Our Heat season companion part 5 covers the Heat’s dominant 124-98 win against the Pelicans in New Orleans. The Heat are now 25-21 and have moved up to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. While the Heat remain a losing team in terms of their road record, they have shown signs of overall improvement lately. The trade deadline also continues to get closer. Let’s get into our latest edition of the Heat season companion.
Heat Season Companion Part 5: Miami Dominates in New Orleans
The Heat bounced back from a recent loss with a dominant 124-98 win in New Orleans. As stated previously, the Heat are now sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the Heat are 4-1 in their last five games and 7-3 in their last 10 games. All signs point toward a team that is starting to figure it out.
Bam Adebayo has played quite well this season. He put up 26 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist in the win. Adebayo is averaging 23.8 points per game in the last 10 games and 21.5 points per game for the season overall. Adebayo is showing that he is capable of being the Heat’s #1 option on offense while remaining one of the league’s best defenders.
Oladipo, Strus, and Gabe Vincent have all played well lately, too. Oladipo’s recent resurgence is great to see and hopefully, it continues. Oladipo is averaging 15.1 points per game in the last 10 games and 11.6 for the season overall. If Oladipo can increase his scoring to roughly 15 points per game for the season, he could prove to be quite an asset for the Heat later in the season.
The Heat also played great defense against the Pelicans, holding them to 98 points on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Pelicans were missing Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but still had CJ McCollum and Jonas Valaciunas. Given that the Pelicans have been one of the better teams in the West this season and were 17-5 at home heading into this game, this is a big road win for the Heat.
The Heat Should Still Trade for a Better Starting Power Forward
This recent resurgence from the Heat is encouraging to see, but the Heat remain one of the worst teams in the league in terms of points per game. As a result, the Heat should still make a trade to acquire a better starting power forward who can make more of an impact offensively. Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons is one good trade target for the Heat and there are some reports that the Heat are looking into trading for him.
Bogdanovic would certainly add some much-needed firepower to the Heat’s offense and likely would be available for a modest amount of assets. John Collins and Jared Vanderbilt are two other players who have been of interest to the Heat, reportedly. Collins would certainly add more offense to the team and Vanderbilt’s versatility could be useful. Regardless, the Heat should not take their recent uptick in fortune as a sign that the team doesn’t need to make a trade to make a deep playoff run this season. We will monitor the Heat’s trade activity as the trade deadline continues to approach.
The Heat Play The Mavericks Next
The Heat face the Mavericks next in Dallas. Luka Doncic has played incredibly well so far this season, but given that the Heat are second in the league in terms of opponent points per game, I would bet that the Heat will win again. The Mavericks lack another elite offensive player alongside Doncic and give up 112.7 points per game on average to their opponents. Even though the Heat are 11-12 on the road this season, I expect them to get back to .500 on the road with a win in Dallas.
Check back next week for more Miami Heat content.