The Miami Heat are currently 12-7, 2nd in the Eastern Conference. They started the season on several high notes and have continued those trends. Miami always has a focus on culture and conditioning, those are givens, but there are a few extra categories that make them stand out this year, categories that don’t exactly show up on a stat sheet.
Chemistry is the main one. Basketball is a team sport, but even more so it’s a small team sport. There are only five players per team allowed on the floor at any given time; this means that the team chemistry between those players is important. Do they trust each other? Are they more worried about team success than their own? Is communication effective and efficient? These are all things that contenders need to ask and be honest with themselves about.
With this Heat team, they are trending in the right direction. On November 11th, versus the Clippers, the Heat showed several times that they have effective chemistry. On their first offensive possession, Bam Adebayo was doubled in the pinch post and was able to kick the ball out to Tyler Herro on the weak side. The remarkable part of the pass was that Herro was out on the upper wing of the three point line when the pass was released. He caught the ball at the corner by the baseline. Adebayo trusted his teammate and found the best pass.
Subsequently, Herro was blocked out of bounds on his three point attempt. The possession ultimately ended with a alley-oop from Kyle Lowry to Adebayo, a high efficiency shot that takes trust.
The remarkable aspects of this team focus around their abilities to keep playing despite injuries or shortcomings. When Jimmy Butler was hurt the team didn’t panic, it was next man up. Herro moved into the starting line-up and that was that, he flourished. When a key starter is hurt, it usually can cause disruption for a team as everyone on the roster is then shifted into a new role, one they may or may not be familiar with. With Miami, that’s proven to be less of a concern. The trust built around the team culture and Spoelstra’s ability to use rotations cleverly mean the team remains stable throughout.
These intangible, chemistry aspects of the team aren’t measured statistically but they lead to numbers that can be. Currently, they are 8th in offensive points per possession, 5th in defensive points per possession, and 6th in offensive rebounding percentage. While these seem a little unrelated, there can be correlation drawn between the three. There is usually a trade off somewhere on these stats unless a team has the personnel to keep up with all of them.
For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves are 2nd in offensive rebounding percentage, 3rd in defensive points per possession, but 17th in offensive points per possession. The Toronto Raptors are 1st in offensive rebound percentage, 10th in offensive points per possession, 26th in defensive points per possession.
Typically, an average team can’t focus on offensive rebounding and scoring and defense. A focus on offensive rebounding usually means less players getting back in transition and giving up more points. This can be true given most situations and line-ups but shouldn’t be held as a given. If a team has the right personnel, conditioning, and chemistry they can focus on all three and find success. In fact, it’s actually a sign of serious contention, finding ways to succeed most teams don’t.
This is just one example of how the Heat are performing, but it isn’t a coincidence. If a defense can find rotations quickly and effectively then that leads to better decision making and trusting your teammates more. The same can be said for offensive movement and efficiency.
Trust and team chemistry are something that come from coaching, leadership, and environment. Heat fans should be optimistic as the season continues and this roster looks more complete and well-rounded every day.
(Featured image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)