It's no secret the Miami Heat are struggling.
Really struggling.
Although some expected growing pains as the Heat formulated a new identity around incoming superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo , few anticipated the team would start 0-4, and be near the bottom of the NBA in offensive and (especially) defensive rating.
Chris Bosh has been through something like this before, with Miami. He was part of the Big Three team with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade that was projected to set win records, and then lost eight of its first 17 games, with trouble fitting on-the-court and tension building off of it. That team ultimately figured it out, ripping off wins in 21 of 22 games and reaching the NBA Finals. The next season, it won the first of two championships, as all found enough ways to sacrifice, co-exist and thrive.
So his word carries weight. And as usual, Bosh took a negative situation and tried to spin it a positive way.
The two-time NBA champion argued that instead of focusing on the offensive struggles, Miami should be prioritizing the leakage on defense. Yes, he does call out the scoring trouble, but he believes those will be alleviated by attention to the other end.
"The Miami Heat way is all about - you know we always hear the culture, defense is a huge, huge part of that culture so they're gonna have to take the challenge regardless of what happens on the offensive end," he stresses in his video.
Bosh wasn't known as a particularly elite defender when he joined the Heat, after being the offensive hub for seven seasons in Toronto. But he learned to play that role, and was dynamic against the pick-and-roll. He also expanded his game on offense, stretching out more to the three-point line to give Wade and James space to attack.
"They're gonna have to loosen defenses up in some kind of way, spread them out, get stops most importantly so they can get some fast break opportunities," Bosh said.
Yes, he echoed what plenty have already said about Bam Adebyo needing to be "more aggressive." But it wasn't just about calling Bam out the way so many have. Bosh points out why Adebayo seems to be having the hardest time on the floor with Giannis (they have a terrible net rating in their 71 minutes).
"He's usually naturally a facilitator getting to third, fourth situations, moving the ball from side to side being that point forward, point center that they need," Bosh said.
Miami looks to get their first win of the season Wednesday night when they take on the long-and-active Hawks in Atlanta, which Bosh called "definitely not an easy environment".
Yet he added: "Usually to get back on track you're gonna have to win a tough game."
The biggest takeaway from all of it? Bosh does not see a real need to panic just yet.
No the 0-4 start is not what you want... "but sometimes it's where you need to be."
"It's early in the season maybe we won't even remember these things, but they're gonna have to dig themselves out of an early hole. Let's see how they respond."
If they respond as his teams did, Miami should be OK.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Former Star Chris Bosh Offers His Solution for Struggling Miami Heat .
