NBA: 3 early-season Eastern Conference trends to keep an eye on

Chicago Bulls Lonzo Ball (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
Chicago Bulls Lonzo Ball (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
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Tyler Herro
Miami Heat Tyler Herro (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

The Miami Heat may be better than many believed they’d be

The Miami Heat opened the season with a bang as they trounced the defending champions, Milwaukee Bucks, by 40-plus points. It was disappointing to see the Heat turn around and follow that impressive performance by losing to the Indiana Pacer, but they did well by bouncing back against the Orlando Magic.

Miami has all the pieces to be a true contender in the East and even though Kyle Lowry hasn’t exactly found his footing yet on the scoring front, his mere impact in pushing pace has made all the difference for the Heat this season.

You can’t overlook the strides that Tyler Herro has made on the offensive end as well. He looks bigger, faster, and stronger. It’s already paying dividends as he’s averaging 23 points per game this season. Don’t sleep on the Heat as a contender in the East, if they can remain relatively healthy.