The Miami Heat are back in the same place fans dreaded they'd be: not good enough to be a contender but not bad enough to start over.
It's the story of the team for arguably the last decade, and it looks like that narrative will continue in 2026 unless things change. After a hot start, Miami has simmered down dramatically. Tyler Herro continues to struggle with injury, and the red-hot offense has averaged just 105.7 points over the last six games.
ESPN dropped its latest power rankings on Wednesday, with the Heat at No. 12 behind Eastern Conference juggernauts like the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. It moved down one spot from last week, which is honestly generous given that it lost five games in a row.
The article wrote:
“Tyler Herro has missed three of the past four games, and the Heat's once turbo offense has stalled as Erik Spoelstra now has a five-game losing streak to try to snap at Brooklyn on Thursday. Miami's offense has averaged just 105.6 points per game during the slide and posted a season-low 96 points in a loss to Toronto on Monday. The game in Brooklyn opens a stretch in which Miami plays four of the next five games on the road with games at Boston, New York and Atlanta.”
The Heat got a good bounce-back victory against the Brooklyn Nets, but that's unlikely to move the needle for anyone. Still, the team needed it after a difficult couple of weeks. Kel'El Ware notched another double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Norman Powell continued his offensive renaissance with a 24-point performance.
"Our guys wanted it bad," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in his postgame interview. "I think that can put some unnecessary stress on the flow of your game. We want our guys playing fast, with freedom of mind, but I love the fact of how much they care. We wanted to bring a defensive physicality to this game, and we did. It was a defensive throwback game for us, holding them under 100 points and under 40 percent. I was pleased to see that defensive commitment."
Miami plays the Boston Celtics (15-11) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST.