Miami Heat: Why Trevor Ariza is off to a slow start with his new team

Miami Heat forward Trevor Ariza has gotten off to a slow start in his first seven outings with his new team. Ariza is currently shooting a career-low 28.0 percent from the field on 7.1 attempts per game.

Why Miami Heat forward Trevor Ariza is struggling right now

Ariza’s slow start is related to his struggles from behind the arc this season. Ariza is currently taking 52 percent from behind the arc averaging 3.7 per game. Unfortunately, Ariza is converting 19.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc this season. The shooting percentage helped Ariza generate 2.1 points per game, 37.5 percent of his scoring output.

If fans took Ariza’s 3-point performance away, his field goal percentage would be 9.5 percentage points better. Ariza is currently shooting 37.5 percent from inside the arc on 3.4 attempts per game. But why is Ariza struggling from behind the arc this season? The answer is head coach Erik Spoelstra is using Ariza like he would use any other power forward in his system.

Spoelstra has a recent history of using power forwards as floor spacers. Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder attempted more than 53 percent of their shots from behind the arc after the Heat acquired them from Memphis last season, averaging 2.2 and 6.4 per game, respectively. At least 65 percent of those attempts were catch and shoots as they averaged 1.9 and 4.2 per game, respectively.

More importantly, Iguodala and Crowder took a significant portion of their catch and shoot threes from above the break as they averaged 1.1 and 4.2 above the break threes per game, respectively.

Spoelstra hasn’t changed the way he uses power forwards this season. Igoudala and Olynyk took at least 64 percent of their shots from behind the arc, averaging 3 and 5.7 attempts per game. Catch and shoots accounted for a minimum of 85 percent of their attempts as they averaged 2.6 and 4.9 per game, respectively.

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Igoudala and Olynyk experienced some overlap between their catch and shoots and above the break threes. Igoudala and Olynyk have attempted 1.4 and 4.5 above the break threes per game, respectively.

Spoelstra uses Ariza in the same manner as 78.4 percent of his threes have been catch and shoots averaging 2.9 per game. Some of the catch and shoots have been from above the break as he is currently shooting 2 above the break threes per game.

Unfortunately, Ariza has struggled to make above the break threes since the 2013-14 season. For example, Ariza had the basketball on the right-wing early in the first quarter of a road game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Ariza passed the basketball to Jimmy Butler, who was standing near the top of the key. After passing the ball, Ariza went to the right corner for a few seconds as Butler threw the ball to Kendrick Nunn, who was standing on the right-wing.

Nunn was going to shoot the ball, but Terry Rozier came over to contest the shot. Consequently, Nunn put the ball on the field and took a few steps towards the basket before passing it to Ariza. Ariza was going to shoot immediately, but Rozier came over, forcing them to put the ball on the floor and take two steps to the left. Ariza ended the possession by missing an above-the-break three.

Ariza’s inability to make an above-the-break three has been a problem since the 2013-14 season as he is converting 32.8 percent of the attempts on 3.5 per game. Spoelstra would be better off telling Ariza to reduce his above-the-break attempts and take more from the corner.  He has made 36.9 percent of his corner threes since the 2013-14 season on 2.3 attempts per game.

Right now Ariza is only taking 1.7 corner threes per game, 45.9 percent of the total 3-point attempts.  In conclusion, the catalyst behind Ariza’s early struggles is where his shots are located on the floor.