Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
The Heat have a way of flying under the radar these days, but Miami fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2022-23 NBA season.
Erik Spoelstra deserves a ton of credit for keeping the Heat in the mix for Eastern Conference supremacy on an annual basis. Miami isn’t at the forefront of a lot of fans’ minds heading into Opening Night, but overlooking this team would be a serious mistake.
Pat Riley and his front office didn’t shake up the team’s roster over the summer. That was the right move given the value of continuity in Spoelstra’s system. Losing P.J. Tucker is going to sting come playoff time, but the roster should have enough depth to absorb that loss.
Stars like Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the newly-paid Tyler Herro will continue to generate the headlines on South Beach. What the team really needs is some internal improvement from less-established players.
3. The resurgence of Duncan Robinson
Some might consider this a bold prediction, but Robinson has the tools necessary to enjoy a bounceback season. His prediction dropped noticeably last season, but he was still an above-average shooter.
The challenge for Robinson is that he needs to be an elite shooter to overcome his defensive liabilities. If he gets his three-point percentage back over 40% it’s easy to envision a scenario where he becomes one of the best offensive wings in the league. Since he did that for two seasons in a row prior to last year’s disappointing campaign the smart money is on Robinson to up his game in a big way.
