On Wednesday night, the Miami Heat were put out to pasture by the Boston Celtics. Their 84-118 loss to their archrivals ended the series at 4-1. Despite the injury to top star Jimmy Butler, the results were still extremely worrying. It was a disappointing end to an underwhelming and challenging season.
What’s Next for the Miami Heat’s Future After Playoff Loss?
Heat Season Recap
Coming off a finals appearance against the Denver Nuggets, the expectations were sky-high for the Heat. Many believed their top star, Butler, would fully break out into an MVP candidate. The expectations were just as high for supporting stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to break out as All-Star caliber players. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for the season. Herro and Butler missed significant time during the season, and the team suffered in their absence. Their 46-36 season record and eighth-seed finish weren’t exactly awe-inspiring.
However, the real worrying signs were the peripheral stats. Their offense was bottom 10 or worse in almost every metric, ranking 26th in the NBA in PPG and 21st in offensive rating. Furthermore, they played extremely slowly. Their pace was 29th in the league, which doesn’t match up well against the current offensive environment in the league. While many people were worried from the jump, they were dismissed by the promise of “Playoff Jimmy” and an underdog run similar to last year’s finals run. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to pass.
The problem with the series result for the Heat isn’t that they lost. The Celtics are a very, very good team, and there’s no shame in losing to them. Furthermore, top star Butler was out for the entire series. No one can blame the Heat for losing. The problem was that it wasn’t even close. The margin of defeat for the Heat’s losses was 22 points. Outside of their fluke Game 2 loss, the Celtics led for 191 of a possible 192 minutes. Additionally, Boston never looked even remotely in danger of losing. This is a massive problem for a Miami team with ambitions of winning a championship. The Celtics are built for the long run, and if the Heat can’t compete, their aspirations will stay firmly as dreams rather than a reality.
Heat Roster Challenges
The problem with the Heat is their roster. Butler is an amazing player who is famous for his clutch playoff performances. However, he is 34 and entering the 14th season of his career. He was renowned for his durability early in his career, but that has waned as time has passed. He has averaged less than 60 games played per season during his tenure in Miami. Furthermore, his minutes per game have been declining as well. No one in Miami wants to face the fact that Butler is getting older and that people need to prepare for a Heat future either without Butler or in a severely reduced role.
Beyond just Butler, co-stars Adebayo and Herro have been having their own issues. Herro has been having consistent injury problems since his drafting. Adebayo has been an iron man, but he has been having efficiency issues this year, surrounded by an inconsistent and ever-changing roster. Finally, the Heat’s role players haven’t been performing at the expected level of a team whose reputation is based on their elite development.
The Last Word on Miami Heat Future
The current roster just doesn’t have enough firepower to compete with the Celtics and other elite teams in the East. The Heat need a game-changer who can pick up the slack and carry the team when Butler and Herro are struggling with injury. They need someone durable, consistent, and versatile. They thought they had found that player in Damian Lillard last summer. However, it ultimately didn’t turn out how they wanted it to as Lillard landed in Milwaukee.
Luckily for Miami, there are several options in the upcoming free agency. Paul George is expected to become a free agent and would be a great fit. The Suns are imploding, and Kevin Durant could potentially become available. It would be risky, but there is no doubt Durant would be the game-changer they are looking for. The final option is the one-time Heat superstar, LeBron James. It would be a fitting final chapter for James’ legendary career to end with the franchise with which he won his first two titles. He would also be the game-changer the Heat have been searching for. It’s unlikely, but possible.
Everyone knows things need to change in Miami. The only question is how the front office will change it to secure a bright future for the Heat.
