The Miami Heat have had an up-and-down recent couple of weeks but their core players are being viewed among some of the best players in the NBA.
The Ringer updated their ranking of the NBA's top 100 players. Four players from Miami cracked the list, beginning with Bam Adebayo at No. 30. Adebayo is ranked in the exact same spot as the most recent update in Nov. The article highlighted his defining skill.
“Catchall defense,” the article wrote. “Adebayo is one of the few defenders in the league who can genuinely guard anyone. (Or at least anyone not named Nikola Jokic.) His flexibility gives Erik Spoelstra the option to play him in lineups big and small, to try new schemes on for size, and to switch without concern for how Bam might hang with some of the most dangerous guards in the league. Everything is on the table when Adebayo is involved.”
The next player on the list is probably the team’s leading candidate for an All-Star spot. Offseason acquisition Norman Powell has unquestionably been the best scorer for the team throughout the first two months of the season. He was last ranked at No. 46 but has jumped up two spots to No. 44.
“It’s funny how career trajectories can diverge so quickly from early expectations out of college,” the article added. “Powell was drafted out of UCLA as an undersized but hyper-athletic bulldog with a massive wingspan. He was seen as a defensive grinder and downhill slasher with an inconsistent jumper. Of course, he’s shot at least 39.7 percent from 3 in eight of his 10 seasons in the NBA and has developed into one of the most reliable and versatile shooters in the game. He still has the power and burst to attack a tilted defense, but over the years, he’s learned how to apply that velocity to a curl from the baseline to the top of the arc or to a violent jab step setting up a deep pull-up. Powell has hit at least a 95th percentile outcome in his development as an offensive player, turning an area of improvement into one of the most bankable talents in the league.”
Tyler Herro comes next at No. 60. He has dropped down six spots from his Nov. ranking at No. 54. He has been solid since his return from his injury but questions regarding his potential trade market loom heading into the new year. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the final member of the Heat to crack the list at No. 88. He slips down four spots from his No. 84 ranking in Nov.