When a Pistol Won�t Fire- Heat Hindsight

The 2020-21 season was a tough one for PistolPK and his Miami Heat. Off the back of a playoff appearance in 2019, the Heat faithful were full of hope and optimism coming into the new season. Ben Simmons and Jonathon Isaac looked ready to make the jump into stardom, while C.J. McCollum looked a perfect fit between the two as the offensive anchor. The hype train rolled into the new season as GM PistolPK was active in bringing in talent to support his exciting trio. In came Danilo Gallinari as the jewel of the Heat�s offseason and all of a sudden Miami looked like a contender for coming season.

 

Season Record 38-44 (9^th in the East)

The excitement and hope of a new season took no more than a couple of NBA regular season games to be vaquished as Jonathan Isaac, who was returning from an ACL injury and looking really good, slipped on a drive to the hoop. A sense of dread went through the crowd as it appeared the knee buckled in a reminiscent fashion to Isaac�s past ACL injury. Further scans would show that Isaac�s knee injury was indeed an ACL and he would be spending the entire 2020-21 season on the sidelines.  Before the NSL season had begun, PistolPK found himself in a position no GM wants to be in, a man down.

All eyes then turned to Ben Simmons. Heat fans were adamant that if they were to contend, it would have to come from leap from the Point-Forward. The 25-year-old Simmons was coming off season averages of 23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 2019-20 and looked poised for a bigger role in 2020. Pistol toyed with Simmons� starting position but ultimately locked him in to play the point on a nightly basis. In an engine geared towards shooting, Simmons had a frustrating season offensively as he saw his scoring averages dip while playing more minutes. His numbers for the 2020-21 season were 17 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and a block per contest.

Season Highlight

After a horrific season filled with injuries and line-up issues, including having as few as 8 available players on more than one occasion, the Heat remarkably found themselves in the playoff picture with a few weeks remaining. Sitting clear in 9^th, the Heat had locked a position in the play-in tournament and would need 2 consecutive wins to lock-in playoff berth.

It was the GC, Trey Young and the Magic who secured 10^th in the East and a hope at keeping the season alive and the play-ins would begin with a Heat Magic showdown to see who would get a shot at a shot of playing playoffs.

A heavily backed Miami Heat came in to the game as betting favourite. The betting public believed the Heat had the defence to slow down Orlando and nullify Trey Young and the youthful Magic team. From the opening, the home crowd were stunned as the Magic systematically took away their chances of advancing into the NSL postseason. It was a disappointing end for PistolPK and his boys but a learning experience on the big stages in the NSL with the whole world watching. 

Season Lowlight- Dylan Windler

The lowlight for the Heat spanned the majority of the season. There was genuine momentum behind what PistolPK was building coming into the season and fans never got an opportunity to see just how good this team could be. The silver lining for Miami is that they managed to move aging assets and turn them into great future pieces.

Perhaps the biggest lowlight for the Heat throughout the 2020-21 season was the play of PistolPK�s lovechild, Dylan Windler. Following an encouraging preseason, Windler entered the 2k season rated 74. PistolPK was on record when he said, �Dylan Windler will be Klay Thompson this season.� Many laughed at the time but Windler�s play did actually resemble Klay�s who sat the season with a knee injury. Windler sat large chunks of the season with injuries and rode the bench like the man Pistol had compared him to. He enters the 2021-22 season rated 73, a further indication of his lack of growth from the past year.

Best Trade

The Heat are not a franchise known for blockbuster trades or change of any great degree. Their GM is patient, understands the slow game and is calculated in each move he makes. Seeing the writing on the wall with injuries and roster issues, PistolPK identified last season as a chance to acquire assets that will extend the team�s window. McCollum will have multiple productive years, Simmons will surely bounce back and be a star for a long time and guys like Isaac, Bamba and Windler will all be good rotational players in the near future. Sensing this, Pistol moved on a number of veterans the get great youth in return.

The Heat Trade Deandre Jordan and Minnesota 2023 1^st round pick
The Heat Receive Wendell Carter Jr and Jabari Parker

Shipping off Deandre Jordan and bringing in Wendell Carter Jr was a master stroke by Heat management. Removing a guy verging on mid 30s for a 24-year-old who is just finding his game was perfect for the timeline of Pistol�s roster. Bamba, Simmons, Carter Jr and Isaac are all locked into contracts and 25 years or younger. Savvy GM work.  

Worst Trade

The Heat Trade 2021 First Round Pick (pick 28)
The Heat Receive Nothing

This trade was obviously tied to another move earlier in the season or the season before. It never looks good when a trade is processed with zero return, but I�m sure the initial move made a great deal of sense at the time and played a role in shaping this exciting roster.

Other Notable Moves

The Heat Trade Elfrid Payton and Paul Millsap
The Heat Receive Danilo Gallinari

This trade was made prior to free agency with the deal being made official after trade block was lifted. Gallinari was a terrific signing at the time and most GMs were thinking the Heat would be a threat once the deal was processed. Danillo never really found a role that fans were accustomed to seeing him in, in Miami and there�s a few whispers he may be on the move this off-season after putting up a sub-par 9.5 points per game throughout last season. 

Franchise MVP- C.J McCollum
31 points, 4 threes, 4 assists and 3 steals per game

In a clear two-horse race, C.J. McCollum earned franchise MVP honours as he led the team in scoring throughout the 2020-21 season. McCollum was a consistent performer and a large beneficiary of the 2k engine as he punished teams outside and laid waste to rim protectors as he cut to the rim.

Like most Heat players, McCollum missed a number of games due to injury but his season averages put him amongst the league leaders in points per game.

 

Future Outlook

The Heat will enter the off-season creeping under-the-radar for the first time since the league begun. After a bitterly disappointing season the only way for the franchise is up. Pistol will have a move or two up his sleeve as the free agency approaches and will put his 150 gms to good use when the bidding war begins.

As mentioned earlier, there have been trade rumours swirling around Gallinari and Wendell Carter Jr�s name has been mentioned in multiple trade scenarios. It feels like some change is on the way in Miami and there�s likely going to be some trade action after free agency which will show the fans which direction the franchise will be heading.

Free Agents

The only free agent Miami have is Bobby Portis and after re-signing in the NBA, he will likely be easily retained by Pistol. This will leave a max bid in the hands of the Heat which could very well shake up the free agency. With little salary to play with, it feels like a big bid could come on one of the big men on minimum contracts such as Deandre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond or Hasaan Whiteside.

 

Breakout Candidate- Mo Bamba

It feels like Mo Bamba could finally be on the verge of something resembling a breakout in the NBA. He�s in a terrific position to BOOM this coming season as he claims the starting role in Orlando. Bamba could be a genuine Most Improved candidate in the NSL this coming season and should see big minutes in the starting line-up from the outset of next season. GM Pistol has been incredibly patient on Bamba having owned him since the inaugural draft. If Bamba is unleashed in starters minutes, it�s not crazy to expect averages of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. A payout that Heat management would be psyched to receive.

 

The 2020-21 season will no doubt go down as one to forget for the Heat but their outlook for the coming season is once again incredibly bright. GM PistolPK is one of the best in the league and will be blessed with a turn of luck in the 2021-22 season. Expect to see the Heat back in the playoff picture and chasing home court advantage in the Eastern conference.

Expected record � 48-34
Expected standing- 6^th in the East