"After a fun, electric 14-7 start, the Heat have, once again, crashed down to mediocrity. They enter the break 29-27, a 0.5 game back of the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed and 2.5 back of the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami secured a 123-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night, ending the first "half" on somewhat of a high note. There are only 26 games left."
"After all, it hasn't been all bad. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Pelle Larsson have all made leaps this season; Kasparas Jakucionis has blossomed as a rookie with his impact transcending the numbers; Andrew Wiggins has been the two-way wing the Heat traded for last February; Norman Powell was named an All-Star for the first time in his career."
"That's not to mention: Adebayo remains one of the best two-way bigs in the sport. He's averaging 22.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 43.7/36.0/81.1 shooting splits over his last 17 games. Though Miami remains consistently inconsistent without a clear direction. And that's an issue. The Heat are on track for their fourth-straight play-in, and that's where nobody wants to be. They have been mediocre for the last half-decade, and you can't build through the middle."
The Heat started 14-7 but cooled to 29-27 at the All-Star break, half a game behind the No. 7 seed and 2.5 games behind the 76ers with 26 games remaining. Miami has faced the 12th-hardest schedule and ranks top-five defensively while its offense grades in the high teens or 20th on schedule-adjusted metrics. Several young players have progressed and role additions have helped, including an All-Star nod for Norman Powell. Bam Adebayo has posted strong recent numbers, but persistent inconsistency leaves Miami on track for a fourth straight play-in and raises roster-building concerns.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
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