• John Salley shared his take on Damian Lillard moving to the Miami Heat
• Salley praised the Heat for making the Finals, crediting Jimmy Butler
• He admitted that Lillard would create a scouting problem for other teams
Damian Lillard is still waiting for the announcement that declared he’s been traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Miami Heat. Until the trade goes through officially, analysts are speculating on how the on-court fit of Lillard on the Heat. John Salley shared his honest take on this pairing.
“They made it to the Finals without him and it wasn’t sheer luck… It was Jimmy Butler putting that team on his back and going all the way to the Finals as best he could. Damian Lillard changes the way you 100% prepare for that team, but it’s still only one basketball.”
Miami Heat PG Damian Lillard makes all the difference in the world in South Beach?
“They made it to the Finals without him [Lillard] and it wasn’t sheer luck,” says John Salley.
“It was that the year before when Jimmy Butler got into with Haslem. It was Jimmy Butler putting… https://t.co/S7IdIVFIAE pic.twitter.com/4B4r5dCCKN
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 28, 2023
If Lillard is on the court with Jimmy Butler, teams have no choice but to prepare for it. Scheming against the Heat has always been challenging due to Erik Spoelstra’s coaching setup, but adding an unguardable force like Lillard would make the Heat among the favorites in the East.
Can Damian Lillard Win A Title With The Miami Heat?
Since the Heat acquired Butler in 2019, they have made two Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons. You cannot say one run was a fluke when it’s a consistent theme with the franchise. Given their potency, especially in the postseason, adding Lillard would make them favorites in a competitive Eastern Conference.
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists last season and even had a 70-point game. He is easily among the best scorers in the NBA, a need that the Heat need to address. They were 24th in offensive rating last regular season, becoming one of the lowest-ranked offenses to advance to the Finals since the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Lillard may be exactly what they need, which explains why they want this deal to go through ASAP. Unfortunately, the ball is with the Blazers, and it seems they’re content with running the clock down for now.
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