What the Heat should learn from an up and down regular season

The 82 game regular season has officially ended, and it has seen the Miami Heat finish 10th in the Eastern Conference locking them into the Play-in once again. This is all too familiar territory for the Heat as the last 4 years they have been in this tournament that no one wants to take part in. The season was not all bad, but the holes have definitely shown themselves and it is important that Miami learns from this season as they move forward.

1. They need a true star.

I have continually said the Heat have a lot of good players, and several really good players. They have 4 former All-Stars in Adebayo, Herro, Powell, and Wiggins. They have pieces, the problem is they do not have THE piece. Now this is not a new concept to those that follow the team as this has been one of the biggest critiques of the roster. This season put the nail in the coffin though.

The Heat made a move in the offseason that was objectively great. Acquiring Norman Powell for peanuts, sorry Keving Love and Kyle Anderson, is unquestionably a steal for the Heat. Despite this great trade, the team is still so far away from contention. It should be Crytal clear to everyone in the Heat front office, that another All-Star will not make this team competitive, they need a clear cut alpha.

2. Be careful on what you pay for.

A few names could of rushed into your head when reading #2 and the fact is all of them are the subject of conversation. Tyler Herro and Norman Powell both want to get paid and honestly, rightfully so. The problem is, if this season taught us one thing, it is that this tandem should not be a cornerstone of your team. Neither of these guys should be paid anywhere close to max contract money from Maimi and will probably command more money than the Heat should pay. This will be the lone season we see these two in Miami together and could both of their last on the team.

Another money lesson is beware when giving out extensions. For example, Nikola Jovic looked like a promising young player that was blossoming into a key piece for the team and then this year started and he forgot how to play basketball. Jovic will not be the first or the last to have a rough year, and hopefully he can bounce back, but this should serve as a large warning for the Heat when looking at other rookie extensions.

3. Play the young guys or don’t, just pick a side.

The Heat have been trying to bridge together two era’s and its failing. They need to decide to go young and fully embrace it, looking at you Erik Spoelstra, or they need to decide to move on and try to use their young pups to get a major upgrade. There should be no more of this seesaw of trying to be young at times but then not paying the young guys because of one mistake.

If they choose to embrace the youth on the roster, then truly embrace it. Let the young guys work through mistakes. Phase out some of the players that are not part of future plans, even if the team likes them and they are solid players. Kasparas Jakucionis and Kel’el Ware both has extradentary talent, but they both are still raw and make many mistakes. Spoelstra needs to let them play through it. This is coming from someone that gets exactly why Spoelstra is hesitant and gets frustrated at simple mistakes, but if the goal is to develop the youth, then live with the result.

If the Heat does not want to fully embrace the youth and the inconsistency that comes with it, I can be sold on that also. They just have to pick a direction. The season should not feel like they have 3 different directions and none of them are panning out. Decide if you want to be a contender or if you want to be a young team that shows potential, this team does not have the ability to be both.