The Miami Heat, fresh off a 2023 NBA Finals run as an 8th seed, were seen as the boogeyman of the Eastern Conference. Then the 2023-2024 NBA season started. Star forward Jimmy Butler arrived at the NBA media day with a disturbing emo haircut and piercings. The Heat had enough health issues that fielding a team to play every night proved difficult. Miami nearly averaged a different starting lineup every two games. A disappointing second straight 8th seed in the playoffs resulted. A first-round gentlemen’s sweep by the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics showed mercy—questions about the foundation of Heat culture began to emerge. My main question is, should the Miami Heat worry this coming season?
Please check out the rest of the articles in my NBA Worry-Wart Series:
Medical Boogeyman
The real boogeyman of the NBA Eastern Conference is the health status of the premier players. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Kristaps Porzingis are some of the more familiar names who regularly miss games. Even non-contenders like Charlotte with LaMelo Ball and Chicago with Lonzo Ball have suffered severe health issues with their stars. The healthiest team in April and May has a clear runway to the NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat had 35 different starting lineups last season, which is a franchise record. Due to injury, Jimmy Butler lost a quarter of the season and the entire first-round playoff exit. Young guard Tyler Herro, who missed the entirety of the 2023 Finals run with a broken hand, lost over 50% of the 2023-24 season to injury. Terry Rozier, brought in near the trade deadline to replace Kyle Lowry’s tepid production, produced nothing but missed games (neck concerns) by season’s end. The team relied heavily on backend roster players to carry the day-to-day load. Thank God for the defensive wizardry of Bam Adebayo. The Heat are borderline unwatchable when they succumb to the medical boogeyman.
Miami Heat Offseason Changes
This offseason sparked the usual trade rumors, with agents routinely mentioning Miami as an interested party. South Beach rarely ends up as the final free-agent destination, and this summer was the same. Except for the addition of Alec Burks and the loss of Caleb Martin, the Heat returned most of last season’s 8th-place roster.
Coach Erik Spoelstra’s divorce isn’t a storyline this season. Instead, we discuss the positive experience (and recruiting opportunity) he took away as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning Olympic Basketball Team. Spoelstra is the front-runner for head coach of the next run.
Butler came in late to media day but was normal and focused on this season’s goals. Duncan Robinson stands to build on the layers he developed in his game last season. Kal’el Ware is the only legitimate center with size that the franchise has ever drafted in the first round. Ware’s presence hints at Adebayo spacing the floor with threes this season. Ware has all-around talent.
Ke’lel Ware isn’t your regular rookie 😳 beast on both ends
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2024
pic.twitter.com/SoWrZafV9f
The Kaseya Center has undergone significant upgrades to improve the fan experience. The Heat are dedicating the court to Pat Riley as he welcomes his 30th anniversary with the Heat. “Pat Riley Court at Kaseya Center” is where the culture that Riley developed will thrive long after he is gone.
This is beautiful 😮💨🔥 and the new seats feel amazing pic.twitter.com/lCJoWvXvK7
— Jai (@Jai_305_) October 7, 2024
Miami Heat Culture Expectations
Heat culture is defined in many ways by personnel inside the world and observers on the outside. The general ethos is professionalism, accountability, and hard work behind closed doors so the group experiences success. Success is championships. The South Beach vibes, the parties, sun tans, and drinks with little umbrellas in them are the sideshow—offseason stuff.
When people think of Heat culture, they envision Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, and Dwyane Wade. Jimmy Butler is in the same mold personality-wise. The roster returning mostly intact signals the front office’s belief that all players in the building have a championship mindset. If they can avoid the medical boogeyman, they will compete to win.
Jimmy Butler was not offered a contract extension this summer and can now be a free agent at season’s end. Not a slight to Butler and his contributions since arriving in 2020 (two NBA Finals appearances and three Eastern Conference Finals appearances in five years). It’s not a budget move either (the Heat have the 6th highest payroll in the league). It’s just that the expectations are not set at simply championship contention. The intention is to win the whole thing.
Should the Miami Heat Worry This Coming Season?
The Miami Heat should be terrified this coming season. Some version of this exact roster has been an 8th seed for two years straight. While I believe in internal development, especially from this organization, age has caught up to their best player, Jimmy Butler. Butler dropped in every statistical category, including games played. I’m not envisioning a scenario where Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo becomes the number one option.
The Heat’s superpower is developing players such that a name you haven’t heard before, like Pelle Larsson, morphs into a significant contributor. However, health concerns are too precarious to assuage the worries. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Herro have already missed the first preseason game due to health issues.
Erik Spoelstra on Jaime/Tyler not playing tonight:
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) October 7, 2024
“I’m calculating all the headlines right now, but I need everyone to take a big breath.”
Says both will be fine
The stadium upgrades are tremendous, but getting fans into the stadium more easily still needs to be figured out. The seats are empty early in games and late if they are not competitive. Miami played better on the road than at home last season.
If you’re a Heat red Kool-Aid drinker, you can say this team feels similar in makeup to the 2009 LA Lakers, who won the championship with a young Andrew Bynum at center and a stalwart guard/forward combo in Hall-of-Famers Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Add the Finals experience and championship coach; you should have a live dog. Don’t drink the Miami Heat Kool-Aid this season.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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