The Miami Heat Must Acquire This Star To Be Contenders
The Miami Heat fell short of winning a championship. While on paper they may look to run it back, they must make a big trade for them to be contenders next year.
Unsustainable Shooting
The Heat were a very below-average three-point shooting team this year, finishing as a bottom-ten unit. They struggled on offense not having consistent scorers besides Jimmy Butler who averaged 23 points for the year. Their big three of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Tyler Herro were solid, but they had a lot of undrafted talent.
The Heat were massive first-round underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks, and they were able to stun them with an upset. Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin broke out this playoff stretch, and they were key contributors to Miami.
The Heat averaged 55% on contested shots against the Bucks. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami hit 58% on wide-open jumpers. Caleb Martin broke out averaging double-digit points per game in every game.
Simply, the shooting stretch Miami had isn't sustainable. Miami is a great underdog story. Gabe Vincent and Max Strus are now on different teams, and if the Heat don't get Damian Lillard they are significantly worse than they were last year. The Heat won off of their depth, but they've sacrificed their depth for a star now
The Heat Need Damian Lillard
Jimmy Butler fizzled out in the NBA finals averaging 17 points per game on 39% from the field. Adebayo had a good finals stretch but he's not enough to lead them to a championship.
Butler as a number one scoring option could be slightly questionable, and for Miami, the best way to build a contender is to pair Butler with another star player.
Currently, Jimmy Butler is too heavily relied upon to produce for Miami. Butler is the best scorer and one of the best facilitators the Heat have, they need a guard to produce along with Butler.
The Heat could build a package around Tyler Herro and first-round picks. It's important for Miami not to get complacent. While they had a great stretch, they must improve to be able to win a championship next year.
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