Heat MVP? Dragic is easy pick
Richardson, Ellington, Olynyk and Adebayo also deserve praise.
Another Heat regular sea
MIAMI — son is in the books and unlike last season, Miami will begin prepara- tion today for the playoffs. While the Heat have known for more than a week that they would be in the postseason, their first-round oppo
nent was not determined until late Wednesday night.
The regular season was a roller coaster due to a team that was, for
the most part, inconsistent. So, before we hit the playoffs, we bring you our
end-of-the-season awards: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Tom: Goran Dragic
Dragic has become Mr. Steady. The Heat’s lone All-Star and tri-captain had another solid season and he was rewarded and recognized for it by being named an All-Star for the first time in his 10-year career. Dragic plays hard every game and has become a true leader, vocally
and by example. He will conclude the regular season as the team leader in points and assists and with a career-best in rebounding.
Anthony: Dragic
On a team that lacks stars and has struggled with inconsistency at times, the 31-yearold has been the Heat’s most reliable player. That makes Dragic the easy choice for this award.
MOST IMPROVED Tom:
Josh Richardson Richardson had a breakout year after two seasons of battling injuries. He played in all but one game after seeing action in 52 and 53 games, respectively, his first two seasons. His averages and shooting percentages are up across the board. The biggest jumps are scoring where he is at 13.0 points per game compared to 10.2 last season and field goal percentage, .454 compared to .394 last season. And Richardson has been the team’s best defender, prompting coach Erik Spoelstra to tout him for the league’s All-Defensive team.
Anthony: Wayne Ellington Ellington is having the best season of his NBA career. He entered Wednesday averaging career highs in points (10.9) and made 3-pointers per game (2.9). Ellington’s already established an NBA record for 3-pointers made off the bench in a single season, 219. If those numbers aren’t enough to convince you of Ellington’s worth, look at his plus-minus. He’s posted the second-best plus-minus on the team this season with a plus109, behind Kelly Olynyk. Now, the question is: Will the Heat be able to retain Ellington this offseason when he becomes a free agent?
MOST DISAPPOINTING Tom:
Hassan Whiteside If we are going to single out a player, Whiteside took a step back in his development this season and continued to show pockets of immaturity. Part of the reason for his diminished stats — his points and rebounds per game and shooting percentage all were his lowest in three seasons — was injuries. Whiteside missed a careerhigh 28 games. His impact was lessened by his reduced role in the fourth quarter, which led to a disappointing profanity-laced outburst late in the season that drew a fine from the organization. Anthony: Bad losses The Heat have had some impressive wins, but they’ve also had terrible losses. Miami has lost 12 games this season to teams at least 10 games below .500. Where would the Heat be this season if they had won just six of those 12 games? Miami would be competing for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
BIGGEST SURPRISE Tom:
Kelly Olynyk
The 7-foot Olynyk was part of Plan B last summer, coming to Miami after the Heat lost out on Gordon Hayward. But he has been the best of the three major offseason signings. Olynyk’s deal came at the same time Miami re-signed James Johnson and Dion Waiters. Olynyk set his career highs in points, rebounds and assists and he leads the Heat in plus-minus. He has been a key addition to the Heat’s space game, stretching the floor, knocking down threes and showing his versatility as one of the better passing big men in the game.
Anthony: Bam Adebayo Before the season, Spoelstra brought up the possibility of moving Adebayo to the G League in order to get consistent playing time. But as it turns out, Adebayo carved out a consistent role for himself in the NBA for most of his rookie season. The 20-yearold big man played in 68 games with the help of Whiteside’s injury issues, averaging 19.9 minutes.