NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Miami Heat
By Noah Torr
4. The Heat don’t have a superstar
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook. Those five all have one thing in common: they are defined superstars in the league. LeBron is undoubtedly the best player in the world with Kevin Durant as a close second; Kawhi Leonard is arguably the best two-way player in the world; James Harden is the best offensive player in the league; Russell Westbrook is a triple-double master.
The Heat have Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic.
Much of the Heat’s late-season success was due to both Whiteside and Dragic. Whiteside started playing good on-ball defense and stopped hunting blocks. And Erik Spoelstra let Dragic run free and the Heat’s offense was fantastic because of Spo’s decision. Spoelstra implemented a drive-and-kick style of play with Dragic and Dion Waiters leading the charge. Both Waiters and Dragic can penetrate the paint easily, and the Heat’s offense thrived from the change.
While it’s great that the Heat were able to succeed from the success from Dragic and Whiteside, those two cannot bring home a championship to Miami. They are best suited as complementary otions on a championship team, not the primary option.
The Heat need a player who has the mentality of a number one option and is the best player on the team — sorry Dion, you only fill out one of those categories.