In Miami, a new beat for a new era

Something incredible is happening Miami. Long known for its physicality and defensive rigor, the club from Florida decided to step on the gas. After ten games, Erik Spoelstra’s men have the highest pace in the league, with 106.9 possessions per game, a historic turnaround for the franchise.

“We play less pick-and-roll, we make less screens. All five players are outside, and we share the ball” summarizes as follows Bam Adebayo. “And for me, that’s the best way to play basketball.” It’s a long way, there are 15 of us on the bus, but not all of us can drive. »

Trauma as a starting point

Miami didn’t choose this change for convenience. It comes from humiliation. Swept by Cleveland in the first round of the last playoffs, the Heat realized they had to fundamentally change things…

“We were eliminated at the end of April, and it was a painful, embarrassing defeat”Erik Spoelstra believes. “We gave everything to get this playoff ticket … And this is how it ended. We had to honor Cleveland, but we also had to look in the mirror.”

“We wanted to change our philosophy. We had to do better, and above all differently” confirmed Bam Adebayo.

Miami has never been in the Top 10 in terms of pace under Erik Spoelstra. But running is not enough: you have to defend yourself. Which the Heat continue to do very well, with the 5th defensive efficiency on the season.

In attack, Miami made a revolution. Lacking efficiency (21st offense last season), the club turned to the Grizzlies, who all but stopped using the pick-and-roll last season to establish a one-on-one offense. In Tennessee, this revolution did not last long, Ja Morant did not like this system, and Noah LaRoche, assistant in charge of setting up this attacktherefore left the door at the same time as Taylor Jenkins.

But Erik Spoelstra went to consult with Noah LaRoche over the summer and decided to go even further than Memphis. Because the Heat play even less pick-and-roll than the Grizzlies last year!

As the “Dreamcast Show” sums it up well, the idea is primarily to avoid the entire assist system that has developed in the NBA as the pick-and-roll becomes more and more important. Almost no longer setting screens, the Heat’s players can attack crumbly defenders one-on-one, with no support behind them.

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Taking advantage of favorable matchups, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaques Jr. and others Bam Adebayo can benefit from his power and technique in isolation.

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“They play very fast”confirms Lakers coach JJ Redick. “And then they keep passing the ball, driving it, over and over again, until they get a lead. You’re still not supposed to run the ball into the center of the paint, but Memphis really seemed to rely on drives through the middle last year. That’s not the case for this team. They do a great job on the baseline.”

“It’s easy to understand”

But for it to work, everyone has to buy into the system, let the player who gets the right duel use it, and not force less favorable situations.

“This team is different because it is collective”assures Bam Adebayo. “We’ve been playing like this all summer. So coming into the season it’s become second nature to us. Everyone’s involved. You never know who’s going to stand out. That’s what I like about this offense and this team. We share the ball. We take our positions. We’re willing to make sacrifices and look forward to the success of others.”

It remains to be seen whether this system can remain effective while opposing defenses truly adjust. The Nuggets also started in the zone to slow down the Heat, and it worked pretty well.

And then we will also have to integrate Tyler Herro on the go. “It’s easy to understand”however, he assures Erik Spoelstra about this new system. “Especially considering his talent. He’s one of the most talented players in the league. He’s going to fit in, he’s going to bring something… Especially with his offensive talent. His ability to create a play, to score, to play quickly, it’s all a great fit. Just like we thought with Norm.”

Because this system seems built to stay. “Yes, it’s a new era for the Miami Heat” concludes Bam Adebayo.