Are Miami Heat's Recent Shortcomings Connected To Lack Of Foul Calls?
The Miami Heat find much of their success on the offensive end by attacking the basket and drawing contact, or at least they did prior to the All-Star break.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that "The NBA shared with teams one of league’s focuses in competition committee meeting had been on offensive players hunting for fouls and veering off paths into defenders."
The majority of fans pointed to superstars like Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking the largest hit from the switch. However, few realized the negative impact on the Heat's roster.
Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo rank within the top 21 in free throw attempts this season. During their recent four-game losing streak, the team attempted less than 20 free throws per game. Their average on the season is 22.6, which ranks them No. 12 in the NBA.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the change following Wednesday's loss to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
“I think that’s an adjustment from the league. Staff has been talking about that. I didn’t receive a memo about it,” Spoelstra said after the Heat’s 100-88 loss to the Nuggets. “But it’s clear that they’re calling it a little bit more like that. So hey, we have to make the adjustment and I think that’s a good adjustment, go to score. Not necessarily to draw fouls.”
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat.
He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla.
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