The Miami Heat, coming off of a phenomenal playoff run that ended at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, are continuing to lick their offseason wounds. Missing out on Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday while also losing key pieces from last year, do the reigning Eastern Conference champions have enough to compete for a title?
With Damian Lillard M.I.A., Can the Miami Heat Compete for a Title?
The Heat let Gabe Vincent walk his way to Los Angeles this offseason. Max Strus went to Cleveland to help Donovan Mitchell. This was manageable, assuming Lillard would find his way to South Beach. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee in a three-team trade, including the Blazers and the Suns. Additionally, Holiday ended up in Boston just days later.
The Heat missed gaining a superstar point guard and an All-Star point guard. While letting two of their vital rotational pieces from last year’s finals run go. So, what does the 2023-24 season look like for them?
The Offseason Struggles
Heat culture remains alive in Southeast Florida as the Heat gear up for their team’s 36th season. Even with an offseason that didn’t go as planned, the Heat still have Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, and Jimmy Butler. The Heat did bring back Josh Richardson, a solid two-way player familiar with that organization’s ways.
The Class of the Eastern Conference
Milwaukee landed the trade that Miami could not facilitate. The move pairs Lillard with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the pair, the Bucks have a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Bobby Portis, Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in Brook Lopez, and former All-Star Khris Middleton. Milwaukee is tied for the best odds to win the title at +380.
The Celtics are co-favorites going into the season. The Celtics let go of Marcus Smart and traded Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams. They added Kristaps Porzingis, who is coming off his best scoring season. That, coupled with the fact that they acquired Holiday from Portland in the fallout of the Lillard trade, has them poised to make a deep playoff run. The Bucks and the Celtics are the two best teams in the East and might be the best in the NBA.
Where Do the Miami Heat Stand in the Title Race?
With those two teams ahead of them, it will take South Beach a lot of work to get back to the Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals. Miami is jostling for the third-best team in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia 76ers, who have all they can handle right now with James Harden, and Cleveland, who added one of Miami’s sharpshooters in the offseason.
Do the Miami Heat Have Promise?
Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and highly touted prospect Nikola Jovic must step up. The Heat’s 2023 playoff stars Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson must remain essential pieces. Jimmy Butler, nicknamed “Playoff Jimmy,” must start his superstar-caliber play in October.
The Miami Heat’s Herro
Tyler Herro is the most critical piece that needs to step up for the Heat to compete. Herro was just that in the Heat’s finals run during the bubble, but his play has been up and down since then. Last year, the Heat stud had one of his best regular seasons. Herro broke his hand in the first game of the playoffs and wasn’t impactful the rest of the season. Following that, the Blazers were uninterested in obtaining him this offseason. That led to the failure of the Lillard trade. Miami hopes this can give him the team the spark they need to be genuine contenders in the Eastern Conference.
The NBA season is only a few weeks away, and the Heat are getting geared up for another historic finals run. Today, they are a few steps back from the cream of the crop. However, the Heat saw the same challenge last year, and we know the result.
