Dangerous Loomers? Miami Shows Off a Strong Start to Second Half of the Season

The Miami Heat are 7-3 in their last ten games, floating consistently above .500 at 24-20.

The Miami Heat finally seem to get things going after having an inconsistent and rocky start to the 2022-2023 season. The team's main message going into the season was to run it back, despite the loss of P.J. Tucker. However, the first half of the season saw the Heat struggle to even reach .500, a stark contrast to last season where they maintained a top seed. Despite this, the team is now above .500 comfortably and won three in a row. Who is their savior(s)?

Victor Oladipo. The team is 12-14 without him and 12-6 with him, according to StatMuse. He is averaging 14.8 PTs, 4.4 ASTs, 3.8 REBs, and 2 STLs in the last ten games. He provides a much-needed spark of the bench with elite two-way playing and ball-handling. He still has great speed and explosiveness that helps free up shooters like Max Strus, who is also turning it around after having a shooting slump. Oladipo should remain as the 6th man in the rotation and be in the closing lineup.

Bam Adebayo. He has finally taken that next leap that many fans were expecting, shooting more jumpers against drop-zone coverage and being more aggressive overall. Averaging 22 PTs and 10 REBs on the season, he's been the Heat's most consistent and best player this year. If he can keep this performance up and stay healthy, the Heat will sneak higher into the standings.

Overall, the Heat are finally figuring things out and it's shown. Jimmy Butler is still doing Jimmy things, taking over whenever he needs to, Tyler Herro is showing more consistency in his offensive game, and the surprise emergence of backup center Orlando Robinson has helped the Heat with size, rebounding, defending, and youth.