The Miami Heat made a surprise run to the NBA Finals last season and are back for more. Who are the locks, fringe, and break-ins for the starting lineup?
The Miami Heat strode into the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida this summer, seized the Eastern Conference by the horns, and made a dominant and unexpected run to the NBA Finals. Untimely injuries derailed their chance of upsetting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
This season they are back for more, hoping to build on last season’s success while preserving flexibility for next offseason. That meant that the roster is mostly the same, with a few exceptions; the team lost Jae Crowder, Derrick Jones Jr. and Solomon Hill, replacing them with Maurice Harkless, Avery Bradley and first-round pick Precious Achiuwa.
The Heat have no problem mixing up their starting lineup, both to experiment and for the sake of maximizing a matchup. 10 players started at least five games for the Heat last season, not including Goran Dragic who started 15 of 16 games in the playoffs.
The Eastern Conference looks to be stronger this season, putting more pressure on the Heat to repeat as conference champions. Which players on their roster are locks to make the starting lineup, and which could be shuffled around by season’s end?