In the 13th of 30 NBA previews prior to the start of the season, we will take a look at the Miami Heat. In this preview, we will discuss Miami’s key acquisitions, fantasy stars and predicted finish.
Key Acquisition
The Miami Heat were very quiet in the offseason, with their only notable addition being Serbian small forward Nikola Jovic, who cannot be confused with Denver Nuggets two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Jovic was the Heat first round pick, 27th overall, in the 2022 NBA Draft. This past year Jovic played with KK Mega Basket of the Adriatic League, which was founded seven years ago in Zagreb, Croatia.
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Fantasy Stars
The Heat have two players ranked in the top 10 for their position. At center, Bam Adebayo of Newark, New Jersey is ranked sixth and at small forward, Jimmy Butler of Houston, Texas is ranked eighth.
This past year, Adebayo averaged a double double. He had 19.1 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game. Adebayo, who was an All-Star in 2020 with Miami, had a field goal percentage of .557, and a free throw percentage of .753.
Butler, who was an All-Star for the sixth time, averaged 21.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game, 1.6 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .480, free throw percentage of .870, and a three-point percentage of .233. Known for his defense, Butler led the NBA in steals over game with 2.1 in 2020-21.
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Projected Finish
Joel Beatton and I differ on the fate of the Miami Heat this season. I am higher on the Heat’s Southeast Division opponent, the Charlotte Hornets than Joel is. Joel believes the Heat will still win the division, but drop down from first in the Eastern Conference to fourth. I meanwhile, believe the Heat will drop from first in the Eastern Conference all the way down to ninth, and second in the division behind the Hornets.
The reason for my pessimism this year with the Heat, comes down to age. This is a veteran team that has possibly lost a step from last year. Kyle Lowry only played 63 games a year ago, Butler played 57 games, and Adebayo played 56 games. One player on the Heat who is young and has sufficient upside is 22-year-old Tyler Herro, who was the sixth man player of the year last season.
