The Miami Heat are a couple of days away from the start of their 36th season as an organization in the NBA. It was a rollercoaster ride after the team had an up-and-down regular season filled with injuries, disappointment, and just scraping by the play-in tournament to get a No. 8 seed.
What spawned from that was a memorable playoff run led by Jimmy Butler and company that led the Heat to the NBA Finals once again. They would eventually lose in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the Finals, but they look to defend their Eastern Conference title.
Heat fans will tell you best to prepare for another wild season that only some will have the stomach to take. Here are four bold predictions for the upcoming Heat 2023-24 season:
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Tyler Herro reaching superstardom
It's the worst kept secret that Tyler Herro's name has been involved in trade talks ever since he was drafted by the Heat. At the end of the day however, Herro remains a part of the team. There's been growth every year with Herro, but this upcoming season, he's going to wish Joe Cronin of the Portland Trail Blazers made a deal to acquire him.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been one of Herro's biggest fans admitting to ClutchPoints after their first home preseason game that he's happy to have him back with the team.
“It's a blessing to be able to have him back and feeling great,” Spoelstra said. “He had a terrific summer. I think this he's only gonna get better.”
While the top two players on the Heat are expected to be Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Herro is going to be used more than ever before as the second scoring option. He's averaged 20 points the past couple of seasons, but he has the talent to get more because of how involved he's going to be.
Might be too bold of a prediction, but Herro could end up being the lead scorer right along with Butler. Either way, expect a huge season for Herro with a gigantic chip on his shoulder.
Point guard dilemma not that big of an issue
There's been a ton of conversation about not only who the starting point guard will be for the Heat, but about the depth of the position. In terms of who's listed, the options are long-time veteran Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson, and Dru Smith, who recently was signed to a standard contract.
At first glimpse, it's a weakness, but it might not be the biggest issue the team has. Why? Players like Butler, Adebayo, and others have shown to be capable ball-handlers and have acted as pseudo-point guards even though they aren't listed as such.
While it helps to have a “true” point guard, the Heat system doesn't really call for it. The ball ends up in a lot of people's hands on the Heat, which could end up resulting in the assist numbers on multiple players to skyrocket.
Young stars shine like Jaime Jaquez Jr.
With players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus leaving via free agency, there's going to be players that need to step up. Looking at this Heat roster, there is a ton of youth that can break out this season.
Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is one of the players that can really show out despite only playing one preseason game. Judging by his play-style and composure, he's NBA-ready and is likely to make a significant impact his rookie season. Other young players like Nikola Jovic, R.J. Hampton, and Cole Swider could end up having bigger roles as the season moves forward as each have talent that can contribute to the Heat's success.
The Heat proving the doubters wrong once again
It's like a broken record. One season, people doubt the Heat, they over-exceed expectations, and then the cycle repeats itself.
This time, it's easy to doubt them as other teams in the Eastern Conference got better, while the Heat for the most part stayed the same despite some aforementioned departures. The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade and the Boston Celtics got Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to strengthen their team. Both squads were beaten by Miami in the playoffs last season.
Judging by past performances and training camp, the Heat should be a solid team this upcoming season. They have the star players in Butler, Adebayo, and Herro, but their depth is often forgotten about.
Players that make up that depth consist of Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, Thomas Bryant, Haywood Highsmith, and the list goes on. They're not flashy like other teams in the East, but anyone putting doubt on a team coached by Erik Spoelstra hasn't been watching for the last decade.
Now, will they repeat their impressive playoff run from last season? Probably not, but doubting Jimmy Butler and the Heat is an invitation to be burned.
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