Miami Heat: Why a trade for Brandon Ingram is not worth it
By Zamir Bueno
The Miami Heat organization is reportedly monitoring the relationship between Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans. Ethan Skolnick of the Five Reasons Sports Network stated on June 17th that the Miami Heat are keeping an eye on the situation between both parties as he heard that Ingram feels he isn’t a long-term fit with Zion Williamson.
If the Pelicans agree with Ingram and put him on the trade market, Miami will be interested in working out a deal. But does Brandon Ingram make sense for Miami next season? Not necessarily. The Heat runs an offensive system centered around dribble handoffs and pick and rolls.
Let’s take a look at why a Brandon Ingram trade would be too expensive for the hypothetical role he would play on the Miami Heat next season.
Miami was 2nd in the league in dribble handoffs during the regular season, averaging 8.3 per game. Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler were responsible for 42.2 percent of those possessions, averaging 3.5 per game.
On the other hand, the Heat were 22nd in pick and rolls, averaging 17.9 per game. Head Coach, Erik Spoelstra, gave 39.6 percent of the pick and rolls to Butler, as he averaged 6.6 per game during the regular season.
Spoelstra’s offensive system played a vital role in other players having to spend most of their minutes as floor spacers. For example, Andre Iguodala, Trevor Ariza, and Kelly Olynyk attempted more than 50 percent of their shots from behind the arc, averaging 2.9, 4.8, and 5.7, respectively.
More than 86 percent of those attempts were catch and shoots, as Iguodala, Ariza, and Olynyk attempted 2.4, 4, and 4.9, respectively. A substantial amount of those catch-and-shoot opportunities came from above the break as the three players averaged 1.3, 2.6, and 4.5, respectively. It is uncertain if Ingram would be able to thrive as a floor spacer.