The Miami Heat are playing a brand of basketball akin to their glory days, and all it took was getting through a rough patch last season to make it happen.
The Miami Heat are off to an impressive 12-6 start through the first 18 games of the season, and their production is drawing the praise of ESPN senior NBA writer Tim Bontemps as recently broke down why the Heat look better, and happier, than before.
“[They] take the first good look they've got, whether it's to drive to the hoop or to shoot the ball,” Bontemps said via The Hoop Collective Podcast. “And having spent a lot of time around Miami last year in the whole Jimmy Butler fiasco, it's remarkable how much happier and like how good the vibes are across the board.”
“I think the Heat, where they were a year ago right now, they were in hell. Yeah, it was a miserable situation. They were trying to get out of the Jimmy Butler situation. Jimmy was trying to get out of the Jimmy Butler situation. And they were just stuck in this very awkward dance until they could find a trade that worked.”
Miami limped its way through a difficult 2024-25 campaign that saw the dramatic departure of Jimmy Butler in a trade to the Golden State Warriors in February. Afterward, coach Erik Spoelstra and Co. finished the season 37-45 followed by a sweeping first-round exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In return for Butler, the franchise acquired Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, who have become key rotation pieces. They also added Norman Powell, a savvy veteran who leads Miami in scoring (25.4 ppg).
While the Heat areplaying significantly better basketball, Bontemps emphasized the height of their expectations and how they will need to improve to reach them.
“This year, the Heat are a championship robust team,” he said. “So, I think they would be the first to tell you that they're not sitting there saying, yeah, we're going to win the title playing like this. But they're enjoying playing like this. They have a very funteam. They're going to win a lot of regular season games, especially in a very wide-open East.”
“And they're going to see what they have and see how far it could take them and then go from there. But where, from where they were last year to where they are now, it's night and day. And, uh, you know, it's, it's been, I think a really, it's a really funbrand of basketball to watch. And it's been a really fun opening month for the Heat.”