By Steven Rasco
The Miami Heat have not made any significant moves in this off-season and many are saying they do not have the roster to compete with other teams in the East. Today we will go into how they may be doing more than just running it back and how they can make it as a top team in the east.
The Miami Heat have almost been a temperamental team as you never know what kind of performance you will get. In the last two seasons, fans have seen the Heat narrowly make it to the playoffs in the 7th and 8th seeds. The 22-23 season had them make the finals despite all the odds. But last season, they got knocked out in the first round by their rivals and eventual Champions the Boston Celtics. To their credit, injuries take some fault in their first-round exit as key players like star forward Jimmy Butler and rookie sensation Jaime Jaquez Jr. were sidelined during the most important stretch of the season. That being said, it seems that the Heat are content with their roster standing as they have had quite an uneventful off-season.
However, there are 3 aspects of the Heat's off-season that I find interesting, showing that they have more to them. Their young players, the depth of the squad and Jimmy Butler being on a contract year.
The Young Players
There's no secret that Miami doesn't tank, possibly one of the only teams in Basketball to always want to compete no matter the team. This, of course, being a part of their "Heat Culture", makes it difficult for the Heat to be able to get promising young players that contribute. Within the last fifteen years, their highest pick has been 10th. However, they have shown their great scouting by finding gems in the draft and turning undrafted players into key factors. Let's dive into what they have found in this year's offseason.
The draft had many fans excited as the Heat drafted someone who addresses a major flaw in the team’s roster, their size. Kel'el Ware stands at 7'0 (finally) and has a wingspan of 7'4, has very impressive athletic ability and really is a true BIG which the Heat have been in desperate need of. He has all the keys to becoming a very dominant big man making the Heat a perfect match for him.
Someone who showed promise in the Summer League was the Heat's second-round pick, Pelle Larsson. The 6'5 guard out of Arizona was not the pick many fans were expecting, but it might be the one they needed. This is kind of like last years' rookie, Jaime Jaquez, who everyone had going in the second round. Funny enough they both have similar play styles. He can be a Swiss Army knife kind of player (he's literally Swedish) with his cuts to the basket, mid-range shooting and impressive defense.
Speaking of the Summer League, the team that won it this season was none other than your Miami Heat. They showcased some more undrafted gems that could contribute to winning, players like Isaiah Stevens, Keshad Johnson and Josh Christopher. Now Christopher isn't an undrafted player like the other two, but he wasn't given the chance to find his true potential with the Rockets. He is now looking to revive his career with Heat and has signed on a two-way contract.
Two young players who have already shown that they can contribute to winning are Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Both have proven themselves with Jovic finally getting some playing time after not getting much of any in his rookie season and Jaime being a key factor from day one.
Nikola Jovic is an interesting one as he earned a spot in the starting lineup in January and has shown a much higher ceiling than others might've thought he had. He has everything needed in his position, great three-point shooting with a shooting percentage of .40%, great passing IQ, a dominant inside game and an impressive leap defensively.
Jaime Jaquez has been given high expectations from the fans with some even saying he is destined to win 6th man of the year. Jaime showed how good he can be, from great cuts to the rim, amazing footwork in the post, mid-range shooting and even being a pest on defense. He still has much to be desired from the three-point range, something that if he improves upon, the sky's the limit for him even at 23.
Squad Depth
Now there's no question, the Heat did not make any significant changes with free agency. They lost a valuable player in Caleb Martin. However, I think that the few signings they made and the internal improvement might be enough to help them.
Now if you watch the Miami Heat religiously during the regular season then you should be familiar with the term 'Heat Killer'. This name is given to the ones that seem to have the best games of their life against Miami, this includes people like T.J. McConnell, Grayson Allen and the one I will be focusing on in the newly acquired Alec Burks. He has been a consistently great three-point shooter throughout his career especially against Miami and was very good for the Knicks in the playoffs. He can help fill the Heat's need for three-point shooting, making him a valuable pickup.
Another signing came in Nasiir Little, a 6'6 forward with a 7'2 wingspan (Insane) who brings a special type of tenacity on defense. He can be an important piece in a competitive team's rotation if given the chance. With him being only 24, he adds to an already pretty young roster potentially bringing a similar playstyle to Haywood Highsmith.
Speaking of Highsmith, he was resigned to what I think is a pretty cheap deal With just a 2 year $11 million contract for one of the most underrated defenders in the league. He showed that he could be a knockdown shooter from three and could put a stop to the other team's best player. He and Bam could be a scary duo this upcoming season.
Bam Adebayo is coming off a great season where he finished top 3 in DPOY voting. With him consistently being top 5 in those votes every year, we know that he has that side of the floor covered. However, one thing I find very intriguing on his offensive side is his three-point shooting. He started shooting more threes near the end of last season and found himself shooting at a .36% clip. This paired with his impressive play at the four spot in the Olympics this summer, may help elevate the spacing on the team. This also plays into how important Kel'el Ware can be if he turns out to be a promising Big man.
Something I found myself wanting to see more of last year was Terry Rozier and Herro playing together. The Heat only played 12 games with both of them on the court and this could be an essential role in elevating Herro's game. Terry is a similar player with them both being great three-point shooters, however, Rozier comes with great drives to the rim and great passing ability. These are two aspects that Tyler needs to work on with a special emphasis on the drives, something he was poor at last season. With Herro still being young at age 24, it's possible that he can still make a major leap offensively if given a healthy season. Hopefully, the heat can get both on the court for most of the upcoming season as it can bring that major boost they need on offense.
Jimmy Butler's Contract Year
Pat Riley gave the fans a good scare after his comments on Jimmy during his end-of-season press conference. Making comments about Butler like "If you're not on the court playing against Boston, or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut." Riley also explained that they do not need to give him an extension now when they have a whole season to look into. Most would think Jimmy would not take this too kindly but it seems he is actually using this as motivation for this upcoming season.
Multiple reports came out that Butler wouldn't ask for the extension as he wants to prove to Riley and Heat executives that he can stay healthy and contribute during the regular season. If you watch him you know he seems to 'coast' during the regular season, as if saving himself for the playoffs. This comes with missing games, not performing to his full ability and clearly elevating his game during the playoffs. An eye-opening stat that shows this is that Jimmy has never had a 40+ point game during the regular season with the Heat, but has eight of them in the playoffs.
With that in mind, it is clear to see why Riley might be mad with Jimmy, after two straight years of being a low-ranking seed. However, Butler and Pat are both cut from the same cloth as they aren't afraid to butt heads when things aren't going the way they want. With any other organization, Butler would be out the door right away without an extension, but he likes that Pat calls him out. They both have the same sick mentality of doing whatever it takes to win. All that is missing is for Jimmy to prove that he is about that with the upcoming Regular Season.
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