Miami Heat: Not signing LaMarcus Aldridge is a blessing in disguise

The Miami Heat organization was seen as one of the frontrunners to sign free-agent center LaMarcus Aldridge in the buyout market before the deadline. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News stated on March 24th that the Heat and Brooklyn Nets were the favorites to sign Aldridge as they would allow him to be in the starting lineup.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the next day that Aldridge was leaning towards signing with Miami. Unfortunately, reports came out on March 27th that Aldridge had changed his mind as he was slated to sign a minimum contract with the Nets.

How the Miami Heat would have used LaMarcus Aldridge

But will missing out on Aldridge have an impact on the Heat? No, as it would have been an awkward fit because frontcourt players who play alongside Bam Adebayo are subjected to the floor spacer role.

Former starting power forward Kelly Olynyk shared the court with Adebayo for 17 minutes per game this season and stood behind the arc for most possessions. For example, Adebayo dribbled the ball up the court midway through the first quarter of a home game against the Thunder.

Once he reached the 3-point line, Adebayo began a dribble handoff sequence with Olynyk. Upon receiving the ball, Olynyk shot and converted a 3-pointer. Olynyk’s role contributed to him taking 64.6 percent of his shots from behind the arc averaging 5.7 per game.

86 percent of those attempts have been catch and shoots as he is averaging 4.9 per game. Some of Olynyk’s catch and shoots have been from above the break as he is averaging 4.5 above the break threes per game.

Aldridge has been subpar from above the break and on catch and shoot opportunities. Aldridge has converted 33.3 percent of his attempts from above the break since the 2013-14 season on 1.1 attempts per game. On the other hand, he has made 35.4 percent of his catch and shoots since the 2013-14 season on 1.2 shots per game.

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How the Miami Heat could have optimized LaMarcus Aldridge’s skillset

If head coach Erik Spoelstra wanted to get the most out of Aldridge, he would have had to use him as a backup center. Aldridge has thrived in the post since 2015, shooting 46.2 percent from the field on 6.1 attempts per game in 6.3 possessions per game. The shooting percentage helped him create 6.1 points per game.

Aldridge complimented his post-work with success as a roll man. He has shot 47.3 percent from the field on 3.6 attempts per game, creating 4 points per game. Aldridge has generated 10.1 points per game from his post and roll man work, 51.8 percent of his scoring output.

The easiest way for Aldridge to thrive in Miami is as a backup center. Starting center Bam Adebayo currently leads the team in post possessions averaging 1.9 per game. Adebayo also leads the team in roll man possessions averaging 3.2 per game in 40 outings. Backup center Precious Achiuwa ranks second in roll man possessions averaging 1.3 per game in 44 appearances.

Unfortunately, Aldridge would not have been open to coming off the bench as it was the catalyst for him parting ways with San Antonio. The Spurs informed Aldridge that he would be coming off the bench before a game against the Thunder on February 24th. Aldridge wasn’t happy with the Spurs’ decision:

"“It wasn’t perfect tonight, and I don’t think it’s going to be perfect for a while; it’s going to take some time for me to figure it out.”"

About two weeks later, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich announced that the organization and Aldridge had agreed to part ways. Consequently, the Miami Heat would have put itself in a less than ideal situation by starting Aldridge to keep him happy.