Data doesn't lie | Lillard wants to go to the Heat for four reasons One trick can lead to the perfect upgrade
On July 2, Beijing time, Lillard officially applied for a trade with the Blazers, and the team he most wanted to join was the Heat. Why does Lee want to go there the most? And what can he bring to the Heat? In this issue of "Data Don't Lie", let's explore this topic.
Four reasons why Lillard wants to go to the Heat
Why did Lillard want to join the Heat? On a previous show, Lillard said that if he was traded by the Blazers, the team he would most like to go to would be the Heat. At the time, he mentioned Adebayo as his good brother. Now, Lillard has officially applied for a trade and is fully focused on the Heat.
Heat reporter Barry Jackson reported that sources revealed that Lillard wanted to go to the Heat for four reasons: First, he liked the city of Miami; Second, he has great respect for the Heat and Butler; Third, he and Adebayo are good friends; Fourth, the Heat have a chance to hit the championship. Jackson said the Blazers haven't made it clear that they're going to send Lillard to the Heat, but it would be surprising if they didn't cooperate.
Blazers general manager Croning has issued a statement: "We have made it clear that we want Lillard to stay, but he has told us that he wants to leave and play elsewhere. For us, the goal of striving to win never changes, and we do what is best for the team and do everything we can to achieve it. ”
Woj reports that the Blazers will explore more trade possibilities, they want to trade Lillard for star-level trade returns, and Cronin will also set his sights on other teams outside the Heat.
What can Lillard bring to the Heat?
What do the Heat lack most? Offensive! In the 2022-23 regular season, the Heat ranked 25th in the league in offensive efficiency, 17th in three-point field goal shooting and 27th in three-point shooting percentage. They also have the lowest scoring averages in the league. In the playoffs, the Heat were also dragged down by offense. Six of their last nine playoff games scored under 100 points, including four of their Finals losses to the Nuggets.
Lillard is good at offense and three-pointers. In the 2022-23 season, Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, shooting 46.3% from the field, 37.1% from three-point range, 91.4% from the free throw line, and a career high in points, field goal percentage, and three-point field goal goal (4.2) per game. He played 58 games, scoring at least 40 points in 15 games and scoring at least 50 points in 3 games, and on February 27, against the Rockets, Lillard hit a career high with 71 points, including shooting 22 of 38 and 13 of 22 from three-point range!
Most importantly, he can use his tricks to introduce a clear offensive approach to the Heat that will bring the perfect upgrade. The data shows that Lillard's blocking offense has been the most efficient in the league over the past 10 years. In the past 7 years of the regular season, Lillard has ranked the following points per round as a ball carrier among all players who have blocked offense at least 400 times -
2022-23 season: Ranked first out of 36 players
2021-22 season: Failed to qualify for the rankings due to injury
2020-21 season: second out of 28 players
2019-20 season: First place out of 32 players
2018-19 season: First place out of 33 players
2017-18 season: Fourth out of 26 players
2016-17 season: fifth out of 34 players
Lillard in the blocking play, the attack is quite sharp, is the opponent's defensive nightmare. So far in his career, he has never partnered with a capable teammate like Butler, nor has a big man as dynamic as Adebayo set up cover for him. With Butler and Adebayor to distract each other's defenses, Lillard is expected to gain a greater offensive advantage and completely change the Heat's lack of offensive strength.
Foreign media said that Lillard is the best star for the needs and team culture of the Heat, and once he is missed, the Heat may have to turn to Harden or DeRozan, but they are not as well matched as Lillard. It's time to give everything for Lillard, and the Heat are waiting for this moment. The latest reports suggest that Nurkic may be packaged for a trade, and the Nets are expected to become a third-party team to take over the Heat's Hilo.