A big point of emphasis during the Heat’s season has been their performance during the clutch. Clutch time in the NBA is defined as the last five minutes of a game where the point differential is 5 points or less. The Heat have notably not been performing well during the clutch this season and need to improve on this if they want to be successful in the playoffs. Most games in the playoffs will be coming down to the wire, and Miami has the chance to correct one of their flaws before the regular season ends.
Miami as a team ranks 29th in clutch scoring with only 6.9 points in the clutch per game. They also rank 27th in field goal percentage in the clutch, shooting 38.6% during this time. They also have trouble getting to the line during the clutch, only averaging 2.4 free throw attempts in these games. Their offensive rating in the clutch is only 98.4, good for 26th in the league. Despite all of these low rankings when it comes to clutch offense, Miami remains 20-15 in clutch scenarios. This is due in part to their defense in the clutch, with a defensive rating of 106.4.
In terms of individual clutch statistics, the Heat don’t have a player in the Top 40 of clutch scorers. Tyler Herro is the closest, sitting at 42nd in the league with 2.4 points on 36.2% shooting during clutch time. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry both average 2.0 points during the clutch, but Jimmy only shoots 29.8% from the field in these situations. If there’s a Heat player who needs to be more involved in the clutch offense, it’s Bam Adebayo. He only averages 1.1 points on 0.6 field goal attempts during the clutch. Bam has flashed the ability to hit big-time shots this season, and should feel confident enough to take more of those when the time comes for it.
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