The 3-point celebrations have been mostly muted for the Heat this season. (Michael Laughlin, Sun Sentinel)
Typically, this is the time when the Miami Heat debate whether they will have one or even more participants invited to the All-Star Saturday 3-point contest, previously represented by players such as Duncan Robinson, Wayne Ellington, James Jones, Mario Chalmers, Daequan Cook, Jason Kapono, Glen Rice and Jon Sundvold.
This season, there is no such pretense.
When it comes to shooting 3-pointers, the 2022-23 Heat stink, at least when it comes to their ranking, 27th in the 30-team NBA entering the week, at .336. As a matter of perspective, the Heat led the league last season at .379.
Saturday night’s 123-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at the close of a 1-3 trip was the latest sobering reminder, the Heat closing 8 of 31 (.258) from beyond the arc.
When it comes to launches, the Heat rank eighth in 3-point attempts, an essential component for a team lacking in size. Last season, the Heat ranked 14th on 3-point launches.
To point guard Kyle Lowry, it simply has been a different game this season for the Heat, who are idle until hosting the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Miami-Dade Arena.
“I think our team, we’re not getting the open looks that we were getting last year,” he said.
Last season, the Heat had a designated 3-point shooter in the starting lineup, either Robinson or Max Strus. This season, there only has been such a component when a regular starter has been sidelined.
Last season, there was a drive-and-kick game to activate shooters. This season, more often there are eyes on the rim in such situations.
Last season, center Bam Adebayo often was in pass-first mode, leaving the attacking to Jimmy Butler. This season, Adebayo is providing the Heat with offense two points at a time, with his more aggressive bent.
“We’re getting shots where we’re playing through Bam a lot, and he’s playing well,” Lowry said. “And we’re playing pocket passes and getting Bam the ball. It’s kind of changed the spacing on the floor, also. But it’s no excuse for us missing shots.
“We’re just trying to figure how to have the perfect blend of Jimmy and Bam, with the midrange and pockets, and getting threes up.”
The lone victory during the Heat’s four-game trip came when they shot .452 from beyond the arc (14 of 31) against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Otherwise, it was .323 in the loss to the Charlotte Hornets, .361 in the loss to the New York Knicks, and then Saturday’s performance in Milwaukee.
As a matter of perspective, the Heat are 47-5 when shooting .450 or better on 3-pointers since Butler joined the team in the 2019 offseason.
The lack of 3-point proficiency has the Heat 26th in the league in offensive rating, ahead of only the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. It also has them league dead last in scoring, their 108.5 average a full point worse that No. 29 Houston at 109.9, with every other team averaging at least 111.
The goal from coach Erik Spoelstra is 40 attempts per game. The last time the Heat reached that total was in the Dec. 26 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, when they shot 13 of 49 from beyond the arc, 21 games ago.
“You just got to jack them up there,” Butler said. “I think sometimes we’re too unselfish, which is good. But too much of any good thing is a bad thing. So when we get the opportunity, we got to let them fly. We want to get X amount, so we just got to get back to doing that. We got to shoot them.”
And make them.
The missing element that again proved costly on Saturday night.
“That’s what this game comes down to a lot of the times – who can make shots,” Butler said. “We missed some; they made theirs.”
Downward cycle
What the Heat’s perimeter players are shooting this season on 3-pointers compared to last season:
Caleb Martin: .377 this season, .413 last season.
Tyler Herro: .370 this season, .399 last season.
Max Strus: .343 this season, .410 last season.
Kyle Lowry: .333 this season, .377 last season.
Duncan Robinson: .331 this season, .372 last season.
Gabe Vincent: .322 this season, .368 last season.
Jimmy Butler: .306 this season, .233 last season.
Victor Oladipo: .296 this season, .417 last season.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service