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4 things the Miami Heat can learn from the Pacers’ method of team-building

Heat Pacers
(Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

The Indiana Pacers are the kings of the Eastern Conference, becoming the fifth different conference champion since the LeBron James-led Cavaliers secured four-straight East titles (2014-18).

The Miami Heat, who were mercifully swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers (who self-combusted to these same Pacers!), endured their worst season in a decade. Few expected the Indiana Pacers to make the NBA Finals, but they are a team beautifully constructed under the new CBA. What could the Heat learn from their roster construction? Let’s examine!

Having a floor general matters:

I think this will be the most important point because the Heat has been a bottom-third offense each of the last three seasons without a legitimate floor general since Kyle Lowry’s departure. A true point guard is a dying breed, and the Pacers have one of the best in the NBA in Tyrese Haliburton.

The beautiful thing about Haliburton is how remarkably efficient he is as a scorer and passer. It’s hard to do just one efficiently as a lead guard–let alone both at a near-elite level. Rick Carlisle has also done a masterful job of empowering his best players. Though Haliburton is the conductor of that freight train, one of the most efficient offenses of the modern era.

Miami doesn’t have a floor general; I’ve campaigned for Isaiah Stevens, but he did miss nearly two months of the G-League season due to injury and still had parts of his game that he needs to iron out. Three of the four teams that made the conference finals had very good point guards with great offenses. I don’t think that was by mistake.

Obtaining young, distressed assets carries upside:

Two young assets that Indiana bought low on were Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith. They acquired Toppin for a pair of second-round picks in the summer of 2023 while acquiring Nesmith as a throw-in in the Malcolm Brogdon trade in 2022. Both players were former lottery picks who weren’t in the right situations; sometimes, a change of scenery is all that is needed.

Miami already has one example with Davion Mitchell. Mitchell was a former top-10 pick who bounced around two different spots before finding a (temporary?) home in South Florida. Remember the cost, too: P.J. Tucker and a second-round pick.

That’s the value of having second-round picks at your disposal–which the Heat don’t.

Finding those “distressed” assets that fit is far easier said than done, but the Pacers struck gold with a few of the players they acquired and meshed together. The Heat is no stranger to finding diamonds in the rough, but will that track record continue? Time will tell.

Trading star players (when you’re not contending) at their peak value isn’t always a bad thing!

Once again, I’m not advocating for the Heat to blow it up to smithereens.

However, when you’re not contending, trading players at peak value–especially when you’re devoid of assets (like the Heat have been)–isn’t the worst idea. They messed that up with Butler last offseason, but now have a chance to capitalize on Tyler Herro’s value if they’re not going to pay him.

Historically, this is not how the Heat has operated and, to a certain extent, I commend them for it. But the Pacers traded Paul George, who turned into Domantas Sabonis (and Victor Oladipo), who turned into Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson. Obviously, more dice were rolled and they built a legitimate contender with depth. They also sold high on Brogdon as an expiring and it worked out for them.

You have to win more than just one trade–no duh. And you don’t trade players just to trade players–you have to strike when the iron’s hot. We aren’t privy to the conversations of what may or may not be on the table for Herro or others of value. One could bet that there isn’t a Haliburton-esque player there. But as Miami transitions into this new phase, bypassing sell-high opportunities can’t be an option if you’re not contending.

Tough defenders are the best:

Nastiness. Toughness. Tenacity. Deflections. Bulldogs. Complimentary traits that matter defensively. The Pacers have prioritized that with Nembhard, Nesmith, McConnell, Walker, etc. Mitchell has it; Bam Adebayo has it. Haywood Highsmith has shown glimpses of being disruptive, but those reps were less consistent in 2024-25. The rest of the roster? Not enough grittiness defensively.

Get back to your identity. Add more dawgs to the kennel. Defense wins championships, and while the Heat were a top-10 unit, they weren’t consistently tough enough, and it showed.

***

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SunManFromDogBone

What is obvious from the following statistics is that Miami’s guards are the weakest part of the defense. With Butler now gone, the six players with the team’s lowest defensive ratings are all guards. If the team is going to re-tool for the future, it needs to start there.

2024-2025 Miami heat defensive ratings, per statmuse:

#1 Kevin Love 105.6
#2 Keshad Johnson 106.9
#3 Kel’el Ware 108.3
#4 Bam Adebayo 110.3
#5 Jaime Jaquez 111.9
#6 Kyle Anderson 112.3
#7 Andrew Wiggins 113.4
#8 Haywood Highsmith 113.6
#9 Nikola Jovic 113.7
#10 Alec Burks 114.2
#11 Pelle Larsson 114.3
#12 Jimmy Butler 114.4
#13 Tyler Herro 114.9
#14 Terry Rozier 115.6
#15 Davion Mitchell 116.6* (when combined with Toronto) 114.7 with Heat only
#16 Duncan Robinson 116.9

The average defensive rating for point guards in the 2024-2025 NBA season is 116.6. 
The average defensive rating for shooting guards in the 2024-2025 NBA season is 116.7. 
The average defensive rating for small forwards in the 2024-2025 NBA season is 115.8.
The average defensive rating for power forwards in the 2024-2025 NBA season is114.6.
The average defensive rating for centers in the NBA centers in the 2024-25 season is 111.6

*Davion Mitchell’s reputation as a strong defender doesn’t necessarily correlate directly with his defensive rating, as defensive ratings are a team statistic. While Mitchell is widely recognized for his defensive intensity and ability, his team’s overall defensive performance (which impacts his rating) might be influenced by other factors, not solely his individual efforts. For example, a team with a weaker overall defensive scheme (Sacramento, Toronto) might struggle even with a good individual defender like Mitchell.

Last edited 19 hours ago by SunManFromDogBone
SunManFromDogBone

Note: Point guards in the 2025 NBA draft (considered good defenders)

15-30 range
Tahaad Pettiford
Jase Richardson
Walter Clayton Jr.
Kam Jones

heatforlife

these ratings mean what how do they determine this u can rate a corner back or lineman in football these nba statmuse sht.means nothing pelle is a very good defender tyler and dunc arent i dont need to be told otherwise.kevin love is a terrible defender he can hardly move.please dont post these meaningless def ratings sun your to good for this

SunManFromDogBone

Take them for what they are worth heat. That’s up to you.

heat for life

heat eye test . watch the games im sure u can make your own observations.how do u measure the #s can u explain if not why post them.i can tell u if a wr catches a pass that is a negative.if ot gets beat for a sack not good.when dunc gets blown by but bam picks up player and stones him is that good for dunc.please just watch the games.if u think k love is a good defender then dont know what to say sun.hes the best ranked according to your post

heat for life

nemhardt nesmith herro who u taking sun rc

SunManFromDogBone

Herro, then trade him for a two-way player (Dejounte Murray?) who is better than either Indiana player.

heatforlife

nemhardt was the mvp for ind the way he made brunson work.who the f was slowing brunson down on the mediocre heat.brunson would just bull over dav or god forbid herro was guarding him

SunManFromDogBone

Yesterday you were high on Davion. Today you are throwing him under the bus. What a difference a day makes.

heat for life

when delon played for us thought he ran the team very well,davs ok hes not special hes average.for the mediocre heat he fits right in.your standards to low sun,on a good team hes prob backup.

Hothothoopsfan4life

Disagree I’d take nembhard over Herro and wouldn’t think one twice or three times about it, Herro does nothing better but score and to me that’s a wash. I remember in the ecf last year when Hali got hurt nembhard was the only player to show up for them.

heatforlife

ty takes alot more shots.can u imagine if ind had herro instead of nemhard,the knicks would have won the series. if ty played 35 minutes

SunManFromDogBone

Nembhard season stats: 10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 29.1 3 pt%. Good 2nd unit player. Not starter caliber. Maybe Dejounte Murray or somebody like that, but not Nembhard.

heat for life

when u slow down jb the way he did your worth everything.scoring is mainly done by hali siakam turner.

heat for life

defense defense defense defense ty dunc cya cant win with one wayers in duncs case no wayers

Reality Czech

Of course you can cover a weak defender if you have the right defenders on the team. There are multiple teams that are built like that. I am not naming any – look it up. Start with any team Lillard was on. Or Luke Walton
(ah, that was a nice easy cut and paste)

heatforlife

2 weak defenders on ct at same time.reason why ny lost jb kat suk on d

Reality Czech

Sure, but I wasn’t talking about 2 weak defenders. That would be a big problem.

SunManFromDogBone

Cleveland – Garland
Indiana – Haliburton
New York – Brunson
Golden State – Curry
Dallas – Irving
L.A. Lakers – Doncic
San Antonio – Fox
Memphis – Morant

heatforlife

garlands not weakhali not weak brunson is weak curry hes steph curry doesnt matter doncic weak but hes iconic luka fox morant doubt their weak too athletic.

SunManFromDogBone

Darius Garland’s defensive abilities are generally considered below average for an NBA player, with many sources labeling him as a defensive liability.

Reality Czech

He only sees what he wants to see. And, oddly, often hates on Heat players more so than players from other teams.

heat for life

i luv bams defense.oherwise everything else on this team is mediocre to bad

heat for life

how was he in the playoffs didnt see him that bad u?

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