We get closer and closer by the day to the beginning of the NBA Season, and the anticipation grows as time passes. Officially 18 days out, we’re discussing our spot for 18th on the SneakerReporter Top 30, the Miami Heat.
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18. Miami Heat: Can the Heat get back on a hot streak?
The Miami Heat are officially passed the Dwayne Wade Farewell Tour (it still hurts for me too), and have potentially found their new franchise player in Jimmy Butler. The organization went 39-43 last season, just barely out of the playoff picture. They’re no strangers to the Playoffs in recent history however, making an early first round exit to the 76ers in the 2017-2018 season. Additionally of course, the organization has in fact won the championship in recent years, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, with the original Big 3 of the 2010 decade in Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh.
The roster has shifted around a bit for the season to come, with Center Hassan Whiteside out of the picture and Meyers Leonard coming into the fray. The team overall is solid, with a talented and exciting roster with names such as Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr. This fairly young roster will be looking to develop some more this coming season and with the years to come, and there only seems to be a whole lot of upside for this squad. On the topic of exciting names coming into this Miami roster, rookie Tyler Herro will be a name to watch this season. Herro, during this year’s NBA Summer League, proved to be an effective scorer from almost anywhere on the floor. Alongside the already solid group of guards that the Heat have already in Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, and Justise Winslow last year officially becoming listed as a point guard, it will be interesting to watch the Heat and how they operate with their guards in terms of rotation. One thing is for sure when looking at this roster, and that is they have an array of scoring options to exercise whenever needed.
The main thing regarding this Heat roster however is the newly acquired superstar talent in Jimmy Butler. Butler has proved time and time again that he’s a player to be reckoned with on both sides of the floor. He, at this point in his career, is around his peak at the age of 30, and hopes that he has the necessary components to compete. Jimmy saw some downturn in terms of scoring last season with the 76ers, but was mostly due in part by the amount of depth the team had in terms of scoring. With his current situation in Miami, however, he is more than likely, if not fully the first option in terms of scoring the ball on this Heat roster.
This team, like all teams in the league, will be interesting to watch this season. They have shifted their focus on Jimmy Butler and filling the rest of their roster with solid players. But also, like with all teams, there is always the underlying question of how this team will mesh together and if the roster can execute successfully. This question is typically asked more with teams that have essentially had to switch their rosters up, with the Miami Heat being one of them. Meyers Leonard coming to the Heat for Hassan Whiteside will be particularly interesting, for Whiteside was the backbone of the defense for this team, and also an essential rebounder, something where Leonard averages 3.7 rebounds for his career.
Despite all that, the Heat have decent chances in making the playoffs this season (probably a lower seed, of course, but the playoffs nonetheless). In the grand scheme of things, the Eastern Conference is not at its strongest at this time, which is a blessing for a lot of teams. There really are only 4-5 teams that will definitely make the playoffs in the East, which means there’s quite a fight for some spots in the ladder half of the seeds. We will see in time who will be able to show out in the East and prove themselves worthy of playoff contention.
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