East champion Heat will try to rekindle that playoff magic in '23-24
Last season: 44-38, lost to Denver in NBA Finals.
Coach: Erik Spoelstra (16th season, 704-491).
What to expect: The defending Eastern Conference champions know their window for championships — at least with the roster as currently constructed — is now. Kyle Lowry is 37, Kevin Love is 35, and Jimmy Butler turned 34 last month as well. There are some serious holes to fill as well, particularly in the area of 3-point shooting. Tyler Herro led the team with 203 makes from beyond the arc last season, but the No. 2 and No. 3 Heat players in that department a year ago — Max Strus (197) and Gabe Vincent (117) — now play elsewhere. And 3-point accuracy was an issue for the Heat throughout the regular season, the team’s 34.4% clip ranked only 27th in the 30-team NBA. But it is a team filled with players who know how to rise to playoff occasions; Butler was the best player in the league for long stretches of the 2023 postseason. The question will be how Miami finds a way to bring its playoff success to the regular season. Don’t forget that the Heat almost didn’t get to the playoffs at all; they lost the first play-in game to Atlanta and trailed Chicago late in an elimination game before Round 1, before beating the Bulls and then ousting Milwaukee, New York and Boston.
Departures: Vincent (Los Angeles Lakers), Strus (Cleveland), Victor Oladipo (traded to Oklahoma City and since traded to Houston).
Additions: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (draft), Thomas Bryant (free agent), Josh Richardson (free agent), Cole Swider (free agent).
Player to watch: Bam Adebayo. First, it’s time for Adebayo to be part of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He can guard any position, doesn’t hunt blocks to pad stats and the numbers show how much better the defense-minded Heat are at that end of the floor when Adebayo is in the game as opposed to when he isn’t. His scoring has improved in every season; he averaged 6.9 points as a rookie and averaged 20.4 last season. Shooting dipped a bit in 2022-23, likely in part because he was taking more shots than ever before. Adebayo probably won’t be the go-to offensive option at the end of games, not with Butler and Herro in those roles, though that’s not what the Heat need from him. They run offense through him, let him bring the ball up from time to time and quarterback the defense. It’s not a flashy role, and that’s probably why he hasn’t gotten the attention he thinks he deserves.
Season opener: Wednesday at home vs. Detroit.
FanDuel Sportsbook title odds: 30-1.
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