In 2020, the Miami Heat defied all expectations by making a run to the NBA Finals. Led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, the Heat pushed the Lakers to 6 games before eventually losing the series.
But after taking that big step, the Heat have been mostly irrelevant since winning just two playoff series over the past two years.
This season, things only appear to be worse for the Heat, who have already lost 7 games.
Miami Heat May Have To Re-Think Their Approach With Jimmy Butler
Of course, the situation is entirely subjective for Miami, but one Western Conference coach gave the Heat some advice on what could be holding them back the most:
Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney spoke to a Western Conference coach about the situation in Miami and, in particular, Butler’s place in it all. And it was their opinion that the six-time All-Star should probably be playing second fiddle to another of the Heat’s big-time ballers.
“I’ve thought, even going back to 2020 when they were in the Finals in the bubble, that the only way they can win a championship is if Bam Adebayo is their best player,” the coach opined. “Really, that is what they need. When he is aggressive and playing with force, man, he can do everything on both sides of the ball. But he’s always been reluctant to demand that, and they’ve always been reluctant to sort of push him into the role whether he likes it or not.”
The unnamed coach clarified that he wasn’t taking a shot at Butler, only pointing out what could be a flaw in their game plan.
“What you get from Jimmy is great, he is a fun player to watch play, but man, he has to work so hard for everything he gets,” the coach said. “Everything. All the credit in the world to [Butler] because he does that work, he is not afraid of doing the work. And they’re paying him [$145 million] over the next three years until he’s 36 so they think he can keep doing that. But the problem is, somewhere along the line, you need Bam to pass him on the food chain. And he’s not going to pass the guy making $50 million.”
The Heat will always be somewhat competitive with the core they have in place, but if they start playing off of Bam instead of relying so much on Jimmy Butler, things might start getting a little easier offensively. While names like Julius Randle and others have come up in trade rumors, no moves are imminent at this time.
Either way, they have to change something fast if they want to keep up with the other NBA elites.
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