How in-season additions of Trevor Ariza and Dewayne Dedmon have helped the Heat
Players coming off long NBA layoffs apparently don’t scare off the Miami Heat. Instead, they help the Heat.
Miami added accomplished veteran forward Andre Iguodala via trade in the middle of last season despite an eight-month hiatus from game action, as he and the Memphis Grizzlies mutually agreed he would stay away from the team. Iguodala has since become a valuable and consistent part of the Heat’s rotation, especially late in games.
This season, the Heat turned to two veterans who were essentially out of the NBA and both, almost immediately, have become consistent and important members of the rotation.
The Heat acquired forward Trevor Ariza in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 17. Ariza had not played in an NBA game since March 10, 2020, as he opted out of playing in the NBA’s Walt Disney World bubble last season with the Portland Trail Blazers and was away from the Thunder this season.
The Heat then signed free agent center Dewayne Dedmon on April 8. Dedmon had been out of the NBA since he was waived by the Detroit Pistons in November.
How have they fared?
Ariza, 35, has taken over as the Heat’s starting small-ball power forward, a role Jae Crowder excelled in during last season’s playoff run. Ariza entered Tuesday night’s matchup against the Celtics at TD Garden averaging 9.5 points while shooting 35.2 percent on 4.7 three-point attempts per game, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal in 27.7 minutes over 27 games (24 starts) since joining the Heat in mid-March.
The Heat has outscored opponents by 2.8 points per 100 possessions during Ariza’s minutes this season.
“Trevor is one of the most underrated players in this league,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But I would say that the contending teams that have had him before, he’s not underrated. He does so many things. His activity, his deflections, his ability to guard multiple positions, and he also has been a very underrated scorer over the course of his career.
“I’ve wanted to coach him and I’ve wanted him in the program for a long time. But it has just never worked out and it worked out at this time, and we feel very fortunate about it because I just think he’s a winning player.”
Dedmon, 31, has played as the Heat’s backup center behind starter Bam Adebayo for the past three weeks and has thrived in that role. Dedmon entered Tuesday averaging 7.5 points on 73.6 percent shooting and 5.7 rebounds in 13.5 minutes in 13 games off the bench.
The Heat has often lost the the non-Adebayo minutes this season, as it has been outscored by 1.5 points per 100 possessions when he has been off the court. But since Dedmon took over as Adebayo’s backup, the Heat has outscored opponents by 18.6 points per 100 possessions when Adebayo has been off the court.
“He plays hard as [expletive],” Adebayo said of Dedmon. “That’s what I love about him. He brings that energy, that intensity. We need that, and he does it in critical moments. ... He’s a great communicator and he plays hard. He’s just another version of me. I wouldn’t say a sidekick, but he’s another version of me in the second unit.”
Ariza and Dedmon are both set to become free agents this offseason.
Since the Heat acquired Ariza in a trade, it has Ariza’s early Bird rights, which allows Miami to exceed the salary cap to pay him 175 percent of his 2020-21 salary of $12.8 million. But the Heat does not have Dedmon’s Bird rights since he was signed as a free agent.
COVID’S IMPACT
The Heat and Celtics have been two of the teams most impacted by the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols this season.
According to Fansure’s tracking through Sunday, the Celtics lead the NBA in player days lost to health and safety protocols at 167. The Dallas Mavericks are second at 118, and the Heat and Toronto Raptors are next on the list tied at 116.
For the Heat, KZ Okpala has missed the most days because of protocols this season at 28. Jimmy Butler (20 days missed) and Udonis Haslem (19 days missed) are second and third, respectively.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat will be without guard Victor Oladipo for Tuesday’s game against the Celtics, and he remains out indefinitely. It marks the 17th consecutive game that Oladipo has missed because of right knee soreness.
The Celtics have ruled out All-Star forward Jaylen Brown (torn ligament in left wrist) and center Robert Willams (left foot turf toe). Brown, who was averaging 24.7 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting, will miss the remainder of the season.
