Miami Heat: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2019-20
The Miami Heat have three players primed to break out in the 2019-20 season. They control how high the Heat’s ceiling is.
The Miami Heat provided one of the biggest surprises to this year’s free agency. Despite being capped out, Miami was able to obtain a multi-time All-Star in a trade.
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While a big reason was that he desired to play for the Heat, Miami was able to trade for Jimmy Butler in a four-team trade that brought in Butler and Meyers Leonard while sending Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Butler, with Hassan Whiteside going to the Portland Trail Blazers to make more cap space.
The addition of Butler ushers in a new era for Miami. Since Dwyane Wade left in the summer of 2016, the Heat haven’t had that much buzz around them or a strong identity. Wade’s retirement tour was the only reason they’ve gotten national attention in recent years.
With Butler, that will change. Fans and media from around the league will be tuning into the Heat to see if Butler is still capable of being the best player on a good team.
But while a proven star is the Heat’s big attraction, it’s the young players that make this team tick. Their breakouts are what will set the ceiling for how good Miami can be moving forward.
As Butler (30 years old this season) ages and declines as a player, the youngsters picking up the slack will be the determinant for if acquiring Butler was smart for Miami. Was trading for this star worth it, or would they have been better off tearing everything down and rebuilding?
It’s up to the unproven young players to prove themselves and show that Miami is ready to compete now and that taking on Jimmy Butler, his baggage, and his contract was worth it.
They are the Heat’s X-factors. Three of these young players are returning to Miami after a failed playoff push. For them, improvement is an expectation.
These players are experienced enough to shoulder plenty of responsibility while young enough that they still likely have some potential not yet tapped into. They straddle the line of veteran and youngster. Both are helpful tools for having a breakout season.
It’s these three players that will have some of the biggest impacts on the team, even if they aren’t put in the biggest roles.
Here are Miami’s three strongest candidates to have a breakout season.