Despite being in the middle of a playoff push, the Miami Heat have had to rely on position-less basketball, yet again.
It seems like just yesterday that people were calling the Miami Heat crazy for trying to develop former Duke Blue Devil, Justise Winslow, into a point guard.
And now?
Now, those same people are worried about the team’s chances at securing a spot in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, largely due to Winslow’s absence at the 1.
Winslow, who hasn’t seen time since the March 15 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (during which he scored 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting and dished out five assists), is currently recovering from a thigh bruise. There has been no real timetable set on his return either, with the latest update being that he missed Monday’s practice due to food poisoning.
Not exactly ideal, especially given what a strong season he’s had thus far, averaging 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game.
However, the good news is head coach Erik Spoelstra thrives in running a position-less basketball system.
After all, that’s how the 22-year-old got slotted into his new role in the first place.
Which means that while Winslow being sidelined right now certainly doesn’t make the Heat’s playoff push any easier, there’s definitely still hope.
In fact, Miami has gone 4-1 over its last five contests, with the only loss coming on the road against the Bucks last Friday.
It wasn’t Goran Dragic at the helm either. Instead, Josh Richardson held things down at the point — a hat that took some getting used to.
In his first two games filling in for Winslow, the Oklahoma City native struggled. Despite grabbing 13 rebound and dishing 11 assists, he went a miserable 5-for-31 from the field, hitting just one lone triple.
But he wasn’t worried.
"“They’re probably going to fall today. Law of J-Rich. I’m not going to miss them for that long, so I’m not worried about it.”"
Law of J-Rich indeed.
Fast forward to last Saturday, when the Heat edged out the Washington Wizards 113-108, and Richardson finished with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, alongside five assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block.
He hasn’t been the only one showing off versatility though.
Lately, Bam Adebayo has seemingly become a much more well-rounded big.
He was unstoppable during Miami’s last two matchups, finishing Saturday night’s victory with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks… all in 35 minutes of play.
When looking at this past week, he contested a team-high 50 shots, recorded a team-high 13 screen assists for 33 points, and also had the team’s best defensive rating (101.8) and second-best net rating (6.6).
Wowzers.
Obviously, a full, healthy squad is always preferred. However, there’s comfort in knowing that the organization’s “next-man-up” mentality never wavers.
Here’s to position-less basketball continuing to keep the Miami Heat afloat, and landing them a spot in the postseason.