The Heat knows it needs to fix its struggling defense in 2020, but can Miami get it done?
It sounds so simple when Jimmy Butler says it: The key to fixing the Miami Heat’s struggling defense, the star wing said Monday, is just to defend.
There’s nothing going awry with the Heat’s defensive scheme, Butler said. There’s no lack of effort, he said. Forgive the four-time All-Star if he steals the slogan of one of the most famous companies in the world.
“Just do it,” he said after Miami’s stunning 123-105 loss to the Washington Wizards in Washington. “Like, legit, that’s it. Guard somebody. All the schemes that coach put in are fine and dandy, but you’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to guard somebody. I think we get away from that because we can score the basketball. That’s not going to put us through when we get to the end of this thing.”
Every season, the Heat (22-9) begins the season with the expectation it can have a top-five — or, at the very least, a top-10 — defense. There have been moments when it has looked possible for this team, particularly when Butler, point forward Justise Winslow and post player Bam Adebayo have all shared the court.
Mostly, Miami has been just about average. The Heat entered Tuesday ranked No. 12 in defensive rating, but December, in particular, has been concerning. After giving up 123 points to a Wizards team led by barely-in-the-rotaton guards Jordan McRae and Garrison Mathews, Miami ranked No. 22 in defensive rating for the month. The Heat finished December allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions.
For comparison’s sake, the Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference standings, finished December allowing just 99.3 points per 100 possessions for the league’s best defensive rating.
“For us to go forward and even think about getting somewhere in the playoffs, we’ve got to defend,” Adebayo said. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve got to go out there and defend, guard your man mano a mano.”
Miami has been aware of its issues for most of the month and Butler harped on them after the Heat’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 16. Miami responded with a five-game winning streak, although it was mostly thanks to a series of torrential offensive performances. On Monday, Miami had one of its lowest-scoring games of the season, and its defensive issues were exposed with a loss to one of the worst teams in the league.
The consensus from coach Erik Spoelstra and players in the locker room is there isn’t just one issue leading to the breakdowns. The Heat has tried gimmicks, like playing a 2-3 zone. Post players Meyers Leonard and Adebayo give Miami two anchors who are reliable communicators. No one chalks it up to lack of effort.
“You don’t have it or something, then when you want to hustle it’s communication, you’re not at the right spot,” guard Goran Dragic said. “Basically, just a total failure.”
The problem right now is as simple as personnel. Wing Tyler Herro is a Rookie of the Year contender, but his defense is still often a liability. The same goes for guard Kendrick Nunn and sharpshooting swingman Duncan Robinson. The Heat doesn’t have a traditional rim protector and too many players on the perimeter can’t stay in front of their men consistently.
When Butler and Adebayo are on the court together, Miami allows just 102.7 points per 100 possessions — only the Bucks are better as a whole team. Make it a trio by adding Winslow, who has only played 10 games this season, and the number drops even more to 102.1.
Winslow, however, missed his 12th game in a row Monday, and Butler and Adebayo can only spend so much time together on the court. With no timetable for Winslow to return from a lower back bruise, the Heat’s current personnel has to figure out ways to be better in 2020.
“I say we’re going to figure it out. I say it’s going to change. We’ve said that throughout the month of December and it hasn’t yet,” Butler said, “so hopefully in January we put December behind us, in 2020 we put 2019 behind us and we find a way.”
