The Heat is playing zone defense more than any other team. A look at the ‘genius move’
Opponents playing the Heat these days will probably see a zone defense. It’s not a secret.
It has actually made it on to the scouting report. Teams are now preparing to go against the 2-3 scheme before facing Miami because it’s been a part of the Heat’s game plan since it began using the defense in a win over the Clippers on Dec. 8.
The Heat has used a zone defense in eight consecutive games entering Wednesday’s home matchup against the Raptors. Why? Because it’s working.
“Right now, it’s by any means necessary,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of sprinkling in the zone, with the Heat still primarily playing man-to-man defense. “Whatever it takes. We’re preparing to use it.”
According to Synergy Sports, Miami entered Wednesday allowing 0.85 points per possession when in a zone compared to 0.93 points per possessions when it’s playing man-to-man defense this season. The Heat has also used the zone more than any other team in the league (199 possessions), with the Knicks second on that list at 134 possessions (allowing 1.22 points per possession when playing zone).
In other words, the Heat is using the 2-3 look a lot and it’s working. A key part of that success has been mixing it in at the right times depending on lineups on the floor, game situation and other factors, and not giving opponents enough of it that they can figure it out.
“I think it’s really about not overusing it,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said of the zone. “I think we’ve been using it in different games depending on the matchup at the right times, trying to keep teams off balance. It’s no secret that we’re playing man and we’re playing zone. We’ve been doing it for a while now.”
In Saturday’s win over the Bucks, the Heat used the zone in the final three minutes of a close game. It seemed to throw Milwaukee off the offensive rhythm it had built against Miami’s man-to-man defense, as the Heat went on a 10-2 run to seal the victory.
It worked down the stretch in Sunday’s win over the Magic, too.
“A lot of it has to do with that,” Heat wing Josh Richardson said of strategically switching from man-to-man to zone during specific stretches. “I think the coaching staff does a good job trying to keep teams off balance with it. You can’t play it too long in a row because teams will start drawing up plays to exploit it. But I think they do a good job of keeping a healthy mix of it.”
During the eight-game stretch Miami has mixed in both defensive looks entering Wednesday, it’s posted the league’s fifth-best overall defensive rating since Dec. 8.
Along with the positive results the Heat’s zone is producing, there have been other benefits that come with the scheme.
“It’s actually a genius move by the coaching staff to implement this with our team because the one thing we had trouble with was the communication part,” Wade said. “We got a lot of quiet guys on our team. Especially in that first unit, there are a lot of quiet guys. So what the zone makes you do, it makes you communicate. It makes you talk to guys in front of you as you have to shift around and guys are moving and cutting. So it’s been great from that standpoint.
“Obviously, there’s some tough parts and there’s some open areas in the zone, some offensive rebound opportunities for the other team. But I think we’ve been doing a pretty solid job. So hopefully we continue to get better at it and continue to get better at our man-to-man defense, as well.”
A Dion Waiters update
There’s still no definitive timetable for Dion Waiters’ return, but the Heat guard is inching closer to getting back on the court for game action.
Waiters, who was not available for Wednesday’s contest against the Raptors, has not played in a game since Dec. 22, 2017. He underwent left ankle surgery in January and has been out ever since.
But Waiters returned to practice and was cleared for full-contact work last week.
“He had to put in so much time coming back from an injury, and the overwhelming majority of that time, no one sees,” Spoelstra said Wednesday of Waiters. “I like his progress.”
And Waiters’ trademark confidence is still there.
“That didn’t go anywhere,” Spoelstra said with a laugh. “He was just getting out of a boot last year and he told me he would be ready for the first round if we needed him.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2018 at 1:51 PM.
