With LeBron James now firmly back in Cleveland, there will be a great deal of focus on the Heat and seeing how they cope without the King. There are big concerns for the team and there are not too many people expecting the Heat to feature in the Championships, a berth they have taken up almost permanent residence in recent times. This means that Heat fans may have to have a different mind-set going into this season but there is a chance for players to step up and try and fill the void. No one player is going to make up for the loss of James but every player needs to be bigger, bolder and stronger. There is also a need for some players to take extra responsibility, which is definitely the case with Chris Bosh.
Bosh is now the number one option in Miami, and this is where the player needs to dig deep and excel. The player hasn’t been in this position since way back in the 2009/10 season when he was the main man for the Toronto Raptors. At that time, Bosh definitely performed well on an individual basis but he never managed to inspire the Raptors to much team success. Some will say that this isn’t really a criticism, it is not as if one player can have the responsibility for all success or failure from a basketball team but there is no doubt that some players do more to drag their teams through matches and ensuring they end up in a winning position. There is not a lot of expectation on Bosh being that man for Miami but there is a need for him to prove the doubters and the naysayers wrong.
Bosh has a points average that hints at success
Bosh can boast of an average of 22 points per game, and this is definitely something that he will need to be following up on this campaign. Last season, he only managed to grab 16.2 points per game, which is clearly down but don’t forget that his position at Miami last season wasn’t to be the main point grabber. When you think about the time spent as the No.1, compared to the No.3 position he has held in Miami, there is an argument to make for Bosh being stronger offensively than he has been allowed to show in the last couple of seasons. At least this is what the Heat fans will be hoping for anyway!
The Heat need to be better at rebounds this season
One aspect of the Heat’s play under James was to be less focused on rebounds, saving their energy for other matters. When you had James on your side, you know you can do that, but this isn’t an option that is available this year. This means Bosh will need to up his rebound performance and again, this is an area where he can at least claim some experience and there is potential for more success in this part of his game.
Bosh has grown as a player since his time with the Raptors, with both his offensive and defensive work being greatly improved. It is still very much unlikely that the Heat will be in contention for the Championship this season, even the die-hard fans agree on this but there is a feeling that they may be able to make their way to the Conference final. When big name players move on, there is a need to fight back and show that you weren’t a one man team. LeBron James was clearly a wonderful player but the rest of the Heat squad will be desperate to show that they are great players in their own right as well.
At 3-1 down in the NBA Finals, many people predicted that the Cleveland Cavaliers would lie down, perhaps looking for the pain to be over and done with for another year. After all, they were facing the record breakers, the team that had shown themselves to be the best of the best by a good...