The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend is officially in the books, which means the regular season is entering its final chapters. Following a busy trade deadline, the league saw many new contenders emerge for the title. On the other hand, organizations such as the Miami Heat were relatively quiet in the trade market.
The Heat is 32-27 and No. 7 in the Eastern Conference. As of now, the team would be in the Play-in Tournament. The problem is that Miami finished the 2021-22 season with the best record in the conference. Because of that, the pressure and expectations are high in Florida.
With hopes of returning to the NBA Finals, Miami still has a long road ahead of it. After some key recent moves, things could change for the better for the franchise.
With that being said, here are three bold predictions for the Heat following the 2023 NBA All-Star break.
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3. Kevin Love becomes the Heat's sixth man
Although the Heat was quiet during the trade deadline, it does not mean that the front office did not act in the following weeks. Miami ended up signing Kevin Love after he completed a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the All-Star Weekend.
In 41 games with the Cavs this season, Love averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 38.9% from the field, 35.4% from the 3-point line, and 88.9% from the charity stripe. He played just 20 minutes a night, the lowest of his career, and came off the bench in all but three games.
Notably, he was removed from the rotation in late January, earning multiple DNPs (Coach’s Decision) and even being inactive on some occasions. Because of that, with no materialized trades, the Cavs and Love decided to part ways after nine seasons together.
Luckily for the Heat, the power forward chose South Beach to finish the season. Miami is currently only No. 28 in 3-point percentage, hitting just 33.4% of their shots from beyond the arc.
Still, the bold prediction is that Love will be the team's sixth man, keeping his backup role from his final years in Cleveland. That way, he won't take too many shots away from Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo but still have plenty of opportunities to contribute.
2. The team as a whole has a healthy final stretch of the regular season
Even though the Heat is still in the battle for a playoff spot, things could have been very different by now. Miami has been dealing with multiple injuries this season, with most of its key players missing multiple games. Fortunately for the team, it was able to continue in at least the Play-In Tournament zone.
Butler missed 15 games due to multiple injuries this season. Tyler Herro also did not suit up for more than 10 games. They are two of the team's top-three scorers with 21.7 and 20.6 points per game, respectively.
Other rotational guys are also dealing with physical problems this year. Victor Oladipo has been limited to just 26 appearances while starting point guard Kyle Lowry also missed 15 games.
Only Adebayo and Max Strus have appeared in more than 50 out of Miami's 59 games.
The bold prediction is that in the next months, the Heat as a team will have a healthy end of the 2022-23 regular season. Stars such as Butler, Adebayo, and Herro should not miss many games, only sitting out as precautions and rest for the playoffs.
1. Miami finishes regular season strong, avoids Play-In Tournament
While the Heat itself did not make many moves by the trade deadline, there was a lot of action in the East. Most notably, the Brooklyn Nets traded away both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to the West. Because of that, some doors could open for other teams.
The Nets are currently 34-24 and hold the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, without Irving and Durant, it is uncertain how they will close out the regular season. This allows teams that are immediately below Brooklyn in the standings to potentially take advantage of the situation.
That is the case of the Heat. Miami is only 2.5 games behind Brooklyn, so it could certainly surpass the Nets at some point this season. Not only that but with the addition of Love and if its key players stay healthy, Miami could climb the standings even higher than expected.
The bold prediction is that Miami will have a solid final stretch of the regular season. With that happening, the Heat will end up avoiding the Play-In Tournament and will qualify for the playoffs. Most importantly, it will give the team some extra time to rest while also potentially giving it a home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason.
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