Miami Heat: 3 biggest disappointments from the 2018-19 NBA season

2. Untimely injury list

In the summer of 2017, Riley rewarded the pair of Dion Waiters and James Johnson for the impact they made in their debut seasons with the Heat. Unfortunately for the Heat, this duo has been unable to replicate that same impact as an integral part of a Heat team that reeled off a 30-11 record to finish the 2016-17 season.

Fast forward to this season and the Heat found themselves without the services of Johnson for the first 15 games of the season. Coming off a summer in which he underwent sports hernia surgery, it was clear from the outset that Johnson had a long way to go as it pertained to his overall level of conditioning.

As Riley explained at his recent press conference:

"“It was pretty much his whole stomach. It was very difficult surgery and it was very hard to come back. When your whole game is predicated on your core, your groin and your stomach muscles, once they get cut into, it’s hard to come back.”"

Overall, Johnson appeared in just 55 games, averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game. Clearly lacking the explosiveness of past seasons, Johnson shot at a 43.3 percent clip from the field, well below the 50.3 percent return of the season prior. Furthermore, he also recorded a career-low in blocks per 36 minutes, indicative of the duress he played under this season.

As for Waiters, he was even further hampered following reconstructive ankle surgery in January 2018. As Riley detailed:

"“The surgery that he had was extensive. It wasn’t just to fix one part of his ankle. It was absolutely something more than that. And it took him a year.”"

Due to this, Waiters missed the first 35 games of the season, finally making his debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 2. In all, Waiters appeared in 44 games, averaging 12.0 points in 25.9 minutes per game. While his 3-point shooting was a notable feature, hitting at a 37.7 percent clip on a career-high 6.6 attempts per game, Waiters’ explosiveness and ability to get to the rim was clearly lacking.

Then there was point guard Goran Dragic. Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, Dragic attempted to play through a nagging knee injury through the early stages of the season before finally succumbing to surgery. Missing 31 games with the surgery, Dragic eventually played just 36 games in total, by far the lowest of his career.

Armed with a $19.2 million player option next season for the final year of his contract, it’s unclear yet as to the intentions of the 32-year-old Dragic moving forward.