Miami Heat: Do they need Victor Oladipo in the playoffs?

There is a perception that Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo will miss the beginning of the playoffs as he recovers from a knee injury. Five Reasons Sports tweeted on May 10th that they would be surprised if Oladipo made a return to action shortly.

But will Oladipo’s absence affect Miami in the playoffs? No, as head coach Erik Spoelstra was using him as a floor spacer during his four-game stretch with the team. Spoelstra runs an offensive system revolving around dribble handoffs and pick and roll.

Let’s take a look at how the Miami Heat have used Victor Oladipo, which is vital information to determine whether they need him in the playoffs.

The Heat are tied for first place in dribble handoffs averaging 8.4 possessions per game in 69 outings. Spoelstra has given 58.3 percent of those possessions to Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragić, and Duncan Robinson as they have combined to average 4.9 possessions per game.

On the other hand, the Heat are 22nd in the league in pick and roll possessions, averaging 17.9 per game. The coach has handed 65.4 percent of pick and roll possessions to Goran Dragić and Butler as they’re averaging 11.7 per game.

Consequently, the other players on the team had to be put in a position to be floor spacers. For instance, Andre Igoudala and Tyler Herro stood behind the arc late in the first quarter of a home game against Minnesota.

As they were standing behind the arc, Dragić had the basketball on the right wing. He proceeded to go over a Dewayne Dedmon screen and began to attack the basket before passing the ball to Butler. Butler had established himself the right block and took a turnaround jumper.

The floor spacer role has contributed to role players taking most of their shots from behind the arc. Kendrick Nunn has taken 49.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc this season, averaging 5.8 per game. 72.4 percent of his threes have come from catch and shoots as he is averaging 4.2 per game.

Victor Oladipo was facing the same position as Nunn because 39.5 percent of his shots came from behind the arc as he averaged 4.3 per contest during his four games with the Miami Heat. Catch and shoots accounted for 93 percent of his threes as he has averaged 4 per game.

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Sadly, Victor Oladipo struggles in the role because 3-point shooting is one of his biggest flaws. Before arriving in Miami, Oladipo made 36.1 percent of his catch and shoots on 2.9 attempts per game. Catch and shoots accounted for 63 percent of his threes, and he had a career shooting percentage of 34.8 percent on 4.6 shots per game.

Oladipo’s 3-point shooting got even worse when he arrived in Miami as he shot 25 percent on catch and shoots during his four games. Oladipo’s struggles with catch and shoots hurt his overall 3-point percentage as he shot 23.5 percent from behind the arc.

Oladipo will have a hard time excelling in Miami because he needs the ball in his hands. Oladipo has excelled as a pick and roll ball handler since 2015. He shot 45.2 percent from the field on 3.3 attempts per game.

The shooting percentage helped him generate 5.9 points per game, which accounted for 31.9 percent of his scoring output. Unfortunately, Miami already has two pick and roll ball handlers, Butler and Dragić, which means, Oladipo isn’t going to get many opportunities in that role.

Victor Oladipo will need one of those two players to be out of action to thrive in Miami. For instance, if Dragić was out of action due to health and safety protocol, Spoelstra could give Oladipo the 5.1 pick and roll possessions Dragić averages.

In conclusion, if one of those two players isn’t out of action, the Miami Heat don’t need Victor Oladipo because he struggles as a shooter.