Will Manso: Heat season ends, but now the questions begin

What went right, what went wrong for Miami and what's next for this franchise

MIAMI – The Heat's season is officially over and now the longest season begins -- the offseason.

Every team has questions going into an offseason, but for a playoff team, Miami has more than most.

It'll be impossible to answer all of them right now. It's been less than 24 hours since the Heat were finished off in five games by a talented Sixers team that looks poised to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference.

I won't spend too much time analyzing what went wrong against Philadelphia. It was pretty clear. Miami needed to play near perfect games in order to win against a team that has been clicking on all cylinders for more than a month. Much like the regular season, the Heat had far too many lapses in key moments that didn't allow them to finish off games. Credit to Philadelphia for making those big plays down the stretch of games. The Sixers were the better team.

But for the sake of this conversation, this is really more about what the Heat did and didn't do this entire season.

Let's start with the good. Miami reunited with Dwyane Wade. It doesn't get any better than that. In a season in which the Heat entered with little chance to win a championship, this was the next big thing that seemed unlikely to happen but actually did happen.

Getting Wade back made any negative to this season seem pretty insignificant. The franchise and city was left with a poor taste in their mouths for a year-and-a-half since his departure. The break-up never felt right, but the make-up certainly did.

It also helped that Wade showed he still has plenty left in the tank to help the Heat win games. Whether he decides he wants to return for a 16th season is one of those big offseason questions I mentioned, but that's a discussion for another day.

On the court, the good included the growth of Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow, the solid contributions from rookie Bam Adabayo, the needed addition of Kelly Olynyk, who found a very nice role with the team, the All-Star season from Goran Dragic and the record-setting three-point season from Wayne Ellington. When you add up all those positives, you get the biggest of positive on the court for the franchise this season -- they returned to the playoffs. That's always the goal.

But, we also know just getting to the playoffs alone isn't enough for this team. 

That leads us to the negatives to the season and why Miami was a quick exit from the postseason.

Hassan Whiteside regressed. There's no sugarcoating that. Whether it's because he didn't get the minutes he's used to, as he claims, or if the Heat played a different style of game that just didn't fit him or that he simply didn't produce enough when on the court, that's all up for debate.  But there's no debate he wasn't the type of impactful player Miami needed.

What happens next with Hassan is probably the biggest question for the Heat this offseason, outside of whether Wade returns.

Yet, Whiteside can't be the scapegoat for all of the Heat's troubles. 

Miami re-signed Dion Waiters and James Johnson to long term deals in the offseason, and for different reasons, each didn't play to his potential this season. Waiters missed most of the year after having ankle surgery, and the Heat expects him to come back strong next season. Miami missed him. Say what you want about Waiters, but he had turned the corner on his career with the Heat, and he's a guy who's never afraid of the big moments.

As for Johnson, I wouldn't be too hard on his season because JJ continued to be so versatile for the Heat. He was a "Swiss army knife" type player, as Erik Spoelstra often calls him. He does a little bit of everything for Miami. But I put him in the disappointment category because too often this season he wasn't aggressive with his shot. He seemed timid and indecisive on when to drive or shoot. He can't be that kind of player for the Heat to have success. Miami needs the aggressive and assertive James Johnson back next season. He showed glimpses of it down the stretch to make you think they'll get it.

Meanwhile, the Heat showed a frustrating trait throughout the season of major defensive lapses and breakdowns. It was so rare to see from a franchise that prides itself on being a consistent, game-to-game defensive force. Overall, Miami was still a very good defensive team, but the inconsistency of that defense is something that helped derail the team in many close games.

Also, while young players like Richardson and Winslow continued to grow, I think Tyler Johnson didn't take the next step in his development. I was surprised by that. Tyler found himself a little lost, at times, with his role. He is far too important of a piece to this team to disappear for long stretches. He needs to become more consistent.

Finally, the Heat really missed Rodney McGruder this season. McGruder got hurt in training camp and left a void the team had trouble filling. McGruder may be far from a star, but he's a hard worker with his consistent energy and defense. I felt at many times during the season the Heat were lacking that effort that McGruder always seems to bring.

So where does that leave the Heat into the offseason? Well, as you can see, probably with more questions than answers.

The biggest reality for Pat Riley and this front office is one they already knew going into the season.  Miami lacks a superstar. That's no secret. It's not for lack of trying.

Since the departure of LeBron James, Riley has done everything in his power to bring in or keep stars. He re-signed Chris Bosh and traded for Goran Dragic to help lead the transition post-LeBron. We all know what happened after that. We never got to see that duo, as Bosh had his unexpected health issues. It was a bad break for Bosh and the franchise.

He's since tried to pursue other free agents, including a close call with Gordon Hayward this past offseason, but the bottom line is it didn't work out.

This leaves Miami still searching for that big piece, and trust me, Riley and his staff won't stop searching. Just getting to the playoffs will never be enough for this franchise.

Now comes the next step in trying to figure out how to move this team forward. It will include some tough decisions on current players and creative thinking to bring in new players to help.

The next few weeks will be filled with self-reflection and ideas for the future.  The offseason just started, but now the real work begins for this franchise.

It's very clear that not every single player I mentioned will be back next season. We should expect changes, and that's not surprising.

I don't know exactly what's ahead, but I do know 44 wins and a first-round playoff exit isn't the goal.  Have faith the right plan will be in place. They've earned that belief from fans.

Now we wait and see what that plan is.


About the Author:

Will Manso came back home to South Florida when he joined Local 10 in March of 1999. During his time here, Will has kept busy by working in sports, news and he's even dabbled in entertainment. He is now Local 10's sports director and also enjoys the chance to serve as host for special shows on Local 10.