Spoelstra reflects on disappointment of season and looks forward to ways Heat can improve
A season that doesn’t end in the playoffs is always a disappointment for the Heat.
It’s happened just three times in Erik Spoelstra’s 11 seasons as head coach and just six times since Pat Riley joined the organization 24 seasons ago.
“We didn’t make the playoffs and that was disappointing to everybody in this organization,” Spoelstra said to open his 35-minute season-ending press conference Friday. “I feel a responsibility for that.”
The Heat finished in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-43 record, which is its second-lowest win total in the past 11 seasons.
Even with the departure of guard Dwyane Wade, who is entering retirement, and the rest of the core expected to remain intact barring an unforeseen trade, Spoelstra believes the Heat can be an improved team next season.
▪ Spoelstra was encouraged by the growth of the Heat’s young core, pointing to the improvement made by Bam Adebayo, Derrick Jones Jr., Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow as one of the biggest positives from the non-playoff year.
In his second NBA season, Adebayo raised his season averages in points (8.9), rebounds (7.3) and assists (2.2) from his rookie campaign.
The 21-year-old Adebayo started 22 of the final 23 games of the season and averaged 11.6 points on 59.7 percent shooting, 9.1 rebounds, three assists, 1.1 steals and one block during that 23-game span. The Heat outscored its opponent by 45 points with Adebayo on the court in that time.
“You talk about the growth of Bam from his rookie year to his second year,” Spoelstra said, “really measured out as one of the top centers in the league, particularly after the new year. We had a winning record when he was in the starting lineup and the growth of his game was notable just from even summer league last year to the impact he had on our team this year and how he improved.”
Richardson averaged career highs in points (16.6), rebounds (3.6) and assists (4.1), while defending the opponent’s top perimeter player on most nights. There is room for improvement when it comes to efficiency, though, as he shot 41.2 percent from the field.
Winslow also had the best season of his career, as he finished his fourth NBA season with career-high averages in points (12.6) rebounds (5.4) and assists (4.3) while flourishing in an on-ball role with Goran Dragic injured.
“Justise and J-Rich both had their career-best years, took big leaps from the year before,” Spoelstra said. “Both of them in different ways. But when they are both at their best, we were playing our best basketball of the season.”
▪ If Dion Waiters reports to training camp in September at his goal weight, the Heat believes he can be a difference maker. Waiters averaged 12 points on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 37.7 percent shooting on threes in 44 games this season after missing the first 35 games because of ankle surgery.
Spoelstra: “This is a really important summer for Dion Waiters”
“He knows. I know. Pat knows,” Spoelstra said when asked for Waiters’ target weight. “He just simply has to get there, and that’s it. This is a really important summer for Dion Waiters. He’s healthy now. He feels good. He has to work. The next five months, he has to put in a body of work that changes his physique that gets him down to that optimal weight and body fat, which he was not at at the end of the year.
“If he’s there first day of training camp, he’ll have the role and impact that he’s looking for. If he’s not — Pat and I are on the same page about this — he won’t. And that’s it. Because he can move the needle in this game when he’s physically right and in world-class shape. That will be the focus this summer. I have not forgotten about the player that he was two years ago. It’s time to get back to that.”
Spoelstra also called it “a major summer” for James Johnson, who missed the first 15 games of the season because of offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia.
▪ The Heat’s projected starting back court of Dragic (46 games) and Waiters (38 games) combined to miss 84 games, Johnson sat out 20 games, Winslow was forced to miss 16 games and Richardson missed seven of the final eight games of the season.
The injuries kept the rotation in constant flux. The Heat used 29 starting lineups, the third-most used during a season in team history.
“Even with those lineups, we had an opportunity and that’s what we all want to own and it starts with me,” Spoelstra said. “But three weeks going into the end of the season, we were in the playoffs. Every discussion that we had, it was in our control regardless of all the moving parts, injuries and things of that nature.”
The 29 starting lineups is tied for the third-most used during a season in team history.
▪ The Heat has plenty of room for improvement on offense. Miami was below average in almost every offensive category — 26th in points (105.7), 22nd in shooting percentage (45), 21st in three-point shooting percentage (34.9), 30th in free-throw percentage (69.5), 23rd in turnovers (14.7) and 26th in offensive rating (106.7 points per 100 possessions).
Spoelstra believes the Heat’s lack of roster continuity because of injuries and other issues hurt its offensive numbers. But it didn’t keep the Heat from finishing with one of the league’s top defenses, as Miami posted the seventh-best defensive rating in the league.
“The other part that I have to figure out is we found some inconsistencies and a lack of specific offensive rhythm from the moving parts,” Spoelstra said. “I have to spend the next few weeks auditing that, and trying to figure out why it affected one side of the floor much more than the other side of the floor.”
This story was originally published April 12, 2019 at 4:40 PM.
