Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra downplays team's modified shot profile from preseason

(Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat entered training camp clearly wanted to modify a shot profile that was the chief reason why it ranked in the bottom-third in offensive efficiency over the last two years.

Miami led the league in mid-range frequency last year while sporting the third-worst rim frequency. Through four preseason games with the regulars, however–a small sample, but one nonetheless–Miami took only 5.5 percent of its attempts from the mid-range area, with an enormous emphasis on shots in the paint and beyond the arc; in those four games, it took 47.8 percent of its shots in the paint (36.7 percent at rim) and 46.7 percent from 3-point range.

That’s a very stark difference. Though when asked about the modified offense ahead of the team’s season-opener against the Orlando Magic Monday, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra downplayed it.

“We’re not running a math class here,” he said, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We’re trying to win basketball games. So you guys are trying to turn this into a math class. I was horrible at math. That’s not our intention right now.

“We’re not reinventing the game of basketball. We’re not re-inventing it for us. These are supposed to be some subtle, hopefully some level of sophisticated improvements. But that’s really all it is. I just want our guys comfortable. I want them knowing how we’re going to play, what’s going to lead to winning and get to that more consistently.”

Should it translate to the regular season, Miami’s newfound offense only makes it easier for the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to get to the rim. Inherently, a goal for every team is to make life easier for their best players as often as possible. Generating paint touches while having a more efficient process will make it harder to defend all five players–thus accomplishing just that.

“As long as he’s getting to his game, if we can find a way to help [Butler] get to his game at the highest level, it’s not rocket science — that makes sense for all of us,” Spoelstra said. “We have great success when he’s playing at a high level, the same goes for Bam. The other guys, I want them feeling comfortable working around that orbit, where they can be super aggressive and confident.”

Butler capped off his first preseason in three years by looking as engaged as ever on both ends. They’re meaningless, but he averaged 12.8 points in 19.1 minutes on 64.0 percent shooting and 77.5 percent true shooting, in addition to 3.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.8 steals.

Adebayo continued to showcase his expanded range, attempting 13 3-pointers across four contests, making five of them (38.5 percent). Tyler Herro, who’s struggled to get to the rim, was one of the team’s primary beneficiaries of the new shot diet.

There’s no telling how drastic their shooting splits will be; some nights, there may be a more balanced diet, and other nights, it may not be. Different teams, with different personnel and different schemes, will defend others differently. This will be a key trend to monitor–as well as how efficient those rim and 3-point attempts are.