In ESPN’s countdown of The 2017-18 NBA League Pass Rankings, Zach Lowe puts the Miami Heat at #14, even without an All-Star on its roster.
The Heat do have “Erik Spoelstra waving his arms like a crazy person” on the sidelines and Dion Waiters having to live up to Lowe’s description of him as a “true goddamned megastar.”
“We are officially in the Very Watchable section of the rankings. Miami lacks that one change-the-channel star, but the collective is strong: Goran Dragic, head down, sprint-dribbling into a whirring series of weirdo pivots; Hassan Whiteside swallowing shots instead of just blocking them; Kelly Olynyk accidentally hurting people with his herky-jerky game; James Johnson, ninja warrior, running inverted pick-and-rolls with Dragic and threading impossible passes; Erik Spoelstra waving his arms like a crazy person; and Dion Waiters, always Dion Waiters, forever calling for the ball, hoisting bananas shots, and acting like the true goddamned megastar he is.