Why the Miami Heat Are a Darkhorse Contender in the Eastern Conference

In the 2023-24 NBAseason, the Miami Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. However, much of this had to do with the loss of Jimmy Butler, as the star suffered a major injury in Miami's play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

A fully healthy Heat team has gone on to make huge runs in the playoffs, though it seems they have been forgotten about in terms of teams that can contend.

But it wouldn't be surprising at all to see them make another major push in the 2024-25 NBA season.

A Healthy Miami Heat Team Almost Always Succeeds

Fully healthy Heat teams have made multiple recent Finals appearances

One of the significant reasons Miami should be a team to look out for this season is that they are one of the best teams in the league when completely healthy. As reported by ESPN, there is currently no exact timeline for when Butler will return, though he is expected to miss several weeks.

Still, the Heat should be able to manage until their star returns.

In the 2019 offseason, Butler, then an All-Star, was traded to Miami in what was considered a blockbuster deal. It ended up being that and more.

That season, the Heat made their first NBA Finals appearance in six seasons when they faced the L.A. Lakers.

They could not win the NBA Championship, however, falling to Los Angeles in six games.

But no one expected the Heat to make the finals that season, and they certainly made a good first impression with Butler.

In the 2020-21 season, the opposite happened for Miami as it had a terrible first-round playoff performance against the Milwaukee Bucks. This series saw nearly every player on the team underperform, resulting in them getting swept.

It lowered their perception among fans, but that didn't last long, as they had another excellent season the following year.

In 2021-22, the Heat showed signs of returning to their mid-2010s glory days, as they led the Eastern Conference and finished as the No.1 seed going into the playoffs.

They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, though they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. It was a good performance, though, considering they suffered multiple injuries in that series.

In 2022-23, the Heat repeated the same success as they made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Celtics, though this time it was Miami that came out on top, as the group defeated Boston in seven games.

They suffered the same fate as they did in 2019-20, however, as they came short of an NBA Championship, this time losing to the Denver Nuggets.

Although the 2020s Heat has not won a championship yet, it has proven that when the roster is entirely healthy, Miami is a contender and a team to look out for.

Miami Heat Improved This Offseason

The NBA Draft and other factors have helped the team get better

Even though they didn't make any massive adjustments in the 2024 offseason, the Heat still look like an improved team heading into 2024-25.

Much of this has to do with the fact that many of their stars are still young, meaning they have not hit their primes yet. This includes the likes of Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and, to an extent, Bam Adebayo, someone who has turned into a defensive beast over the past few seasons.

Their biggest loss in the offseason was Caleb Martin, as he signed with the 76ers. It wasn't a huge deal, though, as they were able to find an offensive replacement with Alec Burks, even if he isn't as efficient.

This will be the first full season that Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson will play for the Heat after being acquired last year, so they will likely have a positive effect on Miami's regular season record.

The biggest improvements coming into this season came from the NBA Draft, as the Heat selected two players who could contribute to the team immediately.

The first is the 15th overall pick, center Kel'el Ware, who is a potentially great pickup for Miami and will allow the team to experiment with Adebayo as a power forward.

The other key selection came in the second round, as they drafted wing Pelle Larsson, someone who may contribute to the team more than a standard second-rounder would, considering his four years of experience in college.

Miami Will Be a Team to Watch in 2024-25

The Heat have proven to be a playoff force in certain situations

It's important to note that even though Miami made adjustments in the offseason that led to them becoming a better overall team, other teams in the East also made big moves, which has resulted in better competition.

The 76ers are the most prominent name that comes to mind, as they acquired All-Star Paul George, which has resulted in a big three on their roster with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The New York Knicks also made some key moves, their most significant being the addition of Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.

Even though some teams have improved, others, such as the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, have arguably struggled to do the same. Their rosters stayed mostly stagnant this past offseason, so they may not have improved much from last season.

Considering that the Heat roster defeated each of these teams in a playoff series the last time they were fully healthy, it is not outside the realm of possibility that they could do it again.

On the other hand, teams such as the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have improved solely because they have young, high-potential rosters that are continuously getting better. This means that although Miami is still one of the best teams in the East, other franchises are also slowly becoming contenders.

With that being said, the Heat will likely make the playoffs this season, and a possible scenario would be a second-round or Eastern Conference Finals appearance. They have shown though that whenever they make the playoffs, they are a team that rapidly improves, which is especially seen with Butler.

That means that even though it might not be very easy with the competition in the East, it wouldn't be a smart decision to write off Miami as conference or even NBA champions in 2024-25.