NBA Daily: The Team No One Talks About

The final matchup between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade created a ton of national buzz on Monday night, and for good reason.

The two of them are both future first-ballot Hall of Famers, they were two of the absolute best players of their generation, and of course, they experienced plenty of success together. When the two legends embraced one another at the end of what was a tight contest, it was moving to see two buddies savoring the moment in their last game together.

We as the audience live for spectacles like those because they come ever so rarely in a lifetime, but you know what else was a rarity that night? Miami was in the headlines again.

It sounds odd, doesn’t it? The HEAT used to be all the rage dating back to the LeBron days, but since then, not so much. Miami hasn’t done a terrible job since LeBron departed in 2014. In 2016, they came within inches of returning to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, they went on a tear following an abysmal start only to come up short on the playoffs.

Now it’s a different story. The HEAT are coming off a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers last season, have an unimpressive 11-15 record, and, before the Wade-LeBron matchup, the last big storyline centered around them was when they tried to acquire Jimmy Butler.

At the moment, Miami has the highest payroll in the league and lots of money tied up to players who aren’t making the All-Star team anytime soon, which limits their ceiling. Because of that, it’s tough to find reasons to talk about them.

However, after taking the Lakers to the wire, Miami is starting to show signs that its outlook isn’t as bleak as it looks and that they deserve more attention than people are giving them.

The Kids Are Alright

Well, well, well. Perhaps youth isn’t wasted on the young after all. At least, not in South Beach.

Miami’s young talent has shown some promise over the last few years, but the production has been a little slower than they would have hoped. Luckily for them, their patience appears to be paying off.

Let’s start with who would have been the main piece in the HEAT’s bid for Jimmy Butler: Josh Richardson. If they don’t already, Minnesota is probably going to regret not trading for Richardson, because the 25-year-old wing started off the season as a man possessed. Through the first month-and-a-half of the season, Richardson averaged 20.5 points on 43 percent shooting, including 41.4 percent from three while also averaging four rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Since the start of December, his numbers have gone down probably because of a shoulder injury, but once he fully recovers from that, there’s no telling what Richardson may be capable of. Since coming into the league, Josh has established himself as one of the premier young jack-of-all-trades wings. At only 25 years old, he may just be elevating his game from Swiss army knife to blossoming star.

Next, there’s Justise Winslow. Since being heralded as one of the bigger steals in the 2015 draft, Winslow’s start in the NBA hasn’t been the most graceful. Going down with a torn labrum in 2016 probably had something to do with that. Among the glimpses of talent he’s shown, Winslow has never found consistency, but he may have turned a corner.

Justise has had pretty much the exact opposite season that Richardson has had. His first month-and-a-half numbers were okay, but he’s had a fantastic December so far. He’s put up 18.4 points a game on 53 percent shooting including 52 percent from distance, while also averaging 6.2 rebounds and four assists. Putting up those kinds of numbers against the Lakers and the Clippers is no easy task, so this might be a sign of things to come.

If it is, then he’s beginning to show why Danny Ainge was willing to trade six first-round picks to get him.

Finally, there’s Bam Adebayo. His stats won’t “wow” you, but his net rating probably would. The second-year player currently ranks third in net rating behind only Richardson and Kelly Olynyk, as the HEAT are a plus-8.4 with Bam on the court. When you compare that to Hassan Whiteside, with whom the HEAT are minus-6.7 on the court, you can see that Adebayo brings a much more positive impact.

That stems mostly from his defense, as the HEAT’s defensive rating is plus-9 with Adebayo on the court according to NBA.com, which is highest on the team. Miami is currently tied for the ninth-best defensively rated team at 107.9, so they’d be sure to play him more to keep that up.

The ages of Richardson, Winslow and Adebayo all range from 21 to 25, so the best of them is yet to come. On a team that’s filled with bloated contracts, the HEAT can sleep better at night knowing that their young starlets will all be paid less than $30 million per combined over the next three years.

The End of an Era

Like any other all-time great, Dwyane Wade’s retirement tour should be something every hoop junkie should tune into, but everyone knew that already.

What makes Wade’s final season stand out among others is that he’s making legitimately worthwhile contributions for a team that’s trying to win. Compare that to say, Kobe Bryant, who didn’t put up awful stats in his last season, but played for a team that was intentionally terrible. Or Paul Pierce, who played for a team that was trying to win in his last season, but was cooked by the time he got there.

With Flash, it’s different. Wade is still putting up above average numbers with almost 15 points a game on 41.8 percent shooting on 13 attempts per contest. Not bad for someone who will be turning 37 in a month.

Wade’s scoring numbers are to be expected, but it’s how he’s getting them that should impress even his die-hard fans.

Throughout his entire career, Wade was always a feared scorer with his Achilles’ heel being his inability to stretch the floor. So far this season, the man has changed that. The Chicago native has shot 35 percent from three on four attempts per game. Both are career-highs and a huge boost from Wade’s past numbers centered around the three-ball.

Wade’s numbers are also proving to be effective, as the HEAT are plus-4.2 with D-Wade on the floor, with all of it stemming from his impact on their offensive rating.

Regardless of where Miami finishes, Wade is going out with a bang. Let’s be honest – that is exactly what we all want to see from the soon-to-be retiree.

A Turnaround Is In The Cards

An 11-15 record isn’t going to impress anybody, but Miami has won four of its last six games, and some of those wins weren’t a stroll in the park for them. Beating the Clippers in Los Angeles is quite an impressive feat when you think about how many guys were out for the HEAT. Richardson, Whiteside, Goran Dragic, James Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Dion Waiters were all out, and Tyler Johnson left early with an injury.

Miami still prevailed by 23 points against one of the West’s top teams while basically having eight guys to play. That’s only one game, but in the next game, the HEAT, who had more of their players back, gave the Lakers all they could handle, as it came down to the final buzzer.

Okay, that’s only two games of good play against good teams, but think about this. Miami’s point differential is currently minus-0.3, which is better than the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons, whose differential is minus-1.2. It’s also better the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic, whose differential is minus-3.4. If Miami improves on that, then they should be able to catch and potentially surpass both.

Remember, Miami has turned the tides before not too long ago. Erik Spoelstra is still an excellent coach in this league who is capable of making the proper adjustments for his team to succeed. Expecting Miami to instantly to be a contender would be stretching it a tad, but they are currently a half-game behind the Magic for the last playoff spot with their core guys starting to come back.

So, if the HEAT turn it around, you heard it here first.