Miami Heat, Before LeBron, Seen as Flawed in One Assessment

We have reached the point of the offseason where we project forward, win totals, power rankings, title favorites, everything you can think of about the result of next years NBA season. And while many teams, including the Miami Heat have yet to finish rounding out their rosters, the core is set and stone --unless they land LeBron James-- and fair projections can be set. And the first of many regarding next years season was released by CBS Sports Brad Botkin. The Miami Heat were ranked 11th with this writeup: Strong Starting Placement for the Heat, But Fair I'll start by saying this is a fair placement of the Heat, especially with the questions many have surrounding the roster. He has them behind Eastern Conference opponents Boston, Philly, Toronto, Indiana, and New York. Miami being the 6th best team in the Eastern Conference would put them around 46 wins --based off of last year-- and that falls just short of where I project them, 50 wins. But here's the problem I have with his arguement, and many regarding the Miami Heat. The gravity of Giannis Antetokounmpo opens up space for all shooters, and they will likely be a top-5 defense in the entire NBA, which instantly puts them towards the top of the Eastern Conference, and certianly ahead of the Boston Celtics, who lack depth, and traded away their second best player. Beyond Mitchell alone, the Miami Heat have Andrew Wiggins who shot 41% on nearly 5 attempts per game, added Bobby Portis who shot 45% on 4.4 attempts, and Tim Hardaway Jr, who shot 40.7% on 6.9 attempts. They have the spacing, and the creation, well that's where Giannis comes in. My reasoning for calling it a fair placement is because the roster is top heavy, and the current rendition of the bench lacks scoring and creation, and they will need someone to step up, somebody to take that next step, or obviously, add to the roster. With a top-heavy roster, health becomes a huge concern as well and Miami will need their top players on the floor, each and every night. I believe Miami will be a top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and am excited to see what Erik Spoelstra creates with a roster filled with strong defensive talent and unique offensive profiles. • Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Born to Play for the Miami Heat • Why LeBron's Final Chapter Should Be Written in Miami This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Miami Heat, Before LeBron, Seen as Flawed in One Assessment. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published July 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM.