The report card for the first half of the Miami Heat’s season seemingly should transcend letter grades, with it almost as much medical report as basketball analysis.
Plug Jimmy Butler back in for the 14 games missed over the season’s first 36, and this likely would be more a case of looking down at those left behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race, rather than the current eyes on those ahead.
But amid a pandemic-plagued season that has produced little NBA stability, it is where the Heat find themselves, practically at a reset, 36 down, 36 to go, positioned in the middle of the East playoff race at 18-18.
Non-stop Butler the rest of the way, with the Heat 14-8 with their leader available to this stage, and there could again be an extended playoff run. Too much of the words “Health and Safety Protocols” on the Heat injury report these next two months, and a protracted 2021 offseason could follow a compacted 2020 offseason.
For now, the alphabet soup to stew upon during this weeklong respite.
———
— Jimmy Butler: A.
This has been a season when absence has made the heart grow fonder. When Butler is on the court, the ball moves, the key rebounds are secured, and closing time becomes the Heat’s time, with Thursday’s victory in New Orleans the latest evidence.
Yes, the 14 missed games have lessened the impact, but 10 of those were due to COVID-19, which is the blame of no one.
— Bam Adebayo: B+.
There still are the moments that create pause about whether the jump is possible from star to superstar. But that also is a bridge typically crossed well beyond a 23rd birthday.
For all those moments when the offensive aggression isn’t there, keep in mind how the defensive versatility is keeping Heat in games.
Even with this grade, Adebayo remains an A-list talent.
— Goran Dragic: B.
In many ways, his season has been like Butler’s. When he is available, the Heat are far more cohesive, and there is a balance for the minutes when Butler rests.
But unlike Butler being sidelined mostly by pandemic protocols, three games have been missed with a groin strain, nine with an ankle sprain.
At 34, the injury concerns are real, and potentially debilitating to the playoff prospects.
— Duncan Robinson: B.
Based on the bar set last season, it was going to be difficult to keep the shooting numbers at the 2019-20 levels, especially now while the focus of opposing scouting reports.
And they have fallen, but not to the degree that has eliminated Robinson as a feared threat. Plus, there have been significant gains in other areas, including putting the ball on the floor, cutting to the rim, and, yes, defense.
— Kendrick Nunn: B.
Had there not been injury and illness to others, Nunn well could again have been relegated to afterthought, as was the case at the end of last season.
Instead, by biding time and remaining ready, there has been a resurgence that has conjured memories of those first three rookie breakout months.
Arguably, Nunn stands as the most pleasant surprise of the first half of the season.
— Tyler Herro: B.
In many ways, Herro falls into the same category as Robinson, that the bar had been set so high last season, in Herro’s case in the playoffs, that failure to sustain at previous levels almost comes off as regression.
Instead, consider that Herro, in his second season, at only 21, stands as an elite sixth man, which remains a quality takeoff point.
— Andre Iguodala: B-.
No metric can measure the subtle intangibles so necessary on a roster that relies on so much impressionable youth.
The second half of the season will sway the final grade, but this also is the stage of the season when more should be expected of a veteran steeled by previous playoff races.
— Precious Achiuwa: C+.
The quarterly reports would have been a B for the first 18 games and then a C for the second 18.
For a month or so, it appeared the Heat had their power forward of the future in the rookie out of Memphis. Then it became clear that hustle only carries you so far in a skills-based league.
— Kelly Olynyk: C.
Some games the 3s fall, such as Thursday against the Pelicans; some games they don’t. As a reserve, that often is enough. So is it Olynyk’s fault that the Heat have nowhere else to turn in the starting lineup?
Olynyk has been average. The Heat’s overall play at power forward hasn’t even been that.
— Gabe Vincent: C.
An argument could be made for a higher grade, and that would be the case if grading on a curve.
For a two-way player, Vincent has provided more than could have been expected, from playing time to surprisingly feisty defense.
— Max Strus: C-.
As with Vincent, if a two-way player contributes to even one or two extra victories, that is ample payoff on the investment.
With his performances against the Rockets and Thunder, Strus has done just that.
— Avery Bradley: C-.
The tendency would be to lean toward a grade of incomplete here. But there were enough moments to conjure thoughts of what could have been without COVID-19 and the calf strain.
The second half of the season will determine not only the season’s overall grade, but also the chances of being brought back on the 2021-22 team option.
— KZ Okpala: D.
The openings were there, the opportunities largely squandered. Amid the injury and illness of others, statements went unmade, save for a few moments of hope Thursday in New Orleans.
— Moe Harkless: F.
Yes, the nine games missed with the thigh contusion didn’t help, but there were opportunities to make a stand earlier, with those challenges unmet.
At this point, it is difficult to envision the opportunity for resurrection, as the one-year contract draws to a close. And that’s a shame, because the Heat very much wanted Harkless to be this season’s Jae Crowder.
— Chris Silva: Incomplete.
Never gets off the bench.
— Meyers Leonard: Incomplete.
Can’t get off the bench, after season-ending shoulder surgery.
— Udonis Haslem: Incomplete.
Has only known the bench this season, yet to play a single second over the first half of the schedule.
