This is Miami's FINAL Chance To Win It All
The Miami Heat realistically have this season to try and win the NBA championship.
2023-24 Season Recap
Last season, the Miami Heat finished their season with a 46-36 record, good enough for the 8th seed. Facing the 76ers in the Play-In Tournament, Jimmy Butler unfortunately injured his knee and was unable to play during the playoffs. Miami would end up losing to the Boston Celtics in 5 games.
Miami's Off-Season
Going into the off-season eyes were set on Miami to make some moves to try and build a better team. However, Miami did not make that many moves. Their biggest move was drafting Kel'el Ware to play the center position, arguably Miami's biggest weakness. Although Bam plays center and does a great job, he is an undersized center and that will not cut it in today's NBA.
During the off-season, the Heat resigned Kevin Love a great veteran voice for the younger players as well as a great floor spacer. They also resigned Thomas Bryant, another good floor spacer, however, he shot an abysmal 18% from three last season. Miami also signed Alec Burks, a decent scorer to come off the bench. The Heat resigned Haywood Highsmith as well to a contract. Highsmith is a great defender and mends well with Miami's tough and gritty identity.
During summer league, fans were able to see how good Kel'el Ware is. Some fans say not only is Ware a steal, but he could most likely win Rookie of the Year. He's a great defender and a good rebounder. His shooting and floor spacing does need some work, but he will get there eventually.
2024-25 Season Expectations
There is no expectation other than winning a championship this season. Two seasons ago Miami became only the second 8th seed to make it to the NBA Finals losing in 5 to the Nuggets, and a few seasons back in 2020 they were in the NBA Finals losing to the Lakers in 6.
This season the Eastern Conference has gotten significantly better. Miami seems like a middle-of-the-pack team teetering between 4th and 6th. As said earlier Miami's biggest issue was their lack of size as Bam is only 6'9 playing center. Having Ware (7'0) can give Bam a little less pressure on interior defense as he could slide to the power forward position and play more as a help defender while focusing more on the perimeter while Ware can be protecting the paint.
Miami could most likely experiment with different lineups with Herro starting or coming off the bench, although it would be better for Herro to come off the bench rather than start. The Heat bench does not have a primary ball-handler and Herro could provide that. A realistic starting lineup could be Rozier, Jamie, Butler, Bam, and Ware. However, it is unlikely that Kel'el will be starting when the season starts. The good thing about the Heat is their wings are versatile, being able to play and guard multiple positions.
In the NBA Netflix documentary "Starting 5" Jimmy's final message was expressing how he needs to get Miami a championship and how he feels like he owes them one. Butler is in the final year of his deal and was not offered an extension during the off-season. With this being a contract year for Jimmy Butler, he is expecting a high payday, but Pat will only offer that if not only Butler plays like an all-star, but also brings Miami a championship.
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