Heat's Shot Selection is Still a Problem, Even Against Wembanyama

Miami's Mid-Range Addiction Needs an Intervention

Look, the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 118-113 last night. Good for them. But let's be real about how they got there. This team still loves the mid-range jumper more than any analytics department on earth would recommend. They hoisted 23 shots from that 10-16 foot range, knocking down 11 of them. That's a decent percentage, sure, 47.8%. But in today's NBA, that's just not how you build a championship offense. You live and die by the three, or you get to the rim. It's that simple.

Jimmy Butler, as always, was the primary culprit. He had a solid night with 26 points, but he took six shots from inside the arc and outside the restricted area. He made three. Bam Adebayo added 24 points and was efficient, but even he took a couple of those long twos. When you're facing a guy like Victor Wembanyama, who blocked four shots and altered countless others, you'd think the game plan would be to either draw him out to the perimeter or attack him directly at the rim. Settling for the in-between game just gives him more opportunities to recover and affect shots.

Wemby's Offense: More Than Just Highlights

Wembanyama, despite the loss, showed why he's going to be a scoring nightmare for years. He put up 18 points, but the way he got them is what's interesting. He went 6-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point range. He's not just a rim runner or a post-up guy. He's already comfortable stepping out. And that's the thing: his efficiency is only going to improve as he gets stronger and refines his shot. The Spurs need to build around that, not just let him drift. They need to put the ball in his hands more and let him operate from the perimeter, drawing defenders out and opening up driving lanes.

Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting. He was active, attacking the rim and getting to the line, where he made all four of his attempts. But the overall shot distribution for San Antonio felt a bit disjointed. They took 37 threes, connecting on 13 for 35.1%. Not terrible, but not elite. Thing is, with a player like Wembanyama, they should be creating more high-quality looks, especially from beyond the arc, by collapsing the defense with his presence. They aren't maximizing his gravity yet.

Here's my hot take: Until Erik Spoelstra gets this team to commit fully to a modern offensive philosophy – more threes, more rim attacks, fewer long twos – the Heat will remain a very good team, but never a truly dominant one. They can win ugly, sure, but efficiency wins championships.