program. I was really happy for him when he signed the contract. It’s not easy in this league when you’re not drafted and then somebody cuts you. You have to show a level of grit and determination to be able to re-start. He did that, he trusted us to help him with that. His next step as a pro, it’s been fun to watch him improve.”"

So when you combine Jones’ significant upside with the Heat’s proven ability to develop and mold players from the outside, this under-the-radar signing was certainly a win for the Heat considering their lack of flexibility this summer.

2. Re-signing of Wayne Ellington is a good move

While it certainly didn’t garner national headlines, the re-signing of veteran Wayne Ellington was nonetheless a significant moment for the Heat.

After bouncing around the league with six teams over his first seven teams in the league, it’s safe to say Ellington has well and truly found a home in Miami.

Simply one of the elite long distance shooters in the league, Ellington’s importance belied his 11.2 points in 26.5 minutes per game. In the era of pace-and-space, the 30-year-old sharpshooter ranked seventh in the league in 3-point attempts at 7.5 per game while converting at a 39.2 percent clip.

Upon his re-signing, team president Pat Riley expressed his satisfaction at retaining Ellington:

"“It’s great to have Wayne back. He is one of our leaders. We are very pleased that he made the choice to stay. It means a lot to us.”"

Overall, the Heat were 3.9 points per 100 possessions better off on the offensive end last season when Ellington was on the floor. Considering his influence as a floor-spacer and 3-point marksman, it comes as little surprise that the former North Carolina product featured in the most productive 2-man, 3-man, 4-man and 5-man lineups over the course of last season.

So while the Heat weren’t financially capable of landing a player of greater stature, few players on the Heat roster were more important to the overall success of the franchise last year than Ellington.

1. The return to the court of Dion Waiters

Despite signing a four-year, $50 million contract extension last summer, Dion Waiters’ body was simply a ticking time-bomb upon commencing the season. After his first year with the Heat was cut short due to a season-ending ankle injury, it was only a matter of time before Waiters’ suspect ankle gave way.

With his preparation for last season significantly hampered, it came as little surprise that the 26-year-old succumbed to the injury after completing just 30 games. As a result of his restrictions, Waiters shot at just a 39.8 percent clip from the field, and an equally woeful 30.6 percent clip from 3-point land on a career-high 5.7 attempts per game.

However, despite his limitations, Waiters nonetheless maintained his attacking style of play, leading the Heat in drives at 14.7 per game. Coupled with this is the memory of Waiters’ career-best stretch of play during the Heat’s 30-11 finish to the 2016-17 season.

Over a 21-game span, Waiters averaged 19.6 points and 5.1 assists per game, while converting at an incredible 46.4 percent clip from long range on 6.0 attempts per game. Most notably, Waiters led the team over this stretch with an offensive rating of 113.8, simply an outstanding return.

Considering his level of contribution last season was largely non-existent, the return to the court for Waiters is essentially like a new recruit for the Heat. Until the late season return of Dwyane Wade, the Heat had virtually no player on the roster possessing the ability to create his own shot, particularly in crunch time.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

So with an offseason consisting largely of non-activity, the return to the court, and eventual full health of Waiters is certainly the biggest takeaway thus far of the Heat’s offseason.