5 most fascinating NBA teams to watch in the second half
By Jono Perilli
Miami Heat
This season has become subject to some surprises, most notably, the Miami Heat. The over-achieving team have improved a ton since their eventful offseason. Signing for Jimmy Butler and drafting their boy-wonder, Tyler Herro, were fantastic decisions by their mastermind team president, Pat Riley.
So far, the Heat have cruised to the fourth seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with a 36-20 record. This has shocked almost all fans, who came into the season criticizing Butler’s decision to take his talents to South Beach. But for Pat Riley, their fantastic season wasn’t enough and he wants to contend right now.
Much like the Timberwolves, the Heat made a splash at the trade deadline, trading for Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill and Andre Iguodala. Three short-term guys who can make an immediate impact, perfect for a contending team.
But questions loom around the second half of the season for the Heat, can they keep up their surprising season? Most likely.
Related Story. How the Miami Heat will look post-trade deadline. light
Already, the team has boasted some pure talent, but fans are questioning if they’ll make a deep push in the playoffs. After all, it’s down to their young players to prove themselves in the NBA playoffs, most notably Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
So far, both players have exceeded their potential, especially Herro. He’s already become a star shooter and has shown a pure scoring ability that has shut-down teams’ defenses. The issue is, we don’t know if he can do this in the playoffs.
How can the Heat make a deep push in the playoffs if some of their key-players have no experience whatsoever? This could become an issue.
But let’s not bash the Heat, they’re a fantastic team with a deep roster, sporting some good role-players, such as Duncan Robinson and Derrick Jones Jr. This team has some great potential, it’s just if they can keep up their great season in the second half. That should be a reason to keep an eye on them in the second half of the season. People should wonder if the Heat are legit, or if they’re just having a lucky start.
Only the future tells, make sure you keep an eye on the Heat.