The Miami Heat’s offense has gone from clunky to explosive in a hurry, and the change isn’t just about shots finally dropping. After opening the season with four straight losses and one of the league’s least effective attacks, Miami has ripped off two double-digit wins and suddenly looks like a different team.
The shift has come with clear tweaks from Erik Spoelstra. Instead of forcing the same looks that bogged things down early, the Heat have leaned harder into pick-and-roll action and found a better way to use Bam Adebayo and Giannis together. The key has been putting one of them in the dunker spot when he isn’t directly involved in the play, giving the offense cleaner spacing and a better flow.
The numbers show just how dramatic the turnaround has been. Through the first four games, Miami ranked 27th in offensive rating.
Over the last two games, the Heat have surged all the way to No. 1 in the league in that category. It’s a tiny sample, sure, but the contrast is impossible to ignore.
Miami has averaged 137 points over those two wins.
The on-court fit between Giannis and Bam has improved just as sharply. In the first four games, the two shared the floor for 71 minutes and posted a net rating of -31.6 with an offensive rating of 101.3. In the last two games, they’ve played 35 minutes together and produced a net rating of 27.8, along with an offensive rating of 131.6.
After the Heat’s win over the Pacers, Giannis explained what’s changing.
"I've got to keep creating space for Bam...when he's in the top, I've got to work the baseline. When I'm on top, he's got to work the baseline. We've got to keep working on being away from one another and working from one another's space and vicinity.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win. And if it's me sometimes setting screens...rebounding the ball, I'm going to do it."
That’s the story in a nutshell: Miami has found a way to make the two big pieces fit better, and both players look more comfortable because of it. Spoelstra’s adjustments have opened things up, and now the Heat are trying to prove this isn’t just a two-game blip as they move back into the thick of the Eastern Conference race.
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