3 areas where Miami Heat improved in the 2021 NBA offseason
The Miami Heat had a busy offseason, adding the likes of Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker to a competitive roster. Sharpshooter Duncan Robinson also signed a lucrative extension. The Heat will enter the 2021-22 NBA season as one of the contenders for the title.
The Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals in 2020, but had a campaign to forget last year. They crashed out of the playoffs in the first round, getting swept by the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, Pat Riley and the front office have done some stellar work to improve the roster this summer, making the team competitive again. On that note, here is a look at the three areas the Miami Heat improved this offseason:
#3 Point guard position
Adding a quality point guard was the Miami Heat's biggest priority this offseason. They accomplished that objective by snapping up Kyle Lowry, one of the best veteran players in the league. Not only does Lowry bring in elite point guard play, but the intangibles he possesses are also quite invaluable.
Lowry was the de-facto leader of a Toronto Raptors team that won the championship in 2019. He is now expected to play a similar role in the Miami Heat locker room as well. Add Jimmy Butler to that, and the Heat have two of the best leaders in the league at their disposal at the moment.
Coming to his on-court prowess, Lowry is adept at playing both on and off the ball. That gives head coach Erik Spoelstra a versatile option to have in the backcourt. Kyle Lowry averaged 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists per game last season for the Toronto Raptors, proving his all-round prowess and versatility.
He is also a brilliant shooter. The former Houston Rockets star made close to 40% of his threes last year, doing so on a healthy 7.2 attempts per game. A six-time All-Star and a part of the 2015-16 All-NBA team, Kyle Lowry could make the Miami Heat a legitimate contender in a stacked Eastern Conference.