A look at Heat’s new bench unit, and why it works. ‘We got starters coming off the bench’
Just three years ago, the trio of Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside was the core of the Heat’s starting lineup during a playoff run that ended in the second round of the 2016 playoffs.
Now, they’re the core of the Heat’s bench.
“You come off the bench with this team, it’s fun,” Wade said. “We got starters coming off the bench. It’s no major drop off. It’s not even like you’re starting or coming off the bench because you’re not playing with bench players. … Goran and H and everyone who is coming off the bench right now, guys are just doing whatever needs to be done. Our goal is to get in the playoffs. When you get afraid and it’s not looking good and you may not make it, you’re willing to do anything.”
Some of it is strategy, with Wade taking on a sixth man role since returning to the organization last season. Some of it is circumstances, with Dragic recently returning from right knee surgery that kept him out for 31 consecutive games and Whiteside returning just days ago after missing three games with a strained hip.
Whatever the reason for it is, the Heat’s new rotation is working. Miami enters Sunday’s matchup against Toronto on a four-game winning streak.
With the Heat using a starting lineup of Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo, the bench unit used recently includes Derrick Jones Jr, Rodney McGruder, Dragic, Wade and Whiteside.
Over the past six games, which Miami has recorded a 5-1 record during, the Heat’s reserves have combined to outscore opponents by 21 points. That’s the fifth-best bench plus-minus in the NBA during that span.
It helps when you have a future Hall of Famer in Wade, a player who made the All-Star team last season in Dragic, and a center who easily averages a double-double in Whiteside all playing as reserves. The three have combined to start 1,666 regular-season games during their careers.
“They’re all starters. Like, forget about it,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Dwyane Wade is a starter in this league. In this role and in these minutes, he can go another three or four years. ... But he was the first guy willing to say, OK, this is what this team will need from his presence. Goran is coming back from injury, so this is the way it has to be. The same thing with Hassan.
“There’s not a lot of time left. Our backs are against the wall. It’s whatever is necessary right now. But we’ve said it from Day 1, the strength of our team is our depth, is our versatility. We have legitimate starters off the bench, but you have to have guys with the right mindset that are willing to do whatever it takes.”
There’s also that chemistry the three have built in the past while playing together in the Heat’s starting lineup.
“I enjoy playing with H,” Wade said of Whiteside. “I haven’t played with H in a long time. I think H enjoys playing with me. Everybody knows, I got H. I can get H right. I love seeing him just playing and being happy, and not worried about his minutes and not worried about how much he’ll get the ball. Just trying to be a dominant force. It’s been cool to see that growth in Hassan, for sure.”
After five-plus months of tinkering with lineups because of inconsistency and injury issues, it looks like the Heat has found a rotation that can endure for the rest of the season.
“I think we’ve went through a lot this year at different times,” Wade said. “But right now, it’s smooth in our locker room from the standpoint of everybody is playing their role and doing whatever needs to be done.”
▪ Raptors All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will not play Sunday against the Heat due to load management, according to Tim Reynolds from the Associated Press.
This story was originally published March 9, 2019 at 3:56 PM.
