Grades are out for Heat’s season

Spoelstra needs to get more from top players

MIAMI – To some, the Miami Heat made the grade this season with their return to the NBA playoffs. To others, a single playoff victory did not feel like graduation to the next level.

So how did it all grade out? Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley have had their say. Now staff writer Ira Winderman has his. Erik Spoelstra Grade: B Winderman's view: Spoelstra got more out of players such as Wayne Ellington, Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow. And that is a tribute to the developmental element of Spoelstra's staff. But he lost Hassan Whiteside, and no matter the rhetoric, it was about more than injuries. A coach has to get more out of his highest-paid player. Has to. Whiteside's contentious comments were not without merit. Pat Riley Grade: C Winderman's view: Riley held to his core belief that every season should create possibilities for something greater. By retaining James Johnson, Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellington, he provided Erik Spoelstra the opportunity to make more from the 2016-17 core. But when the vision results in marginal gains and little enduring upside, that reflects back on the front office. Ultimately, this appears a franchise stuck in neutral. Hassan Whiteside Grade: C Winderman's view: It is not all on Whiteside, with uneven minutes and an offensive ap-

proach that did not play to his strengths. But there also has to be perseverance to play through injury and disappointment. Where did the motor go that made Whiteside, to use Spoelstra's parlance, such a force of nature? All too often, it's as if he gave in to adversity. Goran Dragic Grade: B+ Winderman's view: The productivity, drive and desire never wavered, as he pushed through discomfort and evolving lineups and rotations. While Dragic never quite matched the type of closing mentality he offered during EuroBasket, he often positioned the Heat for success with a relentless approach from the outset of games. There were fewer, if any, more consistent players on the roster. James Johnson Grade: D Winderman's view: Granted, part of this involves grading on a curve, in this case Johnson's fouryear, $60 million free-agent contract last summer. The expectation was of providing a multifaceted, consistent, steadying presence in the frontcourt. Instead, there often was a regression to the uneven play that cast Johnson as a journeyman prior to his Heat arrival in 2016-17. Concern, instead of confidence, was created. Josh Richardson Grade: AWinderman's view: He not only played and started in all but one game during the regular season and playoffs, but developed All-Defensive respect around the league. The offense could be uneven at times, but the effort never was in question. The Heat know something now they did not going into the season: Josh Richardson is an NBA-caliber starter, even with uncertainly about his eventual position. Justise Winslow Grade: B Winderman's view: The playoffs helped produce the final grade, after a regular season that both teased and tormented. Spoelstra's talk of Winslow's "winning plays" seemingly had grown tiresome. And then the winning plays arrived. This ultimately could be the grading on a curve for a player whose upside might be as contributor but not starter. Tyler Johnson Grade: D Winderman's view: Johnson admitted it himself, that when he gets out of attack mode, settles for jumpers, he is less of a contributor. That happened all too often this season. And the reality of being undersized at shooting guard became evident in many matchups. The cap hit will be significant the next two seasons, with this season leaving him exposed as less than starting quality, forced into that role by Dion Waiters' absence. Kelly Olynyk Grade: B+ Winderman's view: Erik Spoelstra put it best -- opponents took account of Olynyk when he was on the court, forced to adjust to his quirky ability to score in bunches. That is what today's NBA has become, creating advantages and seizing upon them. Now the question becomes whether there is more, or if this will be as good as it gets. Yes, there are shortcomings, but ones masked by contributions in other aspects. Wayne Ellington Grade: A Winderman's view: Yes, graded on a curve. What Ellington did this season was reinvent himself, adding an element to the Heat's second unit heretofore unseen, delivering 3-pointers on the full sprint. No, not close to the best or one of the best players on the roster, but a player who excelled in his specialty more than any other Heat player excelled in his this season. Bam Adebayo Grade: C+ Winderman's view: The effort was everything you could ask for from a rookie. He compelled Spoelstra to give him minutes and made his presence known when he was in games, whether it was his defense or rebounding. But there also were defensive lapses that left the Heat exposed. The next step is in the skill areas, whether there will be more than mere fury. Dwyane Wade Grade: B Winderman's view: The turnback-the-clock moments since the Feb. 8 return at the NBA trading deadline made the reunion more than worthwhile, particularly with Dion Waiters sidelined. But the Heat also became a bit too reliant at times, leaving Wade attempting to do too much. By the end, the sense was that this might have been as good as it gets. Rodney McGruder Grade: Incomplete. Winderman's view: It was headed toward an incomplete season once McGruder went down with his leg injury during the preseason and it turned into exactly that even after he pushed the timetable to a midseason return, with Spoelstra never able to recreate the niche that made the undersized forward such a revelation the season before. What is McGruder as an NBA player? We're still not sure. Dion Waiters Grade: Incomplete. Winderman's view: It was not trending particularly well at the start of the season, as the ankle soreness carried over from 2016-17. And then we learned why, that the injury had never fully healed, requiring season-ending surgery in January. So what did the Heat realize from July's four-year, $52 million deal? Zero big-game minutes from a guard cast as a big-moment contributor. Jordan Mickey Grade: D Winderman's view: The thing is, Mickey delivered when given the chance, with his rebounding and defensive aggression. But the lack of opportunities also spoke volumes of what the Heat perceived, that this remains a developmental project on a team that spent the season in win-now mode. Luke Babbitt Grade: D Winderman's view: The Heat went with familiarity when it came to the Hawks' fire sale of 3-point shooters. The reunion with Babbitt largely was a non-event, unable to recreate the contribution of a season earlier. Imagine, instead, what might have been had the Heat been able to land Marco Belinelli or Ersan Ilyasova from Atlanta. Considering what the 76ers wouldn't have gotten, the Heat might still be playing. Udonis Haslem Grade: C Winderman's view: Consider this a composite grade, an "A" for the leadership offered as captain, particularly amid the uneven times, but basically something less than a "D" when it came to the best use of a roster spot. Enough about Spoelstra having the trust to play Haslem in meaningful minutes. He didn't. Just 72 minutes during the season, none in the playoffs. Derrick Jones Jr. Grade: C Winderman's view: The shame of the limitations on two-way contracts was that the Heat were not able to fully explore the possibilities of the athletic wing. With the Heat's limited draft picks in recent years and the eye toward a winnow season, Jones stepped up when needed as a spot starter. He offered a level of athleticism otherwise unseen on this season's roster. Derrick Walton Jr. Grade: D Winderman's view: Walton provided minutes when the Heat were shorthanded, but never quite created the types of moments that demanded further inspection. In some ways, it might have been intriguing to see more of Matt Williams and the promise of the former Central Florida 3-point specialist who was waived amid a twoway contract of his own.