7. Miami Heat
X-Factor: Justise Winslow
The Miami Heat went on an outrageous run in the second half of last season. After going 11-30 to begin the season, they flipped that around and won 30 of their last 41. After barely missing out on the playoffs, the Heat will be fired up and ready to go in 2017-18.
It’s a similar cast of characters in Miami, with the only major subtraction being Chris Bosh, who was unavailable for the entire 2017 season. Goran Dragic will once again set the pace of the offense, and looks to follow up on a 20 PPG season. Dion Waiters is also coming back on a big contract. Justise Winslow will be back from an injury that ended his season in November, and he will be paired with James Johnson at the forward spots.
That leaves star big-man Hassan Whiteside to defend the paint (14.1 RPG and 2.1 BPG last year). Off the bench Miami has Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk, Okaro White, and Bam Adebayo.
Winslow looks to be the key piece in the Heat system. He’s good on both sides of the ball, and is poised to breakout this season. As the East weakens, Winslow could emerge as a co-star with Whiteside if he can stay healthy. Expect the 21-year old’s performance to dictate how far this team can go.
Final Record: 43-39