Although the Miami Heat have roughly the same roster that got to the NBA Finals last season, there are questions to be asked about this team’s structure.
The Miami Heat’s journey back to the NBA Finals is about to begin. Last season produced surprising success, as the fifth-seeded Heat ran the gauntlet of the Eastern Conference and reached the Finals for the first time since 2014.
With only a few tweaks, that same squad is back. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who signed a five-year max extension, are back with a talented supporting cast with one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra calling the shots.
Miami could be a deeper team than they were last season. They lost starting forward Jae Crowder in free agency but added Moe Harkless and Avery Bradley while drafting Precious Achiuwa. The three newcomers fit in very well with the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Harkless and Bradley are playoff-tested, defensive-minded veterans. Achiuwa’s hard-nosed, physical playstyle makes him just the kind of rookie center Miami wants to develop.
Everyone around the league knows that the Heat Culture is very real. Miami’s brand of intensity and cohesion put them on the map last year. The Heat are out to prove last season’s run wasn’t a fluke, that they belong in the conversation of the league’s best teams. The expectations are higher but the team wouldn’t want it any other way.
The underdog narrative belongs to last season. The team is now expected to contend for the title for years to come. The Heat’s quest to finish what they started begins on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
Here are three questions as Miami is set to begin another NBA adventure.