Give Erik Spoelstra a smidge of talent and watch him work. The Miami Heat are reviving from a season-from-hell 2025 year. The Jimmy Butler debacle and lack of offensive firepower were too much to overcome — Miami finished under .500 for the first time since 2019.
That's not happening again. The jury remains out on how good this group will be, but it should be more cohesive than last year's mockery of the word 'team'. The Heat's super free agency move was the Norman Powell trade. That's plenty when you dig deep.
Bam Adebayo's All-Defense streak was snapped last year; that should put a battery in his back. Adebayo and his frontcourt mate, Kel'el Ware, are off to continue the double big trend in the NBA.
These aren't the 2013, 27-wins-in-a-row Miami Heat, but they won't be easy pickings next season.
The Miami Heat recive a spark offensively
It's been three seasons since Miami has had an average offense — they've finished in the bottom 10 since 2023. Kyle Lowry was quarterbacking the offense alongside Herro, with snipers gunning down defense breakdowns in 2022.
Miami still lacks that type of playmaker like Lowry, but snagging Norman Powell wasn't just another move. Powell puts them in position to end the offensive drought, scoring-wise at least.
The Heat have two 20ish points per game players in their backcourt for the first time since Goran Dragic and Herro were teammates (Terry Rozier wasn't good long enough in a Heat jersey to count him). That squad went on a memorable Finals run in 2020, and that was with baby Herro.
All-Star Herro hasn't had a chance to have a lights-out running mate beside him until now. Powell blossomed into a borderline All-Star at age 32. That's an unlikely story. Can he duplicate last year's inferno production? There's a chance he scales back some, but he's still a threat, and defenses will treat him as such.
That's more pop on offense, but neither Powell nor Herro strikes you as slap the floor, sit in the chair defenders, but that's why Bam Adebayo has a max contract.
Along with missing the All-Defense team, Bam wasn't even a bubble All-Star last year. The first half of his season was uneven, marked by missed close rim shots and a cold stretch from beyond the arc. His full season numbers don't do him justice.
Over the last 35 games of the year, Adebayo averaged 21/10/4 on 44% from 3 per PivotFade. Bam's 60 true shooting percentage was a major improvement over his woeful first half. Knocking down 3s changed his season and could change his career. The shot has always looked fluid, but last year was the first time we've seen tangible results. Keep shooting Bam, and keep defending at a high level.
Adebayo has been making up for so-so defenders his whole career. The Powell + Herro tandem is nothing new for him. Although he missed All-Defense, Bam still led the Heat to another top-10 defensive season, according to Cleaning The Glass. Miami has finished a minimum of 10 since Adebayo became a full-time starter in 2019.
Adebayo and his 7-foot partner in crime will ease the pressure of making for suspect help around them. Per PBP Stats, Ware and Adebayo were +6.45 in 541 minutes together.
Ware can operate as the last line of defense while Adebayo flies around preventing the last line from getting involved. If offenses can get by Adebayo and company, they'll face Ware at the rim, who goes for everything.
That was a semi-flaw last year. Ware needs to stay grounded and more disciplined to reach his defensive ceiling. We're looking to see growth there in his second year. If he is an A rim protector, Bam continues his offensive surge, and Powell can step in and keep his production and efficiency, Miami could be better than the 9th seed.
That's where ESPN plots them ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season. Erik Spoelstra has done more with less, so he should be ecstatic about the additions and internal growth.