Miami Heat Struggles: Is it Fixable?

The Miami Heat were supposed to run it back, yet they sit at a mediocre 16-17. Why are they struggling and is a change needed?

The Miami Heat have been struggling mightily so far in the 2022-2023 NBA season, sitting below .500 for the majority of the season. Their offense is stagnant, sitting at the 26th spot in the league as well as locking down the 29th spot in terms of points per game. Their defense is one of the few positives, ranked 8th in defensive rating. The whole offseason, Miami Heat management were preaching about "running back", despite losing P.J. Tucker. But what happened?

First off, the loss of P.J. Tucker was more than many Heat fans would let on, and his absence is being felt. He brought not only a veteran presence but also provided a much-needed 3-and-D role. He averaged 7.6 points per game as well as 5.5 rebounds and shot a very efficient 48% from the field and a career-best 42% from downtown. He also helped our defensive schemes, which involve a lot of switches and trapping. Being more stout and active on defense, he fit right in. Replacing a great role player who fits the Heat system was going to be a challenge in itself, and although Caleb Martin has been doing a good job, especially offensively, the veteran presence is severely missed. Tucker was the Heat's #1 communicator, hustler, rebounder, etc. These are some of the unseen traits that helped propel the Heat to be the #1 seed in the 2021-2022 season.

Besides the loss of P.J. Tucker, the Heat have been injury-plagued this season. Jimmy Butler, who is the face of the Heat, has missed significant time due to injury. Gabe Vincent, who was a solid backup guard, has also missed many games because of injury. The inconsistent rotations have been the main point of emphasis that needs to be fixed, albeit barring injuries.

Finally, the main problem that the Heat need to fix is inconsistency, especially from their shooters. Max Strus and Duncan Robinson have been struggling with their shooting as well as being defensive liabilities. Dewayne Dedmon also has spurts where the Heat defense falters whenever he subs for Bam Adebayo.

Overall, the Heat have been inconsistent. There are times when they look bright and show flashes of why they were the #1 last year, but there have been too many games that overshadow and they falter, even to lower and tanking teams. Perhaps a trade, whether big or small, would help wake the team up, but if they overcome injury and inconsistency, it would do numbers for the Heat.