The Miami Heat’s Defense is Going to Be Special

So much was made last season about how Miami somehow ended up having a top 10 defense despite starting only two “plus defenders” for most of the season. It felt like an uphill battle throughout the year despite the defense being considered “solid.” The uphill climb was felt more internally throughout each game by Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Both guys would need to cover for many of their teammates who were either weak or downright bad defenders.

You could feel how much energy they were exerting trying to keep certain lineups afloat. Not to mention what they also had to do on offense. These factors are why the midseason addition of Trevor Ariza felt like such a significant boost to the team. It was one more defender Spoelstra could put out there with their stars without having to worry. And this was a slightly over-the-hill Ariza we’re talking about — imagine if you added even better defenders multiplied by 2. That’s what the Miami Heat have done this offseason.

The additions of PJ Tucker and Kyle Lowry will allow Miami to become the best defensive versions of themselves. I believe that performance will be good enough to be no lower than a top 4 defense this season. I feel like it’s gone under the radar just how great and downright menacing the Heat’s defense will be. They managed to forage a top 10 defense last year with way less ammunition than the current roster. Imagine the possibilities now that the weakest defender on the starting lineup will be Duncan Robinson, whose defense isn’t that bad now!

With the new acquisitions, some losses may have been difficult but necessary for this season’s team to be its best. No longer will Kendrick Nunn or Goran Dragic have to defend the point of attack for the team. That also means that Jimmy Butler won’t have to defend the opposition’s primary ball-handler for the nights they’re desperate. This trickle-down effect will also be significant for saving Jimmy’s legs late in the season and into the playoffs. Jimmy will be able to play that terrifying free safety role he was so good in last season. Miami’s defense will see drastic improvements when Butler can roam more and disrupt the opposition’s sets.

For Bam Adebayo, it’ll mean more time in the paint and less time cleaning up after his guards’ mistakes on the perimeter. Not to say that Bam can’t handle his own beyond the arc, but it’ll boost the team’s ability to deter teams from getting to the rim even more. Adebayo will be utilized more as a rim deterrent and terrifying help defender that can switch as the shot clock winds down. With Lowry at the helm of the point of attack, they’ll be even more versatile in the ways they’ll deploy Bam.

You’ll see plenty of different coverages mixed throughout the year. They might have Adebayo not stuck outright switching but more coming to the level of the screen. Lowry is so good at navigating, and fighting over screens that will create a terrorizing pick-and-roll defense with Bam — alongside Jimmy Butler on the wings waiting to pounce. Bam was already in the Defensive Player of the Year discussion, but Lowry will show off another terrifying side of Adebayo. It’ll be a breath of fresh air to not have Bam cover for the entire roster at times.

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Teams will try hunting Duncan Robinson as their last resort, forced to become an isolation team. Miami will gladly take that; they’ll have more than enough bodies to cover up for him. And good luck getting those Miami players to give in to that switch that easily. They will make you earn that switch and force the shot clock down to its last second. And, as I said earlier, Robinson has made great strides in his defense that won’t make that the worst outcome.

Miami doesn’t have to wait for their defender to arrive for the Power Forward position midway into the season. This time they went out and grabbed PJ Tucker to keep that spot in check. All the things Ariza helped give you last season, Tucker will do that while being able to guard up. Not to forget how much Tucker and Lowry will improve the rebounding numbers from last season. PJ was a maniac on the boards during the playoffs for the Bucks. Teams would try hiding their weakest defensive player on him, and he’d punish teams by crashing the glass and getting extra possessions for Milwaukee.

Lowry himself has been an excellent rebounder for a point guard averaging five boards over the past six seasons. He uses his base better than any other point guard and boxes guys out to the half-court line. Miami had tons of problems finishing off possessions last year as they constantly got outshot throughout the season. It will help drastically to have these two on the floor to clean up the glass. Not to mention an entire season of Dewayne Dedmon and his insane OREB% to help out.

Add to this the possibility of having Victor Oladipo ready by December, and it’ll raise the defensive powers to insane levels. Gabe Vincent will do an admirable job in his absence from the bench, but Victor will be on another level. Good luck trying to score on a Lowry-Oladipo-Butler-Tucker-Adebayo closing lineup.

Erik Spoelstra has done more with lesser rosters, and now he’s been given his best defensive starting lineup since the Big 3. The man wrung out a top 10 defense from a starting lineup that included Carlos Arroyo, Michael Beasley, and whatever remained of Jermaine O’Neal. Spoelstra has coached a top 10 defense for all but 5 of his tenure in Miami. And 3 of those seasons, his teams finished just outside at 11th, two of which made the Finals. He’ll get the most out of this new potent lineup, to say the least.

Everything we saw that was so hard for Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler last season will become much more manageable. The weight put on their backs will be lighter and make for a really fun defense to watch. This team will annoy the living hell out of teams like a child who refuses to stop kicking your seat on a plane. They’ll make you feel them and have you working overtime for your money like a terrible boss. Miami went all-in on defense this offseason, and everyone should be glad they did. This team might rival the 2013 defense in how much fun they’ll be to watch on that end. Who said defense couldn’t be fun?

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