12. Miami Heat
It’s natural to be down on the Miami Heat. They had a shot to land either Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard this offseason and missed out on both of them. Instead of landing a possible final piece of the puzzle, the Heat is back to the drawing board. For a team that just made it to the NBA Finals, there are not many big believers in the Heat heading into the start of the season. However, I’d argue that the Heat is not in that bad of a place in the Eastern Conference.
Are they on the same wavelength as the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics from a talent perspective? No, but when was the last time that was the case for the Heat? Yet, they’ve still managed to make the NBA Finals twice in the last four years. The Heat is going to be an underdog heading into the season, and that’s a place where they thrive.
I can’t count out Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro. The supporting cast will need to prove itself, once again, and there’s an argument to be made that this team is deeper than they were last season. Finishing as a top 4 seed in the East is not completely off the table for Miami.