Three Heats Step Up In the…
In the Eastern Conference standings, the Miami Heat are trying to move up in the second half of the season.
Although the Heat have been playing better recently, they have continued to struggle with injuries. Miami needs to find a method for everyone to play together once everyone is well. A few players on the team have the ability to improve Miami in the second half of the season. The season’s last stretch promises to be quite significant.
For the Heat to win these next 27 games, these three players must step up.
Bam Adebayo, who was just selected for the All-Star team, had a strong first half of the season but hasn’t always played like an All-Star on the floor because of a hip ailment. Adebayo will need to improve offensively if Miami hopes to move up into a higher postseason spot.
Adebayo plays world-class defence. That’s nothing to worry about. On the other hand, I hope Adebayo can take over more games offensively. Adebayo hasn’t had a horrible season at all, in my opinion, but the Heat need more of those close games against elite opponents.
Securing a playoff seed in the top six is crucial. Miami needs to advance from the play-in round since it is the seventh seed. Miami will be a difficult opponent for everyone in the playoffs if Adebayo continues to improve his scoring output in the latter stages of the campaign. Adebayo needs to improve his consistency when it comes to shooting mid-range jump shots, and to be honest, I’d like to see him add a couple three-pointers.
Although it’s a lot to expect, the Heat will need Jimmy Butler and Adebayo above all else to get through this last stretch and have a deep postseason run.