Three reasons why it’s not outlandish to say that the Miami Heat will be even better this season.
The Miami Heat is coming off a second surprising NBA Finals run in four years. They’ve made the conference finals three of the last four seasons, but their best chance to win a title may very well be in front of them.
Wait…wait…wait. That last part of that last sentence may be a bit outlandish. But, in fairness, I don’t believe it’s all that crazy. Sure, the Heat may have missed out on Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal this offseason. There’s no denying that was a pretty bad look for the franchise. However, that aside, the Heat did make some improvements this offseason that could set them up as a better team heading into the 2023-24 season.
Does Erik Spoelstra really believe the Miami Heat could be better?
In fact, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kind of gave voice to that speaking with reporters recently after a training camp practice. Spo said that he believes the team is deeper than last year’s. Of course, deeper does not equal better. But I want to take this quote a step further. I’d say, for the Heat that as solid top-level talent, that deeper will equate better this season.
If the Heat can stay relatively healthy for the better part of the regular season, the Heat will be better than they were last year. Will that equate to more playoff success? Who knows. However, there are tangible reasons why it’s pretty fair to say the Heat are set up to be a better team this season than they were last year.
The Young Guys
Let’s start with the young players that could end up being rotation pieces for the Miami Heat at some point this season. There are four young, intriguing players on the roster who didn’t get minutes at all last season for Miami. When talking about how the Heat could replace the production that will be missed after Gabe Vincent and Max Strus left in free agency, this is how.
Nikola Jovic
Nikola Jovic is one of the more interesting players to watch during pre-season and into the start of the regular season. He had a solid run playing in the FIBA World Cup for the Serbian national team and is hoping to carry that over into the regular season. He didn’t play much last season and there’s a very real chance he’s in the rotation from day 1.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
The same could be said for Jaime Jaquez Jr. who has already received praise from Jimmy Butler through the first few practices in training camp. If he is as NBA-ready to contribute to a team as many draft analysts believed, there’s a chance he could emerge as a steal for the Heat late in the first round. Could he be that Strus replacement on the wing?
Haywood Highsmith
Haywood Highsmith is a player that we saw sparingly during the regular season and in the playoffs. Because of his defensive versatility, there’s a chance he gets a bigger role in the absence of Strus. For Highsmith, it all comes down to whether or not his offensive game has evolved during the summer.
Orlando Robinson
The Miami Heat need a big to emerge next to Bam Adebayo. I’m not sure if Orlando Robinson is going to be that player to fill the need in the frontcourt, but he’ll get a shot.
The Forgotten Signings
Even though the Miami Heat ceremoniously missed on two big whales this offseason, there were a few other moves that they made that were really good. And, for the most part, they’ve been overlooked by the national media.
Josh Richardson
The return of Josh Richardson isn’t getting nearly enough pub. He may not be a star player or a big-name two-way player, but he played the best basketball of his career with the Heat. He may not be that player still, but he has the potential to be really good in this system. He will be a huge help as a quality two-way backcourt player for Miami. Clearly an element that they lost with Vincent.
Thomas Bryant
With a clear need in the frontcourt, it’ll be interesting to see how the Heat elects to utilize Thomas Bryant. We know what Bryant is and what he isn’t, but it’ll be intriguing to see if Miami could help evolve his game. He has proven to be an effective offensive player but has notoriously struggled on the other end of the floor.
R.J. Hampton
It’s easy to scoff at the two-way signing of R.J. Hampton. However, considering how highly touted he was coming into the pros, it would be foolish to overlook his potential in arguably the best developmental program in the NBA. Hampton is just 22 years old and if there’s any team that could get the most out of him, it’s going to be the Heat.
It’s unlikely he’ll contribute much this season, but he could emerge as a backup point guard for the team if he is a bit ahead of where most believe he is.
Is there another step for Bam and Herro?
At last, if the Miami Heat is going to be better this season, a bit part of that will revolve around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. As Jimmy Butler continues to age, Bam and Herro are the two players who must step up to help carry the load. While most of that needs to be proved during the postseason, it starts with taking another step forward during the regular season.
Herro is the one player that needs to make the bigger strides, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Here’s the thing with Herro; if he is even just an average defensive player and not a liability, his value on the floor becomes that much greater. If Herro is not a defensive liability, he has the talent to be an All-Star-level player this season.
If Bam can add another element to his offensive game, perhaps even a more aggressive motor, his value to the team will be irreplaceable.
There’s a path toward the Miami Heat being a better team this season. When you look at this roster and forget what happened during the offseason, it’s hard not to think Miami isn’t in a great position to operate under the radar this season and be the surprise of the playoffs once again.