Are The Miami Heat Being Overlooked Heading Into Season?

The Miami Heat just had one of their biggest offseason periods in the franchise's history. The team acquired superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of one of the biggest blockbuster deals of the decade so far. After getting Antetokounmpo, along with Bobby Portis, the team did not stop there. They added Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nick Richards, going veteran-heavy with their new-look rotation.

While the Heat had a big offseason, multiple other teams in the Eastern Conference did as well. The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics swapped Paul George for Jaylen Brown with Philadelphia also adding LeBron James on a two-year veteran contract. Kawhi Leonard got his wish and was dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Toronto Raptors, where he won a title in 2019. The Indiana Pacers get Tyrese Haliburton back this season while the Celtics now have Jayson Tatum fully healthy to begin the season as well.

Over the past decade, the conversation always seemed to be focused on the Western Conference as a lot of "superteams" were formed on that side of the league. However, it seems the tide has turned as the East seems relatively tougher to earn a top-5 seed prior to the playoffs.

ESPN conducted a survey amongst their basketball analysts, determining who would be coming out of the Eastern Conference in May. Surprisingly, none of them took Miami to represent the East in the NBA Finals. The largest tallies went to the defending champion New York Knicks and 76ers while the Celtics, Pacers and Raptors trailed. This brings up the question: Are the Heat being overlooked?

The biggest concern for Miami throughout the offseason since making the Antetokounmpo deal has been their depth. By bringing in guys like Thompson, Portis, Hardaway Jr. and Richards, it seems like the team is securing depth. Miami even extended Andrew Wiggins, who has been a relatively big part of the team's scoring attack as a third option over the past season-and-a-half. Young guys such as Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic hope to break out after earning rookie contract extensions as well.

The Heat's biggest strength heading into the season is their projected defense. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo should be one of the scariest frontcourt duos for teams to attack down low. Having them anchor that aspect of the game could be a big reason why the Heat finish among the top teams in the conference.

The East will not be easy this year but it's safe to say the Heat may not be getting the pre-season respect and hype they deserve after landing a top player in the league.