Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh has dealt with a nagging calf strain since before the All-Star break. While it hasn’t caused him to miss any regular season games before All-Star Weekend, Bosh sat out of the All-Star Game and Three-Point Contest.
Team officials have yet to speak on a timetable for Bosh’s return. And, actually, have yet to officially release details pertaining to that injury. To protect Bosh, he will not be working out with the team and will be missing Friday’s game against the Hawks. Miami currently sits in the fifth seed in the playoff picture at 29-24, with Bosh being an essential component. His 81 threes made, and 19.1 points per game are leading the team, and Bosh is having his best season since coming to the Heat.
In his sixth season with Miami, Bosh’s 20.7 PER is the best he’s had over those years; his three-point shooting is a big part of his game, and he’s on pace to have his highest scoring season since leaving Toronto. Bosh’s ability to shoot from outside not only benefits him but works wonders with how the Heat like to play. Collectively, Miami struggles immensely from outside and rank 28th in three-point percentage (32%). One of the reasons they’re successful — aside from stifling defense — is they have a lot of slashers on offense.
Wade, Dragic, Green, and Deng are all capable of getting into the paint, and it’s where they experience a lot of success. Once they penetrate, Bosh is a reliable option out on the perimeter and his excellent shooting ability creates a lot of space for those guys to get into the lane and create.
Fortunately, Bosh’s calf injury isn’t as severe as what happened to him last season.
Around this time last year, Chris Bosh made major headlines across the country after finding out he had a blood clot in his lung. His season was over, and not only was his career in jeopardy, but his life was also. The Heat would miss the playoffs, but Bosh fought back resiliently and made for one of the most compelling stories in sports.
*Photo Credit: Don Ryan / AP*